Scarborough Trumpets 'Morning Joe' As 'Safe Haven' of Debate, 'Switzerland' In a Polarized News World
On Monday's "Morning Joe," co-host Joe Scarborough cast Fox News as an unabashedly conservative network while trumpeting his own show as a neutral voice of sanity in a polarized news environment. "In this world of Balkanized cable news outlets...it is kind of nice being Switzerland," he gloated, asserting the neutrality of his "Morning Joe" program.
"This show is a safe house where people can come and talk whether they are on the right or the left," Scarborough described his MSNBC morning show. "But there aren't many places left like that outside these three hours."
"Morning Joe" by-and-large leaves guests the freedom to express their own opinion. But Scarborough's assumption leaves out the fact that an overwhelming number of liberal guests and analysts appear on the show. Jon Meacham of Newsweek, former MSNBC host Donny Deutsch, and Tina Brown of The Daily Beast are three of many liberals who appear regularly on "Morning Joe."
In contrast, a far-right conservative appearing on "Morning Joe" is rare. MSNBC analyst Pat Buchanan is one of the few conservative voices appearing regularly on the show. RedState's Erik Erickson appears infrequently and contributors from publications like National Review appear rarely if ever.
Time magazine's Mark Halperin added that Fox achieved "fig leaf credibility" by hosting the liberal Williams as a guest on its evening shows – but that the network's liberal guests still appear few and far between.
Discussing the firing of Juan Williams by the liberal National Public Radio, Scarborough opined that he was fired because he appeared on Fox too many times. "They're firing [Williams] because he worked at Fox News," he asserted, casting Fox News as the conservative side of an increasingly polarized news debate.
Scarborough also professed his love for the left-leaning NPR, even though he considers himself a conservative. "I'm a conservative that's always loved NPR. I've always listened to their morning edition and 'All Things Considered'," he gushed.
"I listen on the weekends. I'm sorry, there just – I know conservatives disagree with this – you don't have many outlets like NPR or PBS. They provide services that other media outlets don't provide. So I've just got to say, as a fan of NPR and as a conservative, I hope they straighten up."
Concerning Juan Williams and Fox News, Halperin added that Williams was not treated with the respect that he deserved by the network. "When I watch him on, he is not always treated with that much respect," Halperin remarked. "And he's frequently outnumbered," added Major Garrett, congressional correspondent for National Journal and a former Fox News White House correspondent.
A partial transcript of the segment, which aired on October 25 at 8:06 a.m. EDT, is as follows:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: And you know Mark – and we have talked about it a lot here, you and I have talked about it a lot – this show is a safe house where people can come and talk, whether they are on the right or the left. But there aren't many places left like that outside these three hours.
MARK HALPERIN: As I often say, Huey Lewis was right. He said that this – that this show stands out for that reason. And Juan Williams' place on Fox, which is defended by Brit and others, gives them kind of fig leaf credibility to say "We bring on divergent voices." There aren't very many and I – you know, frankly, when I watch him on, he is not always treated with that much respect. He is not treated with the kind of respect that –
MAJOR GARRETT: And he's frequently outnumbered.
(...)
SCARBOROUGH: I have got to say this, though, about NPR, and got to get this out. For me, first of all, it's just a terrible, terrible mistake on NPR's part. They – I think they are – the person that runs it should be fired. And I say that not because I loathe NPR, because I'm a conservative that's always loved NPR. I've always listened to their morning edition and "All Things Considered," I listen on the weekends. I'm sorry, there just – I know conservatives disagree with this – you don't have many outlets like NPR or PBS. They provide services that other media outlets don't provide. So I've just got to say, as a fan of NPR and as a conservative, I hope they straighten up. Because right now, they have their heads stuck in the sand like it is 1978. I cannot believe how foolish their CEO has been.
(...)
SCARBOROUGH: It's not like they're firing him because he's a conservative. Because he's not a conservative. They're firing him because he worked at Fox News.
(...)
BRZEZINSKI: But the bottom line is, where you stand politically, where you stand politically, where all of us – we all know we're all being completely transparent, and it's a part of moving foward.
SCARBOROUGH: And let me just say, Mika, that in this world of Balkanized cable news outlets and now actually – it is kind of nice being Switzerland. We like being Switzerland here, don't we?
- Matt Hadro's blog
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Comments
A safe house in a polarized enviroment?
Submitted by Ohming on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:12pm.
Then suddenly, as 17 drug addicts in an Impresionistic park somewhere in Coppenhagen watched this episode of Morning Joe on thier dew laden TV set placed on a park bench, they realized that they are not alone in thier visions.
I Can't Put This in Any Other Words
Submitted by Caringwhiteguy on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:19pm.
When I heard Joe pontificating about this I just about puked!
That a collection of lefty ideologues making disparaging comments about my values, and those of most Americans, represents an island of reason in a polarized world, is laughable.
Panhandle Joe doing his best to earn his seat at the table of enlightenment.
I could put it in stronger words---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:22pm.
but that ain't allowed.
Scarborough is either completely oblivious or a glib liar.
Or both.
MD
Running Scared
Submitted by cobokat on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:28pm.
I'm still convinced that Joe has been warned by those at MSNBC or the WH to clamp down on any negative opinions of BHO or this administration.
Scarborough warned by WH?
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:38pm.
I doubt it. See my post below.
Jer
Interestingly, this segment on Morning Joe
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:33pm.
Interestingly, this segment on Morning Joe came a short while after Scarborough ripped Obama a new anus...unmercifully criticizing him in a lengthy diatribe for his failure to have a one-on-one meeting with Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell until 18 months into his presidency [as reported by the NYT].
I don't know why NB leaps at every opportunity to highlight Scarborough's occasional "sympathetic to libs" statements while conveniently ignoring his frequent attacks on the administration and Democrats.
Well, actually I think I do know why.
Jer
Well of course you think you know, Jer---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:52pm.
It's that dreaded conservative media bias, right?
Actually, NBs "leaps" at Scarboroughs statements because they can see what you cannot; a world viewed through a clear lens as opposed to a liberal lens that suffers from astigmatism.
MD
Only in the left eye. I had
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:55pm.
Only in the left eye. I had radial keratotomy performed on the right.
Jer
Like I said, Jer---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 8:02pm.
And in your case, the LEFT eye malfunctions, while the RIGHT eye lets you observe the truth.
At least it would if you would utilize it.
MD
Okay, maybe this is the case...
Submitted by bkeyser on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:38pm.
but what did the White House email to Mika say on the subject?
Dear Mika... Bill Clinton
Submitted by Jer on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 7:52pm.
Dear Mika...
Bill Clinton dropped by and asked me to pass along his request that you show a little more cleavage during the airing of "Morning Joe".
Keep up the good work.
David Axelrod
Senior Advisor to the President
In other news, Free Stinker
Submitted by Free Stinker on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 8:34pm.
In other news, Free Stinker touts Morning Schmoe as a place where one can watch a feeble minded airhead teamed up with Mika Brezsinski.
/// Sarah Palin Fan since July 11, 2007 /// خال
It isn't just because Juan
Submitted by MidAmerica on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 9:08pm.
It isn't just because Juan appeared on FOX. It's also because he is Black and was not merely spouting official Black person talking points as say an Al Sharpton.
Juan is not the angry oppressed Black which is the only officially approved persona sanctioned by White Liberals. Liberal heads had to be near explosion watching Juan guest host the O'Reily Factor
. And probably the biggest sins by Juan was the obvious respect (in spite of disagreements) shown Juan by the conservative Whites that Juan appeared with. This undercut one of the biggest myths perpetrated by the Left in that all conservatives are mouth breathing racists. The good folks at NPR could not let this go on. Now Juan can be pushed off into the corner as just a tool of the Right-wingers and not a serious voice.
PREDICTION
Submitted by Texndoc on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 9:13pm.
Joe sees young Marco Rubio elected. Joe's radio show cancelled and book bombs and morning show remains stagnant well behind in am ratings. Joe thinks he can return to Florida in 2012 and run for Senator as Mr. Mushy Middle, or "Mr Switzerland" as it were. You watch.
Well, he's right to compare
Submitted by Chris Norman on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 10:18pm.
Well, he's right to compare his show to Switzerland in the sense that both are small and inconsequential.
Roaring with laughter here
Submitted by bigtimer on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:56am.
Roaring with laughter here Chris...how true, how true!
Miss friends like you, not here much myself anymore, glad I caught ya, hope things are going good for you in your part of the country...NM still going dem?
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Hi bt, Caught you on the
Submitted by Chris Norman on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 1:47am.
Hi bt, Caught you on the Clift thread. I'm not here as much either - I don't get many chances to get on my computer during the day. I miss the "good ol' days" here with you and some others. NM is still pretty Dem (government being the main employer here for all practical purposes)- although I have hopes that we'll have a GOP governor-elect after next Tuesday. Hope all is well up North with you.
As for country comparisons, to be more accurate, Scarborough should have used Lichtenstein. :)
Since The Left Likes To Talk About Nazis...
Submitted by stratman on Mon, 10/25/2010 - 10:28pm.
Scarborough increasingly seems more Marshal Philippe Pétain and his morning show Vichy France, metaphorically speaking, with allegiance to whomever is in power at the time, no matter how destructive.
Mika qualifies metaphorically as Vichy with all her tweeted (?) talking points from the White House that she diligently mouths on the show. Alternately, Mika could be confused as either a Unity Mitford or Wallace Simpson type... dealer's choice.
Maybe it's Zimbabwe, or
Submitted by eaglewingz08 on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:04am.
Maybe it's Zimbabwe, or Belgium or Norway, really left wing crapola countries (sorry to scandanavian posters here but the marxist rot has hit your ancestral lands like a hydrogen bomb). Scarborough either is a tool or he's caved into MSLSD psychosis. It was Harry Reid's job to do his best to unseat George W. Bush and to oppose his policies in favor of Obama's and the socialist democrats' policies. This is an 'honored' tradition in American public life. So one could only gather that what Joe is really, really upset about is the possibility that a small government fiscally responsible contingent of republicans is about to wipe out his democrap friends on capitol hill. Well, no use crying over spilled Joe.
Everytime I see Joe.. well, I
Submitted by Thoreau on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:47am.
Everytime I see Joe.. well, I never see him. I guess I'll have to take his word for it.
Morning Joe?
Submitted by okiehawk44 on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 9:39am.
If you pay Joe he'll be "your" personal huckleberry too. He's another Kathleen Parker with about the same ratings but who's counting right? Certainly not NBC -- for some reason a program on MSNBC or CNN or HSN doesn't need ratings just full on adherence to the liberal mantra.
Vote November 2nd.
Interestingly, just like
Submitted by Roger the Shrubber on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 11:44am.
Interestingly, just like Switzerland, the overwhelmingly-vast majority of Americans ignore MSNBC, too.
The worst part is the douche
Submitted by Barack_must_go..... on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 12:26pm.
The worst part is the douche actually believes his bullshit.
Barack_Must_Go.....
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