In the aftermath of the final Presidential debate, this Thursday’s Morning Joe discussed how news headlines circulated surprise and outrage at Donald Trump’s response on accepting the outcome of the election more than any other aspect of the debate that covered a number of social issues as well as economic and foreign policy.
Joe Scarborough began his show by saying: “Everybody is shocked. Watching coverage last night and this morning - everybody is shocked and horrified that Donald Trump would suggest that he was going to wait and that he's even used the words ‘rigged’. I heard people last night saying that he's the first person to ever do this. That this actually cuts at the very heart of America's credibility.”
Then the co-host Mika Brzezinski attempting to appear fair and balanced, added that:
“Well, there were so many incredible moments last night, both of them came loaded to attack each other and we want to get to them all, but to this point, because there was a lot of reaction to this, this is the case that charges of a rigged or stolen election do not exclusively belong to Republicans. Democrats and liberals have accused the vote of being rigged for George W. Bush both in 2000 and 2004 and have done so for years. Jonathan Chat wrote in New York Magazine in 2012, ‘Yes, Bush V. Gore did steal the election’. Also, in 2012 Salon asked ‘is the GOP stealing Ohio?’ in 2014, Ezra Klein of Vox wrote: ‘68% of Americans think elections are rigged”.
Scarborough then went on to make his point: “Let me be very specific. My target this morning for my mockery are the very people that are writing articles today on their blogs that are saying ‘this is a threat to democracy, the electoral process in America is sacrosanct and if we ever doubt this are we no better than Putin.’ Those are the people I'm mocking. I'm not comparing him to Al Gore.”
However, as the debate among the liberal commentators concerning what Trump said or did not say last night intensified, Scarborough boldly proclaimed:
“Yeah… but you know what, this is an example of the media getting something they can absolutely freak out about and claim that he is an agent of Vladimir Putin and destroying democracy in America and it's just another example of the media having to find a little phrase and freak out! As a Republican I have listened to Democrats talk about the only two times we won the White House in like 800 years that we stole both elections. I had to sit through Fahrenheit 911 and a lady was sobbing violently behind me on the upper west side about the election being stolen from George Bush and I patted her halfway through, I go, it's all right, it's all right, ma'am. It's all right. It's all a lie anyway. Democrats have been whining for 16 years, they are still writing articles about how Bush stole the elections in 2000 and 2004. So this ‘than thou’ attitude about this is the first time anyone has suggested that the election is not a sacrosanct process, it's a joke. You guys bathe in that hypocrisy if you want to, I'd just like to hear how the debate went. Go ahead, bathe.”
In a climax to the heated conversation, Scarborough exploded in calling out the hypocrisy of the liberal media’s collusion with the Democrats throughout the 2000 and 2004 Presidential election victories of Republican George W. Bush. When confronted on how this relates to the current election, he responded:
“it relates to the hypocrisy that Democrats forget everything that they've been saying on their blogs, in their newspapers, in their magazines over the past 16 years. I'm not even mad about it. It's very funny and here is the great thing, it's all on Google. I ask you to do what Hillary Clinton asked last night. Just Google all of this and you will see that Democrats who are shocked and stunned and deeply saddened this morning were the very ones -- hell, even Bernie Sanders supporters just six months ago were saying that Hillary Clinton was rigging the election.”
Here are the excerpts from the October 18th discussion on Morning Joe:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
10/20/2016
6:05:40 – 6:08:12 AM
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Everybody is shocked. Watching coverage last night and this morning - everybody is shocked and horrified that Donald Trump would suggest that he was going to wait and that he's even used the words rigged. I heard people last night saying that he's the first person to ever do this. That this actually cuts at the very heart of America's credibility.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Well, there were so many incredible moments last night, both of them came loaded to attack each other and we want to get to them all, but to this point, because there was a lot of reaction to this, this is the case that charges of a rigged or stolen election do not exclusively belong to Republicans. Democrats and liberals have accused the vote of being rigged for George W. Bush both in 2000 and 2004 and have done so for years. Jonathan Chat wrote in New York Magazine in 2012, ‘Yes, Bush V. Gore did steal the election’. Also, in 2012 Salon asked ‘is the GOP stealing Ohio?’ in 2014, Ezra Klein of Vox wrote: ‘68% of Americans think elections are rigged”.SCARBOROUGH: …and he said that they're right in that article.
BRZEZINSKI: In 2000, Jesse Jackson demanded an inquiry of the results in Florida after the election, saying 22,000 people are begging for their vote to count and for its intent to be realized. This last vote caused a crisis in the credibility of this election. This is a crisis of integrity. We the American people deserve better. We should settle for nothing less. In 2006 "Rolling Stone" published a lengthy article asking was the 2004 election stolen? They also published the interview with Howard Dean which said this, Howard said this, ‘I'm not confident that the election in Ohio was fairly decided. We know that there was substantial voter suppression and the machines were not reliable. It should not be a surprise that the Republicans are willing to do things that are unethical to manipulate elections. That's what we suspect has happened and we'd like to safeguard our elections so that democracy can still be counted on to work.’ Later in that year in October, Josh Marshall wrote about Ohio secretary of state Ken Blackwell stealing the election and a portion of Michael Moore's documentary in 2004 Fahrenheit 9/11 tried to delegitimize the 2000 results in Florida.
SCARBOROUGH: You know, also, as you said, at Willie -- in 2004, there are tons you can get to but in 2004 there were certain people around these parts that were going on TV every night saying that Ohio was stolen, that it was rigged.
(....)
6:10:17 – 6:19:19 AM
HOWARD FORD JR: My understanding is from what Mr. Trump is saying he may not be willing to accept the outcome. That is the difference.
SCARBOROUGH: What was the exact quote?
BRZEZINSKI: He said I will leave you in suspense.
FORD: He said ‘I will look at it at the time and keep you in suspense.’ So, that means he is not willing to say I will accept the outcome.
SCARBOROUGH: No, what that means is he will look at it at the time. I love everybody saying – You know, I woke up to these screaming headlines: Donald Trump will not respect election results - He said I will look at it at the time.
FORD: Was there ever been a presidential candidate to say that.
SCARBOROUGH: If there are voting irregularities --
FORD: What would you have said? What would your response be to that question?
SCARBOROUGH: I'd say I will certainly accept the outcome of the election but I would want to make sure that's fair, it's on the up and up.
FORD: Yeah…but he didn’t say that.
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah… but you know what, this is an example of the media getting something they can absolutely freak out about and claim that he is an agent of Vladimir Putin and destroying democracy in America and it's just another example of the media having to find a little phrase and freak out! As a Republican I have listened to Democrats talk about the only two times we won the White House in like 800 years that we stole both elections. I had to sit through Fahrenheit 911 and a lady was sobbing violently behind me on the upper west side about the election being stolen from George Bush and I patted her halfway through, I go, it's all right, it's all right, ma'am. It's all right. It's all a lie anyway. Democrats have been whining for 16 years, they are still writing articles about how Bush stole the elections in 2000 and 2004. So this holier than thou attitude about this is the first time anyone has suggested that the election is not a sacrosanct process, it's a joke. You guys bathe in that hypocrisy if you want to, I'd just like to hear how the debate went. Go ahead, bathe.
FORD: The difference is what Michael just said, it's the candidate himself. You will have spectators, voters, political officials, elected officials contemplating, writers saying that this didn't happen this way, they stole it - Bush did this, but you never had the presidential candidate --
SCARBOROUGH: Let me be very specific. My target this morning for my mockery are the very people that are writing articles today on their blogs that are saying ‘this is a threat to democracy, the electoral process in America is sacrosanct and if we ever doubt this are we no better than Putin.’ Those are the people I'm mocking. I'm not comparing him to Al Gore.
FORD: Can you acknowledge there has never been a presidential candidate to do this.
SCARBOROUGH: I'm not on the witness stand. I'm saying it is rich the very thing that the Democrats -- I had a lady come up to me yesterday who I know very well, she is a dear, dear friend of the family and she said, oh, Joe, oh, Joe, how horrible will it be if Kate has to grow up in a country with a president that doesn't respect women any more than Donald Trump. I said, it will be about the same as having middle school boys grow up in a world where Bill Clinton was president of the United States. It's pretty bad. And, you know, I said --
FORD: I don't know how that relates to what we're talking about.
SCARBOROUGH: It relates to the hypocrisy that Democrats forget everything that they've been saying on their blogs, in their newspapers, in their magazines over the past 16 years. I'm not even mad about it. It's very funny and here is the great thing, it's all on Google. I ask you to do what Hillary Clinton asked last night. Just Google all of this and you will see that Democrats who are shocked and stunned and deeply saddened this morning were the very ones -- hell, even Bernie Sanders supporters just six months ago were saying that Hillary Clinton was rigging the election.
BRZEZINSKI: Well, they --
SCARBOROUGH: I mean, seriously did you all bump your head or do you just think this we are that stupid? I think you think we are that stupid. Maybe I am, but the rest of Americans aren't. I'm going to have a sip now, I want to see some debate!
BREZINSKI: I think you bring up a good point…
WILLIE GEIST: If the charge is hypocrisy among pundits in the media there is no question about it. The sex life of Donald Trump and Bill Clinton - forget all that.
BREZINSKI: Oh my God - It's unbelievable!
GEIST: But coming from the guy who could be president, coming from his mouth, Al Gore didn't say this two months before the election in 2000.
FORD: And he accepted the outcome.
GEIST: John Kerry didn't say it before.
BREZINSKI: But he contested it.
GEIST: It matters because it's been the theme of his campaign that the country is rigged, everything is rigged and here it is finally as their last act rigging the vote against us.
