Scarborough, Shrum Battle Over Obama's Spending (VIDEO)

Bob Shrum was a guest on Monday's edition of Morning Joe on MSNBC, participating in a discussion that soon trailed off into something of a shoutfest. Shrum begins by making a good point, on the disbelief that President Obama can possibly tend to more than one issue at the same time. "I think the Beltway culture and the talk culture has been tougher on Obama then the public has," he said, "and the [reason the] public gives him big ratings -- is that they know he's got all these problems on his hands." He added, "I was listening to you guys earlier, talking about him laughing, on 60 Minutes...it reminded me of Roosevelt and Reagan and Kennedy, who had the capacity under very difficult circumstances to laugh, to look at something ruefully and ironically and move on."

Unfortunately for Shrum, Scarborough had the dire Congressional Budget Office deficit projections on the brain, and was sore afraid at the thought of additional deficit spending on stuff like health care or education. Circa 2009, is there any other kind of spending? As Shrum points out, the CBO has historically struggled with their batting average, where predictions are concerned. But really, it's dismaying to see one more person, in this case Scarborough, who doesn't seem to understand the relationship between better health care and energy policy and economic revival. CNBC's Donnie Deutsch, who seems to want to have it both ways, grabs a pair of the same one-thing-at-a-time blinders, and joins in. Le sigh!

[WATCH.]

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Comments

[johnie2xs]

I'm just waiting for his "Imus Moment". I can feel it coming, and it won't be soon enough.

[Gotcha54]

MJ is always saying that we "all did it" about the economic state we're in. He's always describing a middle America I don't see much of. I bought a home within my means. I pay my credit card off each and every month. I just don't think he knows anything outside of his little "bubble" - and perhaps he's more describing his financial disorganization.

Who is really watching this show anymore?

[njborne]

This is the reason I stopped watching his show. He's a brat that get easily upset when the guests don't agree with him. Then he raises his voice and downtalk the very guests that helps his show. Sounds like Bill O'Reilly. As for Mika...she too has become insignificant.

[Gotcha54]

Plus he never stops a Republican from talking and always the pro-Obama view you find him shouting before the answer can be finished. I've quit watching - there's no hope for change of their format. I just don't know who their "viewership" would be except Rush! Too bad it was a good "format" until Obama got in and it's been nothing but pessimism.

[o4tuna]

Just let Joe pout. Maybe Mika's dad will come on the show and show him how adults act.

[BowZam03]

I didn't think J.S. could irritate me more than when he constantly blames our housing crisis on the lower class - until I watched that clip.
So easy for someone with money and the "perk" of what I am sure is a very good health plan to say we don't need to address that issue for a few more years.
I hand over almost $4K a year in premiums for basically "catastrophic coverage only" since my deductible is $10K per year for my family. We are healthy and rarely need to see a physician. And yet, even without using our coverage, BCBS raises our rates several times a year.
My husband is from Ecuador and when we go down to visit his family, we always go for check ups where medical care is just as good with the latest equipment but costs 1/10th of what it costs here.
So many families are one illness away from bankruptcy and politicians and blowhards like J.S. that live in their little bubble don't give a d*mn.

[dax49]

too bad this guy wasn't so enlightened when he held public office- why doesn't he renounce the check he gets every month from the government- that would help the economy some

[66gardeners]

I have read several comments, and none expresses approval of Scarborough. He does not deserve good ratings which are based upon how many people tune into his show. Don't watch his show. Everything you need to know about what he says will show up on the HP.

[westreal]

Why is the lady there? I don't know her name because they don't speak to her. She just sits there and do funny faces or put a hand on Joe's arm when he says something ir_responsible. Is that her job?

4:20 in and she hasn't said a word.

5:40 and she's looking at Joe. Still hasn't said a word.

6:05 at least she's nodding.

6:40 and she's looking sar_castically at the guest. (Lots of loud music).

8:25 and she said something but the video cut off. Wish I knew her name.

[ebanks84]

Her name is Mika (like mee - ka) and she is the control switch for Joe. She tries to keep him on the straight and narrow but it doesn't work. I feel for her because he treats her like a "throw-away" and doesn't give her the respect she is due.

[sf girl]

Luckily we have a president who can not only multi-task but has the intelligence to see the linkages between the economy, health care, education and energy reform. And thank goodness our president doesn't give a care what folks like Joe Scarborough think. I would hate for our country to be in the hands of someone so short-sighted and intellectually stunted.

[newpantaloons]

Is Mika Brezenski's job just to 'nod' her head to everything that Joe Scarborough says? And, then agree with everything he says? Really? This is how she wants to be seen? Ugh!

[fusillijerry]

This morning, joe was comparing not having money for health care wih not having money for landscaping. Then shortly later, he was saying that there is no subtlety of thought in our current debates. Geez.

[ebanks84]

Joe is afraid health care is going to change so much that he will lose money from his investments probably. He wants things to remain the same I would imagine.

[Tulka2]

Aw, you can never tell Joe a thing. He is a classic know-it-all. He has three modes, contempt, patronizing, and bug-f--k knock over the chairs and stomp out rage.

I do know a new thing after watching this. Joe has his money in private health care. Well, why not? It's the only scam in town still printing money.

[Cherlesq]

roger that!

[mikesw]

I don't get Scarborough's distinction between "cut spending" and "cut costs". Isn't his job as a news host to help make things clear? This isn't.

[goesto11]

"News" host? What show are you watching? Joe Scarborough has nothing to do with news, he's a political commentator.

His show isn't about news. They have Mike Barnicle commenting on things like airline safety and Mike Brzezinski commenting on the economy, for God's sake!

[ebanks84]

Evidently, he's not clear in what his job is!

[unite4change]

Is this suppose to be a white thing when you can't do more than 1 thing at a time? Because that all I hear complaining about he doing too many thing at one time. This is such a stupid argument, meaning you should never mulitask. You must work they way I work or the why I think you should work. I guess none of these people could ever be a CEO or hold any other position with more than 1 thing on the plate at a time.

[demomntgirl]

no it's not a white thing...cu­z I am white!
It IS a republican thing....n­ow.
We had Bushie for 8 yrs...who did nothing positive for this nation, or the rest of the world. Got us into two wars, fed fear, fear and fear to us all so we would hide behind our plastic covered and duct taped window in the event of a nucular bom!! He did NOTHING to ANY OF US but drive is deeper into a hole! HOPING when the dems win....the­y would be frozen, unable to DIG us out of this hole!
And then came Obama!
It scares the h*ll out of Republican­s...he just MIGHT get us OUT of this black hole....ho­ly crap...he is doing too much!!! American voters are still HOPEFUL...­.good God we must do something!
Feed the voters...F­EAR, FEAR, and FEAR!

Py no attention to the doom and gloom media! The American people have WOKE UP after 8 long years of being shoved into the dark hole of FEAR.
while they tried to shred the constitution,
our civil rights whittled away, and torture was then ok.
NO MORE...the voters said...and the voters STILL mean it!

[ebanks84]

AMEN!

[SousioXXX]

It was fun to watch Shrum eat Scarbourough's lunch. And poor little Mika just nods in aggreement to whatever Scarbourough says because she doesn't understand the issues and has nothing substantial to say. She's nice eye candy but daddy must be very disapointed (secretly). After Shrum pointed out that Joe, Mika, and Willie were hypocrites for making a big deal about President Obama smiling and laughing the three stooges made sure to put on sour faces the rest of the show and act all so serious. What children. They make me laugh!

[ebanks84]

Me, too. I crack up whenever I do get up in time to catch their little inconsequential chattering.

[sf girl]

Good point. I often wonder how Mika got that job, considering she hardly gets a word in edgewise and all she does is nod in agreement with Joe or try to break up arguments between guests. I don't know if she really is smart and just can't show it because she's second fiddle (or third, or fifth) on the show or she really doesn't know what's going on half the time.

[ebanks84]

Ain't that the truth!