MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough on Wednesday again decided to slam the Republican Party (Scarborough is a former-GOP Congressman). He chided, "My party. What happened to my party?" Democrat Co-host Mika Brzezinski made sure to notify Scarborough that, "Your party is over!"
Scarborough was astounded that some Senate Republicans are calling for hearings on the 14th Amendment regarding birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.
Instead of examining the indictment or even giving a conservative viewpoint, Scarborough denounced his colleagues saying, "Instead of tearing up the Constitution of the United States, why don't we just enforce the immigration laws that are on the books right now?"
Scarborough based his reaction on a false conclusion that the Republicans' intention is to repeal the 14th Amendment, which is not even possible for them to do on their own. Yet, Scarborough screamed, "They are going to hold hearings on getting rid of the 14th Amendment."
Scarborough seemed to be ignoring the stated goals of the GOP senators, examining the amendment and determining its intent. Laying out this question: Whether or not someone who happens to be born in this country to parents who are not citizens, or in this country legally, should be automatically granted citizenship and all the benefits that come with citizenship?
Nevertheless, Scarborough mocked the idea alleging, "We are going to ban Santa Claus next."
Scarborough is developing an appetite for attacking Republicans. For example, the time he blamed Republicans for the continued war in Afghanistan, or the time he called Republicans "Genuinely Stupid" for criticizing Obama's oil spill response or perhaps the time he cited that Arizona's immigration law was "Un-American." This attempt is just another example of Scarborough, the show's "voice of the right," taking every opportunity to belittle his "party."
The transcript of the August 4, 2010, segment is available here:
7:11:25 EDT
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Leading Republicans are joining a push to reconsider the 14th Amendment.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: (Laughs hysterically) I can't believe what I'm hearing! Are you serious? Go ahead. I'm sorry.
BRZEZINSKI: That grants automatic citizenship to people born in the United States.
SCARBOROUGH: My party! What happened to my party?
BRZEZINSKI: Your part
SCARBOROUGH: Oh, dear lord.
BRZEZINSKI: Let me tell you, your party is over. Yesterday Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he supports holding hearings on the issue, although he emphasized
SCARBOROUGH: 14th Amendment? They are going to hold hearings? They are going to hold hearings on getting rid of the 14th Amendment?
BRZEZINSKI: That Washington's immigration focus should remain on border security. His comments comes days after other GOP members challenged birth right citizenship including Arizona's Jon Kyl, Alabama's Jeff Sessions and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham.
SCARBOROUGH: Hey Pat Buchanan, I have a great idea. Instead of tearing up the Constitution of the United States, why don't we just enforce the immigration laws that are on the books right now?
BUCHANAN: That's what they ought to do. But let me say a kind word for the Republicans here, Joe. They are not going to repeal the 14th Amendment, but they have clearly been -- look. That gave automatic citizenship to all African-Americans and slaves born in the United States immediately but there was a real question. Indians were not citizens. Chinese and Japanese weren't citizens and sons and daughters of diplomats weren't. The question is do these women who are coming in, in the tens of thousands into the southwest to have babies which are called anchor babies and make them eligible for life for all welfare, are they automatically citizens if the mother and father are both illegal and they are in the country illegally, just to have the child born? That is the question, a blazing question in the American southwest, that the Republicans ought to address.
SCARBOROUGH: Pat, it seems to me there's a better way to address it than talking about holding hearings repelling the 14th Amendment. We have poor John Ridley here. He is still waiting for you to tell him that if Republicans try to get rid of the 14th Amendment and he has to flee this country, that you've got his back?
BUCHANAN: Here is what you do, John.
BRZEZINSKI: Oh, god.
BUCHANAN: If they try to repel the 14th Amendment, go to one of those gun shows down there in Hollywood that they hold all the time.
SCARBOOROUGH: Oh, my lord! We're back to the gun shows!
JOHN RIDLEY: Let me say quickly about the 14th Amendment and I want a yes or no from you, Pat Buchanan. But, what the 14th Amendment was about was trying to remove the politics about who is an American, 1868 three years after the civil war who is an American or not. Now the politics is going back into it and you're talking about maybe 3 million people who have children in the United States at a time when the front page, what was it? "The Washington Post" showing the Obama administration is deporting more illegal aliens than at any time in this country's history and we know illegal immigration is down. To me this is not a serious discussion. This is riling up the base. The 14th Amendment is not going away and I agree, Pat, a discussion to be had about the anchor babies but not repealing the 14th Amendment.
BUCHANAN:The 14th Amendment is not going away, but congress does have the power to interpret and decide who is a citizen of the United States and then send it to the Supreme Court and let them decide based on the 14th Amendment.
SCARBOROUGH: Okay. We've got Carol Browner on the other side. Also Arianna Huffington, I have got to get her input on this attempt to have hearings on repelling the 14th Amendment.
BRZEZINSKI: Pat want's Ridley and Levi to go to a Hollywood gun show.
SCARBOROUGH: We are going to ban Santa Claus next.
