On today's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough ripped into Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Lindsey Graham, deriding them as "sad" dummies who are "challenged."
Scarborough began by mocking Johnson's intellect. Pausing, and considering his words, he called Johnson "a man who's challenged, he's challenged." Given Scarborough's past mocking of Johnson, it's clear he meant that Johnson is mentally "challenged." Here was Scarborough not long ago saying: "Ron Johnson sometimes doesn't know the difference between a microwave, and a blender, and his lawnmower . . . he gets confused easily."
Here's a bit of the transcript:
RON JOHNSON: From my standpoints, Leader McConnell speaks for himself. In this case, I don’t believe he speaks for the conference. And I think he needs to be a little careful. When I speak I do actually try and take in mind how it might reflect on the party.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Willie, this is just — I can’t tell you how rich this is. Ron Johnson, a man who — well, he’s just, he's challenged. Ron is challenged. Ron is giving Mitch McConnell political advice. I'd just be a little careful there, Mitch.
Turning to Graham, Scarborough once again claimed that, post-January 6th, Lindsey changed from a Trump critic into a Trump supporter after he being accosted by three men in an airport who yelled at him. Scarborough described Graham as turning into a "bowl of Jell-O." And listen at about 1:10, as Scarborough imitates Graham saying: "I have had enough of this." Was Scarborough affecting an effeminate voice, particularly in the way he pronounced "this?"
Scarborough concluded by calling Johnson and Graham "sad, little, petrified men." He even managed to work in a swipe at House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. Referring to Johnson saying that when it comes to dealing with Trump, Republicans need to emulate McCarthy's approach rather than McConnell's, Scarborough said: "you need to be more like Kevin McCarthy: said nobody, ever."
Joe Scarborough's mocking of Lindsey Graham and Ron Johnson as "sad, little, petrified men" for their support of President Trump and criticism of Mitch McConnell was sponsored in part by USAA and Amazon.
Here's the transcript. Click "expand" to read more.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
2/17/21
6:15 am ETMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Some Republican senators are coming to Trump’s defense in the wake of Mitch McConnell’s rebuke of the former president. Here's what senators Lindsey Graham and Ron Johnson had to say about trumpism and the future of the Republican Party yesterday.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: What I would say to Senator Mcconnell, I know Trump can be a handful, but he is the most dominant figure in the Republican Party. We don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of taking back the majority without Donald Trump.
. . .
RON JOHNSON: From my standpoints, Leader McConnell speaks for himself. In this case, I don’t believe he speaks for the conference. And I think he needs to be a little careful. When I speak I do actually try and take in mind how it might reflect on the party.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Willie, this is just — I can’t tell you how rich this is. Ron Johnson, a man who — well, he’s just, he's challenged. Ron is challenged. Ron is giving Mitch McConnell political advice. I'd just be a little careful there, Mitch.
. . .
And then Lindsey Graham? I don’t know what to say. Lindsey said [imitating his voice]: "I have had enough of this." And then three people chase him through an airport and he’s just freaked out ever since. He's: "I love Donald." So if you want to change Lindsey’s mind, just get three people.
MIKA: Yell at him.
SCARBOROUGH: And follow him through the airport for five minutes and yell at him. and Lindsey will turn into a tub of Jell-O.
. . .
What these two sad, little, petrified men think they’re achieving by attacking the Majority [sic] Leader is really, really beyond me. But they’re starting a civil war. By the way, they’re saying you need to be more like Kevin McCarthy: said nobody, ever.
