Morning Joe’s Joe Scarborough has a new book out that has left-wing media outlets like Politico all giddy. Probably because he says things like, “This may come as a shock to certain ideology- (and profit-) driven talk radio hosts who unleash fury at anyone who disagrees with them on a few issues, but parties win the White House by nominating candidates who win the most votes — not feeding endlessly on base resentments that offend crossover voters and shrink the GOPs voter rolls.”
My favorite part of that wildly hypocritical statement comes when Scarborough lashes out at conservatives who “unleash fury at anyone who disagrees with them,” because doing exactly that to conservatives is what Scarborough’s MSNBC brand is all about.
As I write this, Scarborough is just winding down a month-long campaign of “unleashing fury” against Ted Cruz and the Tea Party — you know, for “disagreeing” with him on tactics. And that came after just winding down a months-long (plural) campaign of “unleashing fury” against the NRA (“How sick are these people?”) and conservatives who dared “disagree” with him (and Barack Obama) on gun control.
***Note: Somewhere in the middle of all that, Scarborough bought into the media’s Trayvon Martin hoax.
Regularly, and with obvious glee, as he literally laughs out loud, Scarborough holds daily court to delight his MSNBC crowd by trashing conservatives as crazy, stupid, out of touch, and any other description that puts a satisfied smile on Mark Halperin’s face.
And now, after years of using his show to eviscerate, name call, mock, undermine, and ridicule — Joe thinks we hate him
We don’t hate you, Joe.
We’re just hating you back.
There’s a difference.
But even though Scarborough’s brand is all about trashing the Republican brand with as much gusto as his MSNBC and Politico colleagues, he still wants to reassure us that, “I like to win and I like to win big.”
And by win, I think he means elections.
One wonders, then, if there is a chapter in Scarborough’s book about how the path to the GOP winning a presidential election means that guys like Scarborough shouldn’t use their cable news shows to relentlessly undermine that nominee — especially when that nominee is the Establishment candidate Establishment-types like Scarborough believe we should nominate.
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The reason I ask is because during the 2012 election, Scarborough waged war against Mitt Romney’s campaign. While the Tea Party saluted and fought like hell for a nominee they weren’t terribly enamored with, Mr. I-Like-To-Win-Big was merciless in using his MSNBC platform to undermine, trash, ridicule, and (again) literally laugh out loud at Mitt Romney’s supposed “incompetence.“
(If you are getting a sense that Scarborough likes to literally and sanctimoniously laugh out loud at Republicans… Rest assured he only does so in pursuit of “winning big.”)
For weeks, in the heart of the 2012 general election, rather than show some courage and push back against the non-stop anti-Romney media narratives, Scarborough used his influential MSNBC and Politico platforms to puff himself up at Romney’s expense. (For Scarborough, there is one thing more important than “winning big,” and that is backstabbing his own as a way to pretend he knows better.)
Scarborough’s behavior towards Romney wasn’t honest or constructive criticism; it was sanctimonious mockery from on high–brutal, relentless, and wholly unnecessary. No one is asking anyone to carry anyone’s water. But you can criticize without undermining, and Scarborough chose to work every bit as hard as David Axelrod to toxify Romney into a national joke.
Basically, to burnish his brand and his own ego, Mr. I-Like-To-Win-Big completely sold Romney and the GOP out.
Finally, I wonder if Scarborough will offer a chapter on gun control? Because I am dying to hear him explain why it is worth alienating and mocking almost all of the GOP base to cave on an issue no one outside of the GOP base cares about. Well, except for Scarborough’s base: Democrats and the left-wing media elite.
Let me take a moment to defend Scarborough from some of his critics. Those who call Scarborough a “RINO” (a term I don’t use) are dead wrong. Scarborough isn’t a RINO, he is his own mercenary BRAND. And like all BRANDS, he is doing what he must to amass wealth, power, and fame. Unfortunately for America and the GOP, the profit Scarborough greedily seeks comes from NBC News.
Besides, it doesn’t even make sense to call someone an “Establishment RINO” when that someone sells out a Mitt Romney.
Establishment RINO would be an improved status for Scarborough.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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