If you were a Republican, would you turn to Morning Joe for the inside skinny about what's going on in the ongoing struggle for a new House Speaker? Would Joe Scarborough be your guide to how 200-plus elected Republicans think right now?
On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough claimed:
"You talk to 98% of the members in the House and the Senate who are Republicans, and they privately hate Trump, hate him! Always have. They get in front of a camera, and they just, they sell their political soul to him."
Does anyone believe Scarborough is trusted by "98 percent of Republicans" with their inner thoughts?
Scarborough made his statement in the context of analogizing Republican feelings about Trump to those of House Republicans' views on Jim Jordan. He noted that whereas the great majority of Members publicly supported Jim Jordan's candidacy, when they voted behind closed doors, "they couldn't get away from him fast enough."
MSNBC contributor and Washington Post correspondent Jacqueline Alemany reported that the prevailing view is that Rep. Patrick McHenry, the temporary Speaker, is the "inevitable" choice to ultimately be elected permanent Speaker. But that his election would only come after various "iterations" among the new crop of candidates are sorted out. Alemany has become Morning Joe's go-to correspondent on the Speaker situation, and not NBC's own Hill reporters.
Scarborough kept his streak alive of finding a way to work into the conversation at any opportunity the fact that he used to be a Congressman. This morning, Scarborough claimed that, unlike the House members of today, back when he was in the House, by both his public and private statements, people knew were he stood. Such a brave, stand-up guy, that Scarborough!
Question: according to Joe, 98% of congressional Republicans hate Trump. Makes you wonder what percentage of Republicans harbor similar feelings . . . about Scarborough himself?
Joe Scarborough claiming that, behind closed doors, 98% of congressional Republicans "hate" Donald Trump was sponsored in part by UnitedHealthCare, and Abbvie, maker of Skyrizi.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC
Morning Joe
10/23/23
6:40 am EDTJACQUELINE ALEMANY: You know, I was telling some people over the weekend that I wouldn't be shocked if this went on another 20 days.
And the common refrain that we have been hearing all along is that it's always been McHenry. That's Patrick McHenry of North Carolina . . . He is someone that everyone keeps coming back to, and there is a feeling that after we go through what we're about to go through for a few more iterations, another candidate within the party going through the Speaker cycle and then losing on the House floor, that McHenry is the inevitable option.
. . .
JONATHAN LEMIRE: We should mention that Congressman Emmer, who is perceived right now as perhaps the slight favorite—Donald Trump weighed in on this over the weekend—has made it very clear he does not want Emmer to be Speaker.
Now, we don't know how much of a real voice, how much influence he [Trump] truly has in the House. Let's remember, that Jim Jordan was his guy initially. First, the GOP went to Scalise, and then Jordan after he lost his two rounds, was resoundingly shot down in that secret ballot among his fellow Republicans.
So striking, mind you, the Republicans in public, still largely backed Jordan, but as soon as they were given the option to vote behind closed doors in a secret ballot, they decisively knocked him down.
. . .
JOE SCARBOROUGH: It's unbelievable. And you know, I've got to say, Elise Jordan, does that not sum up more effectively years under Trump than anything we've ever seen?
You talk to 98% of the members in the House and the Senate who are Republicans, and they privately hate Trump, hate him! Always have. They get in front of a camera, and they just, they sell their political soul to him.
Here, Jim Jordan, the overwhelming majority voted for him when it was a public vote. But when it was a private vote, they couldn't get away from him fast enough.
ELISE JORDAN The flip was incredible.
SCARBOROUGH: Exactly. Yeah, just the cowardice of so many of these members, pretty shocking. I mean, you know, people knew if I were for them or against them, in private votes, public statements. At least, when we served, you knew where everybody stood. Now, it's just the opposite.
