Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski had a jolly old time mocking Ted Cruz on today's Morning Joe. After playing a clip of Cruz refusing to say whether he'd support Trump given The Donald's attack on his wife, Joe imagined Cruz rehearsing his words before a mirror.
Scarborough went on to approvingly cite David Axelrod, who had said that Cruz seems "staged" even when defending the honor of his wife. [Granted, Axelrod's protege Barack Obama is so much smoother with his prevarications.]
Note: at the end of the clip, Mika goes out of her way to note "for the record" that they are "criticizing and ridiculing the presentation of a male candidate." That's in response to the criticism Morning Joe has received from Hillary fans to the effect that the show focuses on the foibles of her delivery to the exclusion of those of male candidates.
TED CRUZ: You know, Donald is fond of giving people nicknames. With this pattern, he should not be surprised to see people calling him "Sleazy Donald."
REPORTER: So yes or no, will you vote for him if he's the nominee?
TED CRUZ: I will say this, I don't make a habit out of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my family. And Donald Trump is not going to be the Republican nominee.
[after clip of Kasich also equivocating about supporting Trump]
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Why not just say "No, I don't think I will."
JOE SCARBOROUGH: So Mika, I have a question. When Ted Cruz practices --
MIKA: Yes!
JOE: -- every single word he says, do you think he has just one mirror he practices to, or is it like a --
SAM STEIN: No: three-way
JOE: -- a three-way thing where he goes [gestures], because last week he turned and pointed --
MIKA: I think he makes his children sit in a circle and he says "children, when I finish speaking, applaud." And he feels it and then he learns -- oh, my God, is it just me?
JOE: No, it's not you. David Axelrod --
MIKA: It makes me crazy.
JOE: David Axelrod tweeted last week, said "How could it be that even when he's defending the honor of his wife it seems so staged?" You know, he was saying -- and it was -- and then he turned and pointed his fingers. It was --
MIKA: I'm sorry.
JOE: It was bad, bad acting. I just --
MIKA: We are right now criticizing and ridiculing the presentation of a male candidate. Just for the record.
JOE: That's just very sexist of you, Mika. Very sexist of you.
MIKA: I know.
