[Updated with video.] Where in the world was Kent Conrad? The Senate Budget Committee Chairman was supposed to appear on Thursday's Morning Joe program to dispute the idea that the Democrats are being irresponsible for not passing a budget in over 1000 days. Senator Conrad left viewers without a defensible argument, because he never showed up for the interview. [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
Hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski seemed clueless as nobody was on camera when they shot over to Capitol Hill for the interview. The irony of the Senator not showing up for an interview to defend the do nothing Senate from being labeled as irresponsible was so clear that the liberal cable network MSNBC couldn’t help itself. Even the left-leaning Brzezinski joked, “Maybe he’s looking for the budget.”
A slew of technicians came on screen in the shot, each of which were briefly mistaken to be Senator Conrad. Scarborough made a final attempt to get an answer from what turned out to be just another technician, stating “Let’s go back to Kent Conrad, he’s there now and we’ll figure out why they haven’t done a budget in a thousand days.” All we were left with was an empty shot of Capitol Hill and the literal sound of crickets. In the end, viewers got neither an answer nor a budget from a top Democrat in the Senate.
Here’s the transcript of today’s blunder:
Morning Joe
2/16/12
8:23:35
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Hey welcome back to "Morning Joe" you know what we've been talking about how democrats have gone 1,000 days without a budget.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Yes they have.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's get answers right now.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Nothing wrong with that.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Let’s go to Capitol Hill, we’re going to talk to the budget chairman.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Senator Kent Conrad
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Kent Conrad. By the way, Rolling Stone, my main man Paul is on the cover. Oh wait– TJ, do you have the wrong shot there?
TJ: It, um – This is the right shot.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: That’s the right shot?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well I don’t see him.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: He’s not there
TJ: Maybe he’s running late, I don’t know.
MIKE BARNACLE: He could be at Cardinals spring training
JOE SCARBOROUGH: I was looking for an answer to that question. Where’s the budget?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Maybe he’s looking for the budget.
MIKE BARNACLE: No, I think he went to spring training.
TJ: Wait, there he is. Nope, my bad.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Oh wait, is that him? Excuse me Senator. Senator.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Turn around, congressman.
TJ: No, no, that’s not him.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: So, anyway, Paul McCartney on the cover of Rolling Stone, I’m always very excited about that. Paul’s fresh start.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Can we check one more time?
JOE SCARBOROUGH: There we go. Let’s go back to Kent Conrad, he’s there now and we’ll figure out why they haven’t done a budget in a – thousand days.
[Cricket noises]
JOE SCARBOROUGH: That, wasn’t him. Well Harold, we’re going to play act and you’re going to be the Democratic budget chairman now for the morning.
