MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and the rest of the Morning Joe cast clearly feels threatened by the possibility of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launching a 2024 presidential campaign because Scarborough is already suggesting his attacks on the media are sexist.
The genesis of the segment was a Mark Leibovich article in The Atlantic that argued that DeSantis does not have the most likeable personality. This led Scarborough to claim, “Well, you know, it was interesting because I've never spent time with Governor DeSantis so I don't know but I do know a lot of people in Washington, Republicans in Washington, and Republicans in Tallahassee who have dealt with him, and I all hear the same thing, he's a really -- personally, he's a very stiff, awkward guy.”
Not knowing anything about DeSantis didn’t stop him from adding, “In Tallahassee, he's got an extraordinary amount of control in that town with overwhelming Republican legislatures, you know, holds a couple of press conferences, he loves attacking the media, especially younger women reporters. Loves going after them, and he has this routine down, which helps him raise a lot of money, helps him be the anti-woke candidate.”
That not-so subtle suggestion of sexism is, of course, not accurate, but Scarborough then shifted to Leibovich:
I keep hearing the same thing, two words always attached to him as a political candidate if he goes out on the national stage, those two words, glass jaw, a boxing term to say this guy, once he gets out on the big stage won't be able to take a big—won’t be able to take a punch. I don't know if that's the case or not. Again, I have never met him. That's what Republicans who work with him say, and your story—your article is filled with stories like that.
To show just how bad Leibovich’s article is, it identifies the Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson as “a Republican media consultant.” The idea that Wilson and his fellow travelers work with DeSantis is hilariously absurd.
However, absurdity is a prerequisite to be a Morning Joe panelist. Accordingly, Leibovich declared:
Yeah, it's true, and the thing is it's not like he's going to tiptoe out into a friendly environment. Donald Trump is going to be waiting for him, and traditionally, Donald Trump does well with people who are not as comfortable in their, you know, in their skin as he is. He has a presence about him for better or for worse. You know, in a weird way, the Republican Party has tried to find the better bully in some ways. I mean, that's kind of been their play over the last, you know, since Trump came on the scene, and you know, hope that someone who has some self-control and who has less baggage than Donald Trump can sort of be their person.
Leibovich also doesn’t see a DeSantis candidacy going very far, “I don't see it. I also think that there's a whole tradition of candidates like DeSantis being overhyped. Then they come out and under whelm fairly fast. All the big donors are holding their breath. And look, DeSantis does have like a Scott Walker, Rick Perry vibe about him.”
If Morning Joe really believes DeSantis not being immediately backed by big donors is a negative, then they may very well end up disappointed.
This segment was sponsored by Jeep.
Here is a transcript for the December 1 show:
MSNBC Morning Joe
12/1/2022
6:38 AM ET
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, you know, it was interesting because I've never spent time with Governor DeSantis so I don't know but I do know a lot of people in Washington, Republicans in Washington, and Republicans in Tallahassee who have dealt with him, and I all hear the same thing, he's a really -- personally, he's a very stiff, awkward guy. In Tallahassee, he's got an extraordinary amount of control in that town with overwhelming Republican legislatures, you know, holds a couple of press conferences, he loves attacking the media, especially younger women reporters.
Loves going after them, and he has this routine down, which helps him raise a lot of money, helps him be the anti-woke candidate.
But I just-- Mark Leibovich, I'll bring you in, I keep hearing the same thing, two words always attached to him as a political candidate if he goes out on the national stage, those two words, glass jaw, a boxing term to say this guy, once he gets out on the big stage won't be able to take a big—won’t be able to take a punch. I don't know if that's the case or not. Again, I have never met him. That's what Republicans who work with him say, and your story—your article is filled with stories like that.
MARK LEIBOVICH: Yeah, it's true, and the thing is it's not like he's going to tiptoe out into a friendly environment. Donald Trump is going to be waiting for him, and traditionally, Donald Trump does well with people who are not as comfortable in their, you know, in their skin as he is. He has a presence about him for better or for worse. You know, in a weird way, the Republican Party has tried to find the better bully in some ways. I mean, that's kind of been their play over the last, you know, since Trump came on the scene, and you know, hope that someone who has some self-control and who has less baggage than Donald Trump can sort of be their person.
I don't see it. I also think that there's a whole tradition of candidates like DeSantis being overhyped. Then they come out and under whelm fairly fast. All the big donors are holding their breath. And look, DeSantis does have like a Scott Walker, Rick Perry vibe about him.
