If MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough’s new year’s resolution was to avoid the death of irony, he has already failed. On Thursday’s show, Scarborough took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s inaugural address and wondered what kind of idiot believes him because such talk is what causes Republicans to lose elections. Again, this was in response to an inaugural address after DeSantis won by nearly 20 points.
After playing a clip of DeSantis’s speech where he talked about while other states consigned freedom "to the dustbin," Florida was a "citadel of freedom," Scarborough sarcastically asked, “Well, you know, and Willie, of course, historians will remember over the past four years when the rest of the United States went the way of North Korea, but Ron DeSantis went the way of 177 -- what's he talking about!?”
After doing a caricatured impression of DeSantis, Scarborough continued with a “I’m not asking, but I’m going to ask anyway” type of inquiry, “'Freedom, the dustbin the dustbin of his--,' like what's he's talking--. Like, what idiots, well, I won't ask what idiots actually believe that, but he's so in a little bubble.”
Scarborough was not deterred by the chyron that read in part, “Gov. Ron DeSantis sworn into second term.” Instead, he brought back the bad impression and alleged, “They're talking to each other. And for most Americans when Ron DeSantis says 'when the rest of the country consigned freedom to the dustbin of history blah, blah, blah,' they're like, what's he talking about? Is he talking about North Korea? Is he talking about Putin's Russia? Is he talking about Belarus? Oh, no, he's talking about California and Texas and Georgia and Kentucky.”
He was clearly referring to COVID lockdowns and other restrictions. When MSNBC and Democrats (but who can tell the difference?) talk about the loss of freedom, are they talking about North Korea, Russia, or Belarus? No, they’re talking about pro-life states, sometimes arguing they make North Korea look good by comparison.
Scarborough’s inconsistency and deliberate choice to ignore nuance aside, he added, “I mean, how weird it's just, again, it's just so bizarre what an echo chamber these people live in, and it's mind boggling to me they still haven't figured out this is why they keep losing elections.”
Nobody who works for MSNBC should be accusing anybody else of residing in echo chambers.
This segment was sponsored by Sleep Number.
Here is a transcript for the January 5 show:
MSNBC Morning Joe
1/5/2023
6:50 AM ET
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Well, you know, and Willie, of course, historians will remember over the past four years when the rest of the United States went the way of North Korea, but Ron DeSantis went the way of 177 -- what's he talking about!?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: I mean—
SCARBOROUGH: “Freedom the dustbin the dustbin of his--,” like what's he's talking-. Like, what idiots, well, I won't ask what idiots actually believe that, but he's so in a little bubble. Like this is the Republicans' problem, it's why they keep losing elections. They're in this little bubble. They're talking to each other. And for most Americans when Ron DeSantis says “when the rest of the country consigned freedom to the dustbin of history blah, blah, blah,” they're like, what's he talking about? Is he talking about North Korea? Is he talking about Putin's Russia? Is he talking about Belarus? Oh, no, he's talking about California and Texas and Georgia and Kentucky. I mean, how weird it's just, again, it's just so bizarre what an echo chamber these people live in, and it's mind boggling to me they still haven't figured out this is why they keep losing elections.
