Monday's "Morning Joe" panel on MSNBC mocked the House Republicans' plan to vote to repeal President Obama's health care legislation in full. "Waste of time" and "meaningless legislative exercise" were some of the phrases used to describe the first announced GOP priority.
"It's going to take them fifteen minutes, they're going to vote to repeal it, and the Senate's not going to do it," explained co-host Joe Scarborough. "It is a meaningless legislative exercise, but you know what? The base will like it."
"Republicans in Washington are planning to waste some time. Is anyone surprised by that?" co-host Mika Brzezinski tersely introduced the segment in the 7 a.m. EDT news hour.
Both Scarborough and Brzezinski sarcastically mocked the plan. "Good for them. Thank you," Brzezinski spat. "You are big men," she derided the House Republicans. "You so tough," Scarborough chimed in, followed by Brzezinski making strange growling noises.
Columnist Mike Barnicle ridiculed such plans to repeal ObamaCare and raise the debt ceiling as "meaningless stuff." He contrasted such an absurd view of government with what he dubbed a "real-world" view, which included snow removal, trash collection, and police protection.
However, National Journal correspondent Major Garrett answered to the contrary on the subject of raising the debt ceiling, which he deemed an important issue. "I would say the debt ceiling is going to be very real," he responded, calling it a "huge vote."
A transcript of the segments, which aired on January 3 at 6:13 a.m. and 7:10 a.m. EDT respectively, is as follows:
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Alright, so they want to do this before the State of the Union, they want to at least bring it up for a vote in the House, I mean, they're not going to have the votes in the Senate. Is it a waste of time? What is going on?
JOE SCARBOROUGH: You know, to quote Sheryl Crow, if it makes you happy, it can't be that bad, because it's – (Crosstalk) – it's going to take them fifteen minutes, they're going to vote to repeal it, and the Senate's not going to do it.
BRZEZINSKI: Good for them. Thank you.
SCARBOROUGH: Yay, maybe they can throw some confetti.
BRZEZINSKI: You are big men.
(Laughter)
SCARBOROUGH: You so tough.
BRZEZINSKI: Oooooh, arrrrrgh.
SCARBOROUGH: But seriously, it is a meaningless legislative exercise, but you know what? But the base will like it.
BRZEZINSKI: No. Actually people are sick of this stuff going on, useless time spent in Washington when we should be moving forward.
SCARBOROUGH: It's like the cap-and-trade bill the Democrats passed, they knew it was never going to get through the Senate. They passed it anyway, so they could go back to their base saying "We're fighting for you!"
MSNBC MORNING JOE 1/3/11 7:10 a.m.-7:16 a.m. EDT
BRZEZINSKI: Alright, Republicans in Washington are planning to waste some time. Is anyone surprised by that?
SCARBOROUGH: C'mon.
JON MEACHAM, PBS "Need to Know" co-host: Is that the AP headline?
BRZEZINSKI: They're going to vote – they plan to vote on repealing the White House's health care legislation shortly after Congress returns this week. Leading the charge: Fred Upton, the incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee who says he thinks the House is near the majority needed to override a veto.
(...)
SCARBOROUGH: Major Garrett, obviously they will never get this through the Senate, even if it passes the House. Why are they doing it?
(...)
BARNICLE: You know what's interesting, listening to the conversation of the last five minutes – the two different views of government now colliding. One the real-world view of government, snow removal, trash collection, police protection. The other view of government, the meaningless view of government in most people's minds our of Washington – are we going to raise the debt ceiling? Are we going to, you know, vote to --
BRZEZINSKI: Repeal ObamaCare –
BARNICLE: Repeal ObamaCare. Meaningless stuff. Meaningless stuff verses real stuff.
MAJOR GARRETT, National Journal correspondent: I would say the debt ceiling is going to be very real.
BRZEZINSKI: In a couple of months.
GARRETT: That's a huge vote. And that's altogether real.
