Making an early Thursday evening appearance on MSNBC, Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough briefly reminded both viewers and fellow media members that, contrary to the liberal media’s uproar over the level of anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric, the Democrats hurled plenty of ugly material in the direction of then-candidate and President George W. Bush at their 2000 and 2004 Democratic National Conventions.
Fellow co-host Mika Brzezinski provoked the comments from Scarborough when she admitted that she hopes Donald Trump will use the last night of the Republican National Convention (RNC) to “be unifying, that he could actually calm our jitters about exactly how he’s going to do this thing, but you've got the audience right now screaming ‘lock her up.’”
“It really, does it not make you uncomfortable? They’re going to do that tonight. I wish he could find a way to be like John McCain in that moment, saying no. Don't say — don’t say it like that,” she pleaded.
This set Scarborough off as he sarcastically declared that he “love[s] Democrats who talk about, how this is just so negative” when considering what he heard at previous DNCs:
I was at the Democratic conventions in 2000 and 2004. I heard what they said about George W. Bush. I heard them calling him a Nazi. I saw all of it — not from the stage, but I certainly — there was a lot of hate and anger. Sometimes it happens. It’s Donald Trump's challenge moving beyond this to reach out to swing voters. They’re still up for grabs.
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Meet the Press moderator and MTP Daily host Chuck Todd later admitted that the level of anti-Democrat rhetoric was more prevalent inside the convention hall, but he did strike a middle ground between the feelings of Joe and Mika:
It is this line. I'm with you, Joe. I'm used to conventions being a little raw and out here in particularly, usually outside the bubble. I think what Mika, what you’re pointing out is that it was more in the hall this time than we’ve seen before....Is that fair that some of this vitriol — a little more inside the hall than we have ever seen.
Perusing the vast archives of the Media Research Center, Scarborough’s claims certainly held up the test as the media bent over backwards to support the message that Democrats were sending in ridiculing Bush both the first time and in his reelection bid.
The relevant portions of the transcript from the 5:00 p.m. Eastern hour of MSNBC’s Republican National Convention coverage on July 21 can be found below.
MSNBC: Republican National Convention
July 21, 2016
5:40 p.m. EasternMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Look, everyone knows that Donald Trump can be big and mean and call people names and really divisive and even kinda push the lines on — on issues like race and immigration. What I would love to see is a surprise tonight that he can be unifying, that he could actually calm our jitters about exactly how he’s going to do this thing, but you've got the audience right now screaming “lock her up” and it really, does it not make you uncomfortable? They’re going to do that tonight. I wish he could find a way to be like John McCain in that moment, saying no. Don't say — don’t say it like that.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: I love Democrats who talk about, how this is just so negative.
BRZEZINSKI: Oh come on.
SCARBOROUGH: I was at the Democratic conventions in 2000 and 2004. I heard what they said about George W. Bush. I heard them calling him a Nazi. I saw all of it — not from the stage, but I certainly — there was a lot of hate and anger. Sometimes it happens. It’s Donald Trump's challenge moving beyond this to reach out to swing voters. They’re still up for grabs.
CHUCK TODD: It is this line. I'm with you, Joe. I'm used to conventions being a little raw and out here in particularly, usually outside the bubble
BRZEZINSKI: Rough around the edges
TODD: I think what Mika, what you’re pointing out is that it was more in the hall this time than we’ve seen before.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
TODD: Is that fair that some of this vitriol — a little more inside the hall than we have ever seen.
SCARBOROUGH: Well, I think that's fair. I think it’s also fair to say that you've had for the most part, speeches that have been substance free. We just haven't been talking about policy. The biggest moves this week, regard missing policy was Donald Trump's interview with The New York Times on foreign policy. You usually get — you usually get that defined inside the hall. Not this year.
