How total is Michael Steele's transformation from RNC chairman to Democrat sycophant? On today's Morning Joe, Steele, an MSNBC analyst and member of the disgraced Lincoln Project, slurred Republican judicial appointees while expressing his preference for Democrat nominees.
Steele was commenting on Republican Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana telling Biden judicial nominee Dale Ho that he found him, based on his social media attacks on Republicans and conservatives, to be an "angry" man.
Said Steele:
"Did Senator Kennedy take a look at some of the nominations that Donald Trump put before? There were people he voted for who never appeared in a courtroom. I will take a little anger over stupid any day."
As Steele should know, the fact that a nominee doesn't have courtroom experience in no way renders that person "stupid" or unfit for the bench. People can be highly intelligent, with important legal and/or academic experience, without previously having been trial lawyers or judges. Many Justices have had no prior judicial experience, including many a liberal like Steele would like, including Earl Warren, Arthur Goldberg, and William Brandeis.
So Steele's comment revealed nothing more than his partisan preference for Democrat judges over Republican ones.
The panel then focused on the anger Brett Kavanaugh displayed during his Senate confirmation hearings, with Steele mockingly asking whether Kavanaugh was "angry enough" for Senator Kennedy?"
The difference, of course, is that Kavanaugh was expressing righteous outrage at the smearing of his character and reputation with unfounded accusations of sexual misconduct.
Ho, in contrast, has a history of recent inflammatory, anti-Republican remarks, going so far as to suggest hatred toward them, bringing into question his ability to serve impartially.
In turning to Steele for comment, Brzezinski breezily said that she was setting the table for him, knowing he could "handle it."
Steele chuckled in response, eagerly running with the ball. But instead of chuckling, it should have occurred to Steele that Mika had unwittingly insulted him, taking for granted that he would support the liberal line. When you've become that much of a predictable, knee-jerk partisan, what do you add to the discussion? You've been reduced to just one more indistinguishable voice in the liberal choir.
Sam Stein showed a lot more independence of mind in acknowledging that Kavanaugh's anger could be seen as legitimate, and that Kavanaugh had said that others in the same position would be angry, too.
Note that Brzezinski appeared to call Brett Kavanaugh "angry and stupid." Would you really like to match wits with Kavanaugh, Mika? You, who have said that "SATs were not my strong suit. I probably would never have been allowed to go to college if it was based on just my SAT scores."
Here's some of that exchange:
MICHAEL STEELE: Did Senator Kennedy take a look at some of the nominations that Donald Trump put before the Judiciary Committee?
MIKA: Oh my God!
STEELE: I mean, there were people that he voted for who had never appeared in a courtroom! So, I'll take a little anger over stupid any day. [Mika laughs]
KATTY KAY: The whole political debate during [inaudible, but seems to be referring to the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.] Do you remember how angry and tense the whole country was?
MIKA: He was angry and stupid.
STEELE: Just a very quick question. Was Kavanaugh angry enough for you, senator? I don’t understand.
Former RNC chairman turned "MSNBC Republican" Michael Steele saying he prefers angry Democrat judges to "stupid" Republican ones was sponsored in part by Discover, Applebee's, and Away,
Here's the transcript. Click "expand" to read more.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
12/3/21
6:28 am ETMIKA BRZEZINSKI: Republican Senator John Kennedy is not supporting President Biden’s nomination of Dale Ho for a federal District Court seat in New York, calling him too angry to be a judge.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, Kennedy questioned Ho on past tweets aimed at Republican lawmakers. Ho, a voting-rights lawyer, expressed regret for his tone on social media, admitting, "I've crossed a line from time to time."
In closing, Kennedy said, “I think you're an angry man and I really have great concerns about voting for you. We don’t need federal judges who are angry, we need federal judges who are fair and can see both points of view.”
Michael Steele [heard chuckling off-camera], I'm just going to take that and I'm going to put it right over here, right in front of you, set the table for you. And you can handle it.
MICHAEL STEELE: I've just got to say, it’s so cute. I mean, just the turn-around with some of these guys. Now that you got Joe Biden, who's trying to put judges on benches, and ambassadors in countries around the globe, cause we have no ambassadors. That they’re so high and mighty.
Did Senator Kennedy take a look at some of the nominations that Donald Trump put before the Judiciary Committee?
MIKA: Oh my God!
STEELE: I mean, there were people that he voted for who had never appeared in a courtroom! So, I'll take a little anger over stupid any day. [Mika laughs]
KATTY KAY: The whole political debate during [inaudible, but seems to be referring to the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.] Do you remember how angry and tense the whole country was?
MIKA: He was angry and stupid.
STEELE: Just a very quick question. Was Kavanaugh angry enough for you, senator? I don’t understand.
SAM STEIN: The right analogy here is Brett Kavanaugh, who threw an absolute rage-fit when he was being questioned. I mean, you could say it was legitimate. But he really got angry. And that was found as a sign of his fortitude for a lot of these senators. And now of course, the shoe's on the other foot.
MIKA: He did throw a fit, crying and talking about [inaudible.]
STEIN: And he did say, you would too.
