Willie Geist Campaigns For McCain On The Upper West Side, Rejected By New Yorkers (VIDEO)

"Morning Joe" co-host Willie Geist set out to find McCain supporters on New York's famously liberal Upper West Side, putting on a McCain-Palin t-shirt and parking himself in front of the legendary Jewish deli Zabar's. He ended up finding one Republican couple, but not before being greeted with scorn and bewilderment by passersby, many of whom said that they didn't know a single person in the neighborhood who is planning to vote for John McCain.

Back in the studio, Mika Brzezniski and Mike Barnicle were deeply disturbed by the way Willie was received in the neighborhood. Barnicle said, "That is an important cultural piece, and it proves why so many people are so right — no pun intended — to really loathe so many on the left. Those people are so close-minded."

In Washington D.C., Joe Scarborough — who often complains that Democrats fail to see beyond the Upper West Side and Georgetown — said, "There's some really, really hostile people on the left who just think that they are intellectually superior."

Watch:

Comments

[DosaHut]

"Scorn and Bewilerment?" ooooh, nooo! how horrible!

At least no one yelled 'kill him' or 'terrist' or made ugly rac.ist flyers abut him just for having another point of view. That s the difference.

[anneLouise]

A guy wearing a McCain t-shirt gets scorned in the "famously Liberal" Upper West Side, whereas someone wearing an Obama t-shirt in, say, a Nebraska or Idaho backwater would get the crap beaten out of him. Which is worse, the elitist label the Repugs are constantly pinning on Democrats, or sheer, unbridaled hate? Because that's what you see at McCian rallies, make no mistake about it.

[ZellaBee]

Exactly.

[zepfan81]

I think the point was to show how geographically polarizing the election is, which is fair. I'm sure if they came down to parts of Texas he would get similar responses from the other side, but probably more direct. It's odd how different regions are so passionate for either candidate. I think "Morning Joe" is fair. It's nice to get a logical, pragmatic right wing perspective and he typically accepts different points of view.

[exumbris]

how can you say that after they suggested that the upper west side was less educated - its not right. that's not fair reporting. thats not even reporting. they were trolling for a fight.

[zepfan81]

I don't think that was what they were saying. He was talking about Nashville relative to Nashville, not the Upper Westside. I do think liberals this election cycle are a lot more um...passionate and defensive this election cycle. Which is good. For years Republicans used that sort passion and loathing of the left to help to them dominate to politics for almost two generations.

[exumbris]

great a new label - you're not only Anti-American if you vote for obama, but you're uneducated now too...

the upper west side is home to one of the most prominent academic and medical institutions in the world (columbia university). same thing for arts and culture (museum of natural history, lincoln center etc) suggesting that upper west side communities aren't well-educated is not only insulting and blatantly wrong - but its maddening, and ignorant. i would have reacted the same way as those people did - because like them, i am angry, and tired, and sick of what has happened in the last 8 years and in this campaign. not to mention - the host carried a distant and dickish demeanor through the filming - he wanted to provoke people just enough to get a piece where people would lash out. its sick.

[exumbris]

and those people didn't even react outrageously. they were well spoken. this 'news team' failed at making the point they were going for.... they just scavenged what they could from the shoot and blew it out of porportion. give me news....

[peggyleg]

What?

[Gmoney1]

There was nothing inpolite about those people - they said no, no and no - what was not heard - they said no - what is inpolite about NO - Joe is an angry, sarcastic bonehead -

[ssengele]

I think it's pretty great. If Republicans want to be the party of thin-skinned, milquetoast bubble-boys, they are welcome to it as far as I'm concerned. Oh Noes! That mean old woman told him that she wishes he'd change his politics! And none of the high school kids would give him a high five! Why are liberals so mean?

[maumeeone]

I question why anyone would watch Morning Joe? If I watched that crap every day I wouldn't be a very happy person by the time I got to the office!!! And they say MSNBC is leftist? How could it be when they broadcast this mess every AM? And liberals are closed-minded, huh? Just who is it who doesn't believe in science, higher education, free choice, or separation of church and state?

[Halter]

Willie acted like a troll and was treated civilly, considering.

[L3ftofC3nter]

What was the point of this? The people were not rude, they just said that they weren't voting for him. If you want to see rude come to some places down south wearing an Obama shirt.

[Wichitan]

Did he really say, "There's (there is) people... who think they're intellectually superior."

[Icantbelieveher]

Funny when republicans act jealous of someone who is informed!!!

[JimBozo]

Aside from those Dutch, aboriginal or native Americans who were here back in the day, your average Manhattanite is from the smart people from the rest of the country. We crawled here through the equivilent of broken glass to become a part of New York City, because we were smarter than the drones who stayed behind in the drone homeland. I'm from a small town in Kentucky. Call it a brain drain or whatever, we are smarter than our drone childhood friends who are still back in the "old country" of Bush Republicanism. F*ck the local yokels. It is not our task to make morons as smart as the rest of us. It is our task to present them with the possibility that there are more choices than they are being presented with.

[PDXTransplant]

Angry liberals...Ha! Just wait - they haven't seen angry liberals...

[bdaved]

It looked to me like nearly all the people disagreed in a polite enough way. I didn't see a lot of hostility. And the Barnicle Man promotes loathing as the correct response to closed-mindedness. I don't think you can hate people into being right.

[Icantbelieveher]

If you disagree, you're angry, yet they can yell "kill him" at their rallies and McCain is proud of them!

[NAPinMtPSC]

It looked to me like everyone was polite and honest. Where was the hostility? I really believe liberals and conservatives exist in parallel universes. This piece was a waste of time, insane and an insult to every viewers intelligence. What the hell is going on in this country?

[dimelaverdad]

You went to NEW YORKERS in a very liberal neighborhood and asked about McCain days before an election.

What did they think was going to happen? Not good reporting. At all.

[ladyrefined2000]

yeah, but they didnt have to be so goddamed intolerent­..........­....jees..­..........­...intelle­ctual intolerenc­e.........­.lol......­.........y­eah for the first amendment.­.........l­ol

[ccortezz]

Joe Scarbaby sounded pretty hostile to me. SORELOSER

[bungalow]

No different from usual. Between Joe and Pat, that show sounds like it belongs on Fox. Mika ought to get a clue and run from this train wreck asap.

[Chumleysmom]

Mika was just as shocked! SHOCKED! as the rest of them by those "angry" liberals. Apparently, her heart belongs to Fox, too.