The oil is out of the well. Once again, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough's Republican viewpoint is anti-Republican. One could even say the host is hostile and abusive to any Republicans left in his audience. On the June 17th show, the panel was discussing the President's new escrow account for the victims of the BP oil spill and how criticism has come out from both sides.
Scarborough briefly commented that on one hand, the "far left" does not think that the administration is allocating enough money to the victims. However, when he mentions critics on the "far right," he arrogantly mocked them at length. He practically accused them of preparing for a violent insurrection: "I mean seriously how many times can freedom die, in one quarter? Because if you listen to the Republicans, they send out press releases every day, saying freedom has died tonight! Get your muskets out!"[MP3 Audio available here]
This indictment doesn’t sound like the “conservative” Joe claims to be. It sounds a lot like an echo of Chris Matthews in his documentary "The Rise of the New Right," which characterizes all Republicans as supporting, provoking, or partaking in violence.
The former Republican Congressman is taking the position that if you don't agree with this administration you should just keep your mouth shut right now because, “it allows you to criticize later and have more authority, but these Republicans don't have that nimble touch, to say the least."
The guy who says, "once in a while I may say some negative things about Barack Obama," thinks he is the one who the Republican Party should take advice from. Scarborough must have the “nimble touch” because his idea of being tough on the administration is to put the kid gloves on.
Below is a complete transcript of the segment from the Thursday, June 17, Morning Joe on MSNBC:
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Hey, what about the president giving this escrow account, $20 billion?
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Pretty good. Pretty good.
SCARBOROUGH: And it’s indicative of where the crisis is right now, that people on the far left say, well, that's not enough. That's just -- come on. This is the president. Half measures. People on the far right talking about, once again, the end of freedom as we know it, it's the end of blah, blah. I mean seriously how many times can freedom die, in one quarter? Because if you listen to the Republicans, they send out press releases every day, freedom has died tonight! Get your muskets out!
MIKE BARNICLE: Speaking of people who should keep quiet, the bp people should keep quiet.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
BARNICLE: Michael Steele, who is this man? He keeps issuing these ludicrous statements.
SCARBOROUGH: What did he say yesterday? Freedom died tonight? What?
BARNICLE: Pretty much. He (Barack Obama) is politicizing the terrible ecological disaster by speaking to the nation.
SCARBOROUGH: What would these guys have him do? Again, I am a guy. I know once in a while I may say some negative things about Barack Obama, but it just occurred to me a couple of days ago, because there have been some Republicans that I've been talking to over the past year and a half who wanted to work with the president, but, at this point, I don't know what this president could do that any Republican leader would salute. What they don't understand is that sometimes that's the best play. I remember Ronald Reagan was on the campaign stump in 1980. Somebody asked him a question. He said, I don't know. Everybody in the audience just sort of smiled. Sometimes, the best thing can you do is say -- Bill Clinton would always do that. He would say, you know, the president, when he is running, I think you did a great job. And that is what that does, it allows you to criticize later and have more authority but these Republicans don't have that nimble touch, to say the least.
WILLIE GEIST: He secures $20 billion for people along the gulf coast. Politicians pretend to want to help and he is charged with redistribution of wealth in some circles.
BRZEZINSKI: Oh, my god!
GEIST: True.
BRZEZINSKI: Please, don't give it a moment. Let's do news.
