Joe Scarborough Rips E.J. Dionne: 'He Changes Every Couple of Years Depending on Who’s in the White House'
For the second time this month, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough has taken on the extreme liberal bias of Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne.
On Thursday's "Morning Joe," after Mika Brzezinski read part of Dionne's pathetic "Why Conservatives Hate Warren Buffett," her co-host replied, "I like E.J., but he changes every couple of years depending on who’s in the White House" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
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MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CO-HOST: Okay, so time now for the must-read opinion pages. “Why Conservatives Hate Warren Buffett.” This is in the Washington Post by E.J. Dionne. And he writes in part this:
Maybe only a really, really rich guy can credibly make the case for why the wealthy should be asked to pay more in taxes. You can’t accuse a big capitalist of “class warfare.” That’s why the right wing despises Warren Buffett and is trying so hard to shut him up.
Militant conservatives are effective because they are absolutely shameless. Many of the same people who think the rich should be free to spend unlimited sums influencing our politics without having to disclose anything are now asking Buffett to make his tax returns public. I guess if you’re indifferent to consistency, you have a lot of freedom of action.
JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST: Speaking of being indifferent to consistency, E.J. Dionne, go back and see his columns when George Bush was president and Barack Obama was president. There you will find one of the most inconsistent columnists. I like E.J., but he changes every couple of years depending on who’s in the White House.
But on this Warren Buffett, we don’t hate Warren Buffett. I like Warren Buffett. We’ve interviewed him. I love his story. He’s living in that same house since 1963.
BRZEZINSKI: He’s got a good message.
SCARBOROUGH: He was slow and steady as they go when the tech world was booming. He kept his head down, and he kept getting three, four percent. I like Warren Buffett a lot.
BRZEZINSKI: Ask Pat. Do they hate him?
SCARBOROUGH: I like him a lot. But I’ve been very critical of him because you will get millionaires and billionaires going on going, “Mr. President, I’ll pay more taxes.” Well, no, first of all, nobody’s stopping them from paying more taxes.
BRZEZINSKI: Please do.
SCARBOROUGH: And secondly, they have a fleet. And it’s fine, it’s their right. They have a fleet of lawyers and accountants and trust attorneys working around the clock to shelter their income so they don’t have to pay taxes, which is fine. That is your right as an American, but if you’re going to work and your people are going to work around the clock to not pay taxes, please, don’t come out at the same time going, “Hey, I, raise my taxes.” Knowing Pat Buchanan cynically, that even if they raise the top rate to 39.6 percent, Warren Buffett will still be paying eight percent tax, eighteen percent of his income in taxes, while people who make far, far, far less than him will be the ones stuck holding the tab.
PAT BUCHANAN: You know, it’s, I tend to think he’s a bit of a hot dog, Joe. You know, “I really want to pay more taxes. My secretary pays more than I do.” Why doesn’t he pay her taxes…
BRZEZINSKI: That’s what I was thinking.
BUCHANAN: …and why doesn’t he tell, I mean, himself, why doesn’t he pay at the rate he could pay? Pay at 35 percent.
SCARBOROUGH: I was going to say, Pat, just pay 35 percent.
BUCHANAN: Exactly.
SCARBOROUGH: If you think the Bush tax cuts are immoral and too low, then instead of paying eighteen percent of your taxes…
BUCHANAN: Sure.
SCARBOROUGH: …pay 35 percent of your taxes.
Exactly.
Those interested should also read "Scarborough Smacks Down E.J. Dionne's GOP Obstruction Charge: Obama 'Owned Washington' for Two Years."
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Comments
E. J. Dionne is an idiot....
Submitted by adamsmith on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 10:56am.
That's all........
Joe Likes Everybody - Almost
Submitted by greydawg on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 11:21am.
Joe likes Dionne. Joe likes Buffett. Every morning, Joe comes on to tell us who he happens to like that day. Joe likes Eugene Robinson. Joe likes Tina Brown. Joe likes those nutjobs from The Nation. Joe likes Tom Broken. Joe likes Carl Bernstein. Joe likes everybody...except any Republican who's running for president. Might Joe be bitter that the Republican Party hasn't looked to him and said, "...a hungry party turns its eyes to you, dear savior?"
Joe always saves his insults
Submitted by Marsh on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 12:23pm.
and eye rolls for the "crazy" Republicans like Palin, Bachmann, and Perry.
Commenting on who Joe likes
Submitted by inquiringmind on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 11:40am.
Commenting on who Joe likes aside, he did give it to Buffett on his hypocrisy.
When it becomes so obvious even to Joe that Buffett is off base here, now that is saying something.
Somebody confirm this for me...
Submitted by DumbCanuck on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 12:14pm.
... but doesn't the IRS claim that Buffet's corporation owes about a couple of billion dollars of back-taxes, and that Buffet is contesting the ruling?
"There... Are... Four... Lights!"
Scarborough changes every few...
Submitted by P. Aaron on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 12:41pm.
...minutes depending upon the who he's talking about. Joe, Eventually you have to decide which team you're on.
EJ says: "Many of the same
Submitted by redfish on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 12:44pm.
EJ says: "Many of the same people who think the rich should be free to spend unlimited sums influencing our politics without having to disclose anything..."
Actually, from my experience talking to conservatives, disclosure of contributions tends to be the only campaign finance law they support. EJ doesn't know what he's talking about.
Warren Buffett is a hypocrite
Submitted by ohio granny on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:04pm.
Warren Buffett is a hypocrite just like 95 percent of democrats. At the same time he is saying his secretary pays a higher rate of federal income tax than he does, his company, Berkshire Hathaway, is fighting the IRS over back taxes.
He has also set his estate up so that they bulk of his money will go to Bill Gates' charity "because they can better spend the money". Now how hypocritical is that?
He can, just like any one who chooses to, always send in more money to the IRS. They never refuse to cash a check.
He is another example, among many, of democrats who are hypocrites..
Come on
Submitted by GONAVY on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:39pm.
Who could like EJ, I mean really?
"I don't like E.J.
Submitted by Conservator on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 1:55pm.
Plus, I read every E.J. op-ed published in The Post just to comment on leftist illogical reasoning and often offensive commentary he resorts too. In E.J.'s world there are Militant Conservatives, but NO Militant Leftists. Speaking of militant leftists' comments, below is a link to the comment section on E.J.'s coulumn:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dionne-why-conservatives-hate-war...
Read what the compassionate liberals post and you will learn that compassion is only a word used to push their progressive ideology. These are hateful people who care about themselves and will use minorities, gays, etc. to get what they want.
EJ Dionne is something that makes you throw your shoes away...
Submitted by drsamherman on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 6:28pm.
...if you step in it, because it is not even worth having to wash the shoes off because you don't want EJ Dionne coming into skin contact.
I think EJ Dionne is a shortened biological term for a spineless, brainless rodent that can only make left turns.
Buffet would change his toon
Submitted by redmike on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 10:48pm.
Buffet would change his toon real quick if we started talking about a 35% tax on net worth above $1bil. He's playing the left like a fiddle.
Noel,,,,I'm getting a "Page Not Found" notification when I click
Submitted by Rush Fan on Thu, 09/29/2011 - 10:59pm.
the link "Scarborough Smacks Down E.J. Dionne's GOP Obstruction Charge: Obama 'Owned Washington' for Two Years."