Self-awareness? Apparently not Joe Scarborough's strong suit.
On Thursday's Morning Joe, Scarborough claimed to embrace a recent column by frequent panelist David Ignatius of The Washington Post that called for a "love thy neighbor" politics in which people "put aside" their grievances. "Truer words were never written," enthused Scarborough.
That's all well and good, but not exactly the best messengers and considering the show that these principles were extolled on.
This from the man who might just be TV's most vituperative hater of President Trump (after having been a close pal and someone who arguably helped him secure the 2016 GOP nomination). Someone who has called the President a "thug," "Nazi," "racist," and a host of other epithets.
And Scarborough's hatred of all things Trump is not limited to the President himself. Scarborough has also vilified Trump supporters as "racists," "Nazis," and so stupid they should be "kept away from blenders."
If Joe sincerely wants to move toward a "love thy neighbor" politics in which grievances are put aside, a good place to start would be on his own show.
Note: Wonder what the MSNBC suits thought about Joe uttering a loud "amen" to Ignatius's suggestion that people turn off their TVs?
Here's the transcript (emphasis mine, click "expand").
MSNBC's Morning Joe
12/26/19
6:09 a.m. ETJOE SCARBOROUGH: David Ignatius, recent op-ed for The Washington Post, you wrote this about how Americans can break our bitter impasse. You write in part:
"It’s cheering this Christmas week to repeat the bromide, 'love thy neighbor.' But the unfortunate truth about America these days is that many of us seem to hate our neighbors. We don't understand how other people can oppose the values we cherish most. Their behavior is infuriating and it often seems unforgivable....If we're lucky, we escape this blockage and reset the terms, not conceding our old grievances but putting them aside."
What a nice thought. Actually putting grievance aside.
"But does it work in politics, when each side's narrative becomes inflamed and reinforced by partisan politiicans and media commentators? And is reconciliation possible -- or even desirable -- when fundamenmtnal matters of principle seem to be at stake? More and more, I hear people expresssing doubt about compromise and reconciliation in the age of Trump. That's part of what makes his politics so potent and dangersous -- it's not the art of the deal, it turns out, but a fight to the death. Thankfully, even amid our current difficulties, America doesn’t feel to me like a country hided toward a second civil war. Turn off the television."
Amen.
"Go to a ball game. Listen to some music. And the din from Washington fades. This season, I’d bet that a version of our "love thy neighborr" is a political winner. As angry as people are, few like the state of our politics, and most Americans want a way out."
David, truer words never written and certainly when it comes to American politics. You know, Mika and I, through the years, probably have given hundreds and hundreds of talks at colleges, Rotary Clubs, book events, wherever we go, we say this same thing....
People are so tired of the infighting. And that’s not me being pollyannaish, that’s my political antenna going up, that if you -- if you can prove to Americans that you're strong and you're powerful and you're not just looking --- you have a powerful personality and you're not just looking for the mushy middle, that you want, like, you know, Reagan, like LBJ, like FDR, you -- you're strong enough to bring people together and sort of force a political piece upon them. They want that sort of leader that’s going to bring America together again.
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