On Wednesday's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough stuck to his daily ritual of hating everything and everyone Donald Trump has supported -- which includes first-time Republican Senate candidates that Trump endorsed.
He twice called J.D. Vance a "weird guy," and mocked his voice, and mocked him as a South Park character: "Lil' Butters would be there in his little venture-capitalist vest."
He mocked Dr. Mehmet Oz as a quack: "Not qualified. He's a TV doctor that sold magic beans."
But Scarborough was roughest on the black Republican, Herschel Walker in Georgia.
When I see Herschel out there, I actually see that as a tragedy for Herschel and his family. He doesn't belong there. He's been pushed out there by power -- by Donald Trump. He's not ready for primetime. And he keeps saying things that are just absolutely humiliating....He's not fit for the job. Not qualified for the job. And, and, and doesn't, [deep sigh] he doesn't have the capacity to effectively be a United States senator."
The way Scarborough stumbled and and sighed before claiming Walker lacks "the capacity" to serve suggested that Joe realized he was getting into dangerous territory. But he decided to go there.
And of course, no Morning Joe segment on Republicans would be complete without a fascism analogy. So Scarborough hauled out a notion from the late historian Hannah Arendt, whose most famous book was The Origins of Totalitarianism. Scarborough said that Arendt, describing the rise of fascism, explained strongmen "replace competency with loyalty. So they'll get rid of the senators, they'll get rid of the members of congress, they'll get rid of the bureaucrats who are competent and can make the country better, and they'll replace them with stooges...who are idiots."
On Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough saying that Herschel Walker lacks "the capacity" to be a sentor was sponsored in part by Golden Corral, GlaxoSmithKline, maker of Trelegy, and Xfinity.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
11-2-22
6:39 am EDTJOE SCARBOROUGH: J.D. Vance is a weird guy. I mean, for Ohio. Republicans look at him as being a weird guy . . . J.D. Vance is a weird guy.
Lil' Butters would be there in his little venture-capitalist vest, and sit there, and he'd go [mocking imitation of Vance's voice] I like San Francisco. I like venture capitalism -- smartest people in the world.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Is that J.D. speaking?
MIKA: J.D. Vance. Yeah. Doesn't that sound just like him?
MIKA: Yes!
. . .
SCARBOROUGH: And let's talk about Georgia. Herschel just keeps getting more and more strange.
By the way, I, I, just on a personal level. Not talking politics. Just -- stay off your Twitter machine. I actually, when I see Herschel out there, I actually see that as a tragedy for Herschel and his family. He doesn't belong there. He's been pushed out there by power -- by Donald Trump. He's not ready for primetime. And he keeps saying things that are just absolutely humiliating.
I, I do find it, I, I just don't, I can't, I can't believe that the people of Georgia would vote for a guy that has had as many problems as he's been having.
MIKA: He's just not fit for the job.
SCARBOROUGH: He's not fit for the job. Not qualified for the job. And, and, and doesn't, [deep sigh] he doesn't have the capacity to effectively be a United States senator.
. . .There's just a historical pattern here. Hannah Arendt, she's talking about the rise of totalitarianism and, and, and documenting rise of fascism, Willie. What does she say that strongmen do? They replace competency with loyalty.
So they'll get rid of the senators, they'll get rid of the members of congress, they'll get rid of the bureaucrats who are competent and can make the country better, and they'll replace them with stooges.
MIKA: That's exactly what's happening here.
SCARBOROUGH: Who are idiots. Exactly. So, you look at Dr. Oz. Not qualified. He's a TV doctor that sold magic beans.
