As soon as Barack Obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court, the hosts at MSNBC immediately began to wonder if the choice of a “white male” was a mistake. Though making the predictable assertion that Garland was definitely a reasonable “moderate,” journalist Ron Allen on Wednesday worried, “But, there's going to be a lot of concern about this choice by many people who are Obama supporters, who wanted to see more diversity on the court. This selection is a white male.”

He added, “So that is a concern.” Anchor Andrea Mitchell made the same point. Talking to Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, she fretted, “The activist groups that you know, the women's groups, the groups representing other minorities, progressive groups, they would be fired up for someone other than a white man, a white man like Merrick Garland.”

Looking for reassurance, Mitchell questioned Leahy: “So, are you going to see the forceful political activity to try to get him confirmed?”

Earlier in the segment, Mott made sure to declare, “Garland is seen as a moderate.”

A study by the Media Research Center’s Geoffrey Dickens found that Republican Supreme Court nominees are always seen as too conservative by the liberal media. Often, Democratic nominees are viewed as not liberal enough.

See transcripts below: