Scarborough's Scoff: So Glad MSNBC Down the Middle

Photo of Mark Finkelstein.

Tensions are running high at MSNBC, at least surrounding veteran host Joe Scarborough who seems to be increasingly discontented at his network's decision to market itself as the cable net of choice for Bush haters. That hasn't sat well with the likes of the far left Keith Olbermann who has played a large role in getting MSNBC to pursue this strategy

The Democratic convention seems to have only exacerbated those tensions. Last night saw Olbermann caught on an open mic blurting out profane disgust at Scarborough, prompting the latter to verbally call him out while fellow MSNBC anchor Chris Matthews sat back mortified at the intra-family dispute.

Things don't appear to have been smoothed over either as Scarborough was involved in another altercation this morning with liberal correspondent David Shuster on today's "Morning Joe." Scarborough ultimately accused Shuster and his MSNBC colleagues of being Democrats, their independent political registrations notwithstanding. (Exchange happens at 2:15 in video to the right.)

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A news segment about Iraqi President al-Maliki's call for the withdrawal of US troops set off the skirmish. Shuster snidely suggested to Joe that "your party, the Republican party" mocks those who call for withdrawal. All hell ensued. The entire seven-minute exchange is worth viewing, but the highlight was Scarborough's challenge to Shuster and MSNBC at large over their independence.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: I will let you know that "my party," my party, loathes me, much more than your party, the Democratic party, loathes me.

DAVID SHUSTER: Well that's a whole 'nother issue, but the fact of the matter is --

SCARBOROUGH: No, it's not another issue, because you said --

SHUSTER: The party you served with in Congress have repeatedly suggested, they have ridiculed --

SCARBOROUGH: What about your party? What's your party? David Shuster, David: what's your party?

SHUSTER: I have no party. I'm a complete independent.

SCARBOROUGH: Oh, you're independent. Just like all --

SHUSTER: I'll show you my voting card. I'll show you how I'm registered later.

SCARBOROUGH: Oh, I feel so comforted by the fact that you're an independent. I bet everyone at MSNBC has "independent" on their voting cards. "Oh, we're down the middle now." Go ahead, David. No, no, go ahead. You're an independent David. Go ahead. Talk about my party. Go ahead.
SHUSTER: Are you done?
SCARBOROUGH: No, I'm not done, when the fact is that I'm about as down-the-middle as anybody on television on any network, and you come in with a cheap shot, calling up "your party."

A bit later, Scarborough jabbed Shuster over his tardiness.

SCARBOROUGH: Do you never watch this show?

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: He's on this show!

SCARBOROUGH: You must be asleep. Oh, that's right. You usually sleep through the show.

BRZEZINSKI: Sto-o-p-p-p.

SCARBOROUGH: Because you didn't show up three times in a row! Three times you slept through your alarm and didn't come on this show.

SHUSTER [to fellow panelists]: That's how the argument works.

Let's hug it out, boys. H/t reader cgb1.

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.


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An Independent

Shuster and his cohorts really believe that registering as an independent gives them cover.

and I am a...

beige unicorn with lavender wings that poops $100 dollar bills.

Are you sure you aren't

Are you sure you aren't taupe?

 

“it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.” - Justice Antonin Scalia

What a question

I am puce with rage.

I ♣ my seal

the key point here is that

the key point here is that the MSM bastards are starting to crack - on live TV as an added bonus:)

way to go Joe 

Journalism is the opium of the liberals

Pet peeve Truthie

By definition, all bonuses are added.

OK, it's a nitpicky day. 

I ♣ my seal

doh! i must beautifully DIG

doh! i must beautifully DIG myself out of this hole:( 

Journalism is the opium of the liberals

No biggie Truthie

It's like "irregardless" instead of "regardless".

And why do "flammable" and "inflammable" mean the same thing?

I ♣ my seal

you sure know "you're"

you sure know "you're" stuff I'll give ya that

perhaps I've misunderestimated you in the past

Truthie

I 'm a good oratator too.

I ♣ my seal

gotcha back on that one bro

gotcha back on that one bro - the correct phrase is "you give good oral" 

Journalism is the opium of the liberals

Ouch

No, that would be known as a "Sinclair"

I ♣ my seal

Now THAT'S!!!

a mythical creature I can get behind!!!!!

Fascism is a religious conception in which man is seen in his imminent relationship with a superior law and with an objective will that transcends the particular individual - Mussolini

people don't quote

people don't quote mussolini nearly enough these days 

Journalism is the opium of the liberals

Truthie

I have to correct you again.

Mussolini was "Il Duce"

A unicorn excreting $100 dollar bills is "el dookey"

I ♣ my seal

your better then speelcheck

your better then speelcheck dude:) 

Journalism is the opium of the liberals

Spell this ™

[:{Þ

I ♣ my seal

cool dude

i see you have registered with me - well done!

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That's in the contract that

That's in the contract that they sign to work at MSNBC....a requirement of the position:

You will register as an "Independent."

More of the liberal "symbolism over substance" as Limbaugh says.

Scarborough, who served as a Republican, is fairer than Shuster, wh claims to be independent.

Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it one. -Abe Lincoln

Or that saying it

Or that saying it enough...people will believe them.

It's the same thing when O'Reilly says he's an independent...there really is no such thing as one, as everybody has a predisposed set of beliefs. You just vote for whichever party most agrees with those beliefs.

www.theholyrosary.org

"There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we can not resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary." -Sister Lucia

Unique Brand of Politics

O'Reilly has his own unique brand of politics. I wouldn't call him a Republican, but he is fairly conservative, particularly on social issues.  He does (to use his term) bolviate about oil company profits.  He was very defferential to Hillary Clinton and appears to lay off people, not to be fair, but in hope of getting an interview.

He has one big advantage over Schuster. He is entertaining.

Agreed allanf

I don't see Shuster chasing down pedophile judges and confronting them on their rulings.

I ♣ my seal

Entertainment

If the WWE put O'Reilly and Shuster into a fight-to-the-end cage match, I would pay to see it. I just wouldn't know who to root for.

Bill

O'Reilly is against capital punishment, for abortion. That's not very conservative, in my opinion. 

He is seriously anti-crime, however, which makes him come across as a hard-right-winger, because most of our country's criminal element votes Democrat.

 

O'Reilly is against capital

O'Reilly is against capital punishment, for abortion.

Dont think so, I dont know anyone else trying to exspose abortionist for the crap they do to our young women.

"Television is a freak show" Bernie Goldberg

gc.... Right you

gc....

Right you are...

Tiller the Baby Killer ring a bell?

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

bigtimer

I still think Dr. Tiller was the perfect VP choice for Barack Harod Obama

I ♣ my seal

Jon Stewart's new writer

Hey Jon, you should get Shuster to write your material....much funnier.

 

Thanks Mark

I knew somebody would start a thread on this. My jaw dropped.

And Scarbrough would have none of it when the others tried to pull him off.

Bravo Joe.

I ♣ my seal

Joe's far from

The only Republican hated by other Republicans even more than they hate the Democrats. In fact, I sincerely doubt he even gets the coveted title of "most hated."
JMR

The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.

Hated by the GOP

The irony here is that the guy who really is the Number One Republican Hated By Other Republicans ... happens to be the nominee this year.

That's either cognitive dissonance or the ability to overcome personal feelings for the greater good. Not sure I know which it is.

Wrath of Bill

As pointed out by Ed Rendell, Clinton was the only two term Democratic President since FDR.  Bill hates Olbermann and butt-boy Schuster.  I think they realize if Obama loses, it will be considered toxic for a Democrat to have anything to do with them.  (McCain should do an ad on THAT).

GE Retribution

It was one thing to anger just the Republicans. But NBC has managed to also anger about half of the Democratic Party. General Electric and Immelt may face some retribution if Obama loses. Congressional Democrats may no longer want to protect GE from regulatory wrath.

If I were in the top mangement of NBC, I'd be concerned about the unbalanced coverage.  When you pull away the tissue paper, FOX has far more political support among Democrats and Republicans than NBC

Note to GE Board. If McCain wins, CLEAN HOUSE.

You see more Democratic politicians

You see more Democratic politicians interviewed now by Hannity and O'Reilly and Blitzer than by Olbermann.  The Vice President and President call and talk to Rush.  Bill Clinton sat with Olbermann once and now despises him.  I've never seen Pelosi or Reid interviewed by him.  If McCain wins, Olbermann is a pariah with the Democrats.

Blast it all...

... you're making me want to vote for McCain now!

www.rhjunior.com Great comics with a hefty dose of Christian and anti-nutjob goodness.

"With your mind as high as Mt. Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things near to you." -Miyamoto Musashi

The second worst thing to happen to the US:

Political parties.
They are like rhetorical gangs complete with the drive by assasinations and the 'wearing of colors'.

 

The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.

wow

Joe seems to be getting more and more unhappy on that network. I don't know if MSNBC will tolerate him exposing their agenda much more.

I know candance but...

wasn't it beautiful to watch? :-)

"9 out of 10 doctors agree that flag burning is the number one killer of liberals."

Withdrawal and conditions

The position has been, from the beginning, that we shouldn't have a timetable, because what should dictate the withdrawal are the conditions on the ground. What the Democrats advocated was withdrawal no matter what the conditions were.

Now that the surge has made the conditions more favorable (you know, the surge they all claimed was a sad mistake), they're claiming that we're following what they've said all along.

They're simply displaying their own stupidity. Invest in dunce caps, because the Democrats are using them so fast that the supply can't keep up.

Good point, KC...they

Good point, KC...they opposed the surge, wanted to pull out.

Bush ignored them and went ahead with the surge, now it looks like we might be able to pull out. So they say See? We were right; even President Bush agrees with us now!
LOL! you have to admire their nerve.

And what is Obama going to campaign on if this withdrawal agreement Bush is working on now goes through?

Yeah, I know; he will claim Bush is doing what HE suggested.

LOL

BEHOLD HIS MIGHTY HAND

Scarborough should move to Fox

I like Joe but cannot watch him on that unspeakable network MSNBC.  I would love to see him on the weekends on Fox and Friends.

He looks real miserable working at MSNBC, he has been forced to prostitute himself with liberals like Mika and David Shuster,  two empty suits.

Joe Needs "Prime Time"

Maybe Fox should send Greta on a 3-year sabatical to find Natalee Holloway. Joe could fill in admirably.

I had suggested him as a Fox

I had suggested him as a Fox and Friends replacement, but I'll go along with him replacing Greta too.  It's like Fox puts on the most hideous shows first thing in the a.m. and the last thing at night; like bookends.  UGH!

When they fire ol' Joe for

When they fire ol' Joe for getting uppity with the mainstream libs of MSNBC, we'll see where their numbers go.  As it is, I think Morning Joe is the only show that keeps them halfway afloat.  At least, in my book, it's the only time I will watch MSNBC.  He would really be great replacing Fox and Friends.  That show is in dire need of being replaced.  I can't watch it.  Puts me in a bad mood.

The only thing that would have been better than this arguement between Shuster and Scarborough is if they would have come to blows and Mika got punched in the face.  Now, THAT would have been entertainment.

Libs

Why is it that "liberals" never want to admit that they are "liberals"? Self-loathing, that's why.

NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"

once again shuster and the

once again shuster and the others miss the point. the june 2011 date is still based on conditions on the ground. god forbid, but if things are like they were a yr ago in june '11, do you really think the iraqies and maliki will want us to leave? setting a time table without looking at the conditions on the ground is still wrong and dangerous. the dems and shuster can now make a point for withdrawl b/c the surge has worked. however, they still can not and will not give credit where credit is do.

Joe does have to suffer

Joe does have to suffer these fools, but at least it's during 'his show' (for now).

How about Brokaw last night having to play cub floor reporter to 'anchors' Olbermoron and Tingles? Now THAT'S denigrating. Does he need the job that bad?

Joe getting his mojo back

Joe getting his mojo back is going to cost him his job at MSNBC. His days are numbered.

As some others have suggested here, FOX would be better off if they hired him and found a good slot for him.

"we should immediately give every working family in America a
$1,000 energy rebate, and we should pay for it with part of the record
profits that the oil companies are making" Barak Obama, Communist

Still Got Hope

Obama is going to change politics in the US.  No more multiple political parties.  I mean, why should Russia, Cuba, Venezuela along with most African and most Muslim Theocracies be the only countries with one-party rule?  If we just give the nanny state a chance I'm sure it will grow on us.

After Obama establishes one-party rule, then we can silence all of the Levin's, Limbaugh's and even middle-roaders like Scarborough that still embrace open-mindedness once and for all....viva la group mind think!

And just feel what this change will do for the Shusters of the world!  They can finally come out of the dem closet and openly declare their true party affiliation because there will only be one party. And everyone will be a part of that one party and no establishment media figure will have to hide their true ideology again and.....viva la Shuster feel!

Sorry, the unity fever in Denver that Obama is spreading got the best of me this morning....in spite of Mika's cold glaring eyes.

Should we begin to practice

Should we begin to practice the goose step and saying yavol mine furur?

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.

excellent

The transcript doesn't do it justice! It is delicious seeing Scarborough giving to Shuster. I lived in Pensacola in the 70's and early 80's when the Republican party grew from non-existent to a majority, thanks in large part to Reagan. I was on the Escambia County executive committee and Scarborough was next door in Santa Rosa county. He was a rising star in the party then and I was shocked when he left Congress. When I see him go off on liberals like this I wonder if he has regrets about that decision.

 All of this was

 All of this was absolutely priceless...

I could write a lot...if I had the time at the moment.

To sum it all up...like Joe said...I'm gonna' have to get that knife out of my back ...(at the end)

Wonder how long Joe is gonna' last.

I only try to catch the show if I know Joe is going to be on.

I also like the jab he got into Shuster about getting bad acid at the protests...lol.

Let alone him not making it to the show because he didn't hear the alarm numerous times.

The best was a dig at all the talking heads/journo's about registered Independents for cover, we all know they are leftists and hide behind that party label for an excuse..

the al-Malaki/Mussolini reference at the top was the truth...along with the ret of what he said.

Thanks Mark...wished this didn't come on at four in the morning here...winter is down the road, I will most likely be able to catch it more often then.

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Joe smacks down MSNBC

Joe just beats Schuster to a pulp.  Hey Schuster, just because you are registered as an independent doesn't mean that you are. Joe then applies this logic to the entire staff at MSNBC.  Great stuff. 

Notice how everyone on the set is terrified when Joe runs wild? 

Is Joe working for CNN yet?  That 8/5 pm slot is wide open. 

CK... Yeah, he tore him a

CK...

Yeah, he tore him a new one alright!

Of course it was very noticeable how silent the rest of them were...even Mika was, for as much as Mika can.

...and even ol' Gregory pretending like he didn't hear a thing wryly...with a big ol' grin on his face.

"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh

Joe Scarborough

Joe will leave MSNBC and have a great career at another station. He is a good man and an intellectual man. Those people (msnbc)are so gone they are trying to destroy him. He has had great shows and they have simply put him in the closet. I look forward to the day he can have his own show again and speak whatever is on his mind. Maybe even talk radio.

Pack your Bags, Joe!

Shuster's about as middle of the road as a car with two right wheels.  Listen, Joe...It doesn't matter what you're gettin' paid if you aren't happy.  Mess-NBC is like a large boat anchor hooked to your career.  Cut 'em loose.  You don't need them, they need you!  The sooner you leave, the sooner their ratings will bottom out and GE will find some other toy to play with.

Shulster

Suffers from a common disease among the msm.They have this delusion that they our middle of the road.They probably think Stalin was a moderate.The problem is they believe their own lies.They must think if they repeat it enough people will believe them.Sorry Charlie wrong answer.

The only way

to find Shuster's true political stance (as if we have to look) is to see his voting record.

Of course, that would be communist in nature and Shuster knows we would never ask to see it.

PMSNBC blowhards - such cowards and such whores for political power. 

O'Reilly

As a practicing Roman Catholic, O'Reilly is pro life. He's socially conservative and liberal when it comes to taxing sucessful corporations.

 

We can't conserve our way to oil independence!

Joe Scargorough

What Joe needs to recognize is that most of his "colleges" at MSNBC have to be independent. If they were to join together into any organized party agreeing with Keith Olbermann, it would constitute a criminal conspiracy.

Certainly, we understand his difficulty working with people who say there were no WMD in the face of 550 tons of uranium, enough uranium for about 700 nuclear triggers. His "colleges" will also claim that economics crazier than Zimbabwe’s should be respected. We respect that working in the NBC asylum is difficult. Joe is not the last sane man working at GE but working at NBC at times it must seem that way.

PMSNBC

The train wreck that calls itself MSNBC is showing itself to be just that - a train wreck.  And as long as Olbermann thinks he's the engineer, it will never be on track.  And the rest of his crew isn't any better.  What a sorry bunch.