Joe Scarborough On Paul Ryan Speech: I Was 'Surprised,' 'Excited' About Republican Party (VIDEO)

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Joe Scarborough had only love for Paul Ryan's acceptance speech at the Republican national convention on Thursday morning.

Ryan accepted the Republican party's vice-presidential nomination on Wednesday. Scarborough claimed that "something very important happened" that night, arguing that the Wisconsin congressman brought exactly what Mitt Romney can't.

"This is a convention where people have come together to coronate a candidate that most of them aren't really excited about," the MSNBC host said bluntly. He said that Ryan's speech resonated powerfully with him as a "small government conservative."

"Last night was one of the first times since Ronald Reagan spoke in 1980 where I was surprised by the Republican party and what they were doing on the national stage and was really excited about it," Scarborough said. "I mean, this I think could get the base a little more excited than they are right now."

Willie Geist suggested that Ryan won't change the minds of voters who weren't planning to vote for Romney before his vice-presidential pick.

Scarborough agreed with that assessment, but predicted that Ryan would energize voters in other important ways.

"It's one thing to stay home, it's another thing to tell somebody in your church parking lot, I'll take the yard sign, put up a Romney/Ryan yard sign, give me a list for the phone banks... give me the list of the swing voters in my neighborhood. I'll go knock on doors," he said. "That is the importance."