The Morning Joe crew this morning was giddy with enthusiasm and excitement over Kamala Harris.
Their delirium was epitomized by Eugene Robinson, the Washington Post columnist and MSNBC analyst, who said the feeling among his fellow Democrats is that:
"This is not only a winnable race, but that they can really slam Donald Trump in this election coming up."
What's next? Will Morning Joe suggest that Kamala is putting Wyoming and West Virginia in play?
Robinson's political pronouncements should be taken with a substantial grain of sodium chloride. He is, after all, the man who not long ago declared that Biden was not merely sharp, but "sharp as a tack."
There was much excitement over Kamala's fundraising haul since Biden's exit. Scarborough literally poor-mouthed himself, nudging his wealthy guest Steve Rattner, saying that as "a poor country lawyer," he can't even comprehend the pile of dough that Kamala has raked in. Yes, nothing says "poor country lawyer" like a guy who, with wife Mika, is estimated at $16 million a year. This was a variation on Scarborough's frequent humble-brag about being a "simple" country lawyer.
Give it a rest, Joe. You've become the ultimate media elitist on the Jupiter, Florida to Nantucket corridor. Someone who has bragged about being so close to Biden that he spent hours at a time with him. That connection, though, has now been sharply devalued. How will Scarborough try to sidle up to Kamala?
Scarborough was sharing excitement with Mara Gay of The New York Times that everyday Democrats understand that Kamala is no FDR, Reagan, or Obama, but are still excited. Plus, "It's also, many people believe, all that's standing between the United States and a very, very dark place for this country."
On the grand analogies, give it time, Joe! Yesterday, we heard liberal talking head Jonathan Alter putting Biden in the same class as George Washington and Cincinnatus. Give the liberal media a month or so, and expect to hear clamors for Mt. Rushmore to prepare a new slot for Kamala!
In line with Alter's absurd analogy, Scarborough himself on today's show spoke of:
"The contrast between, Democrats say, between Joe Biden and what he did and Donald Trump, putting country over self, is a stark contrast that I suspect we'll see play out throughout history."
As Scarborough well knows but didn't say, there was nothing selfless about Biden's decision to drop out. If he hadn't made the move on Sunday, Pelosi and other major Dems were about to disgrace him by publicly demanding that he quit. And if Biden nonetheless persisted, he would likely have suffered an ignominious defeat, dragging many Dem House and Senate candidates down with him. So Biden was acting out of the desire to preserve his legacy. There was nothing altruistic about it.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
7/23/24
6:02 am EDTJOE SCARBOROUGH: Let's, I'm going to start with Steve Rattner real quick. Because Steve's like really rich.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: So he knows these numbers.
SCARBOROUGH: And you know, he coughs, and like, a million dollars comes out. He gets numbers. For a poor country lawyer like me, Steve, this is kind of hard to put my arms around, just how much money the Vice President has brought in over the past 24, 36 hours.
. . .
Mara, what's so interesting is, when I talk to people that aren't in this business and don't talk about this incessantly, 24 hours a day, nobody's saying she's FDR or Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama as far as political talents go. They understand that and, and at the same time, they're so excited. They don't expect that. They're just so excited. They're so energized. It's historic. It's also, many people believe, all that's standing between the United States and a very, very dark place for this country.
MARA GAY: I was out of town for a few days. And I came home yesterday to Brooklyn. And just walking through the streets, every other conversation on the street was, who should be her running mate? What do you think? People are throwing out names -- Mark Kelly. The excitement that you hear from -- I mean, I assume that most of my neighbors in Brooklyn are Democratic voters.
SCARBOROUGH: Really?
GAY: It's shocking in the bubble in which we live. But, no, the excitement is palpable.
. . .
SCARBOROUGH: And the contrast between, Democrats say, between Joe Biden and what he did and Donald Trump, putting country over self, is a stark contrast that I suspect we'll see play out throughout history, as far as looking back at this time. The contrast is going to be pretty, pretty dramatic.. . .
EUGENE ROBINSON: And what are Democrats doing? They are, they are voting with their dollars. They're voting with their feet. There is an excitement, and enthusiasm, and optimism.
A feeling for the first time in many months that this is not only a winnable race but that they can -- they can really slam Donald Trump in this election coming up.
