Joe Scarborough Shows Yet Again Why He Could Be President Someday
One month ago I wrote a piece about how MSNBC's Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough could very well be the GOP nominee for president in 2012 if he played his cards right. Well, Joe's hand was full of aces Friday as he penned "Thank You Mr. President," his penetrating, highly rational Huffington Post blog harshly criticizing both Democrats and Republicans for the partisan viciousness that's raging out of control in Washington, while at the same time praising President Obama for his attempt to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago. There should be no doubt left in anyone's mind that Scarborough is angling for the Oval Office chair. And he just might make me look like a genius if he keeps this up.
While right-wing talking heads lined up to attack Obama and cheer his and the nation's Olympic loss, Scarborough was downright effusive in his praise:
Count me as one conservative who is disappointed that President Obama's hometown will not be hosting the 2016 Olympic Games. ... The President was right to fly to Copenhagen to try to land the games, not for the sake of his city, but for the good of his country. The fact President Obama failed makes me respect him more for taking the chance, and the fact many right-wing figures opposed the President's mission shows just how narrow-minded partisanship makes us all.
Scarborough then went on to offer a scathing critique of the intense partisanship that's paralyzed lawmakers:
For the better part of 20 years, a bitterness has infected our politics that has weakened our country. We Republicans spent eight years trying to delegitimize Bill Clinton. Democrats spent the next eight years doing the same to George W. Bush. Now that a Democrat is in the Oval Office again, it is the GOP who is trying to delegitimize a sitting president. ...
Fortunately, there are a growing number of Americans who believe we cannot continue going on this way. ... Something has gone terribly wrong. ... Some of the rhetoric is dangerous. But what we saw from some conservative corners regarding the President's failed Olympics bid was just plain stupid. ... Put me down as one conservative who is glad my president flew across the ocean to try to bring the 2016 Games to America.
Ya gotta hand it to Joe. Whether he's just posturing here or if he's genuinely as fed up with all the reprehensible partisan bickering as the rest of us, it truly doesn't matter. He wins regardless, just by showing tremendous objectivity and class when most Republicans these days are frothing at the mouth to take Obama down at every turn. He's showing a discipline and civility in a town that sorely needs it. Perhaps Scarborough might just be the guy to bring a different GOP tone to the next election, and help change the entire political landscape in the process. This is one Democrat who's certainly rooting for him to succeed.
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
See Matt Blumenthal's piece on Huffington Post regarding Joe the Wannabe. The video shows Matt giving Joe a beat down.
You know if you criticize Scarborough, he will block you on Twitter? How in the Hell would he ever be able to take the challenges of the Presidency? Especially after Obama. What world leader will give Scarborough any kudos? Far as they are concerned, all Republicans are George Bush. We all know how well that jaunt went.
If executives of General Motors were chastised--and subsequently fired--for not taking commercial flights (or driving) to Washington for their attempt to bring the bacon back home, why doesn't Joe chastise Obama for taking the obscenely expensive Air Force One to Copenhagen? After all, the United States is in far deeper debt than GM ever was.
Andy i like Joe too.I like his show ...he is very bipartisan and stands for the people ...
He is honest and dosn't care to call someone out when they get to far out there with all the crazy stuff.
Joe is a "no go". He's too narrow-minded and he certainly hasn't seem to take Mika's interests with sincerity.
Jus' sayin'
No one had to 'try' to "delegitimize " President Bush. The American voters actually did that. Scarborough is an inane drone.
"Whether he's just posturing here or if he's genuinely as fed up with all the reprehensible partisan bickering as the rest of us, it truly doesn't matter."
To the author, perhaps.
Note that Scarborough draws no distinction between the counterfeit, faux-moralizing GOP assault on Clinton (that all but substituted for the duties of Congress during a good portion of his presidency), the shameless, over-the-top and hate-laced attacks on the "legitimacy" of Obama (who, unlike his predecessor, unmistakably WON his election).
... and the fact-based -- if sometimes intemperate -- condemnation of a president who trampled the Constitution, launched two illegitimate invasions that have cost countless hundreds of thousands of lives and unleashed a well-documented horde of malevolent PNAC ideologues and religious extremists upon the very fabric of government.
Scarborough is about as worthy of consideration for the White House as Sarah Palin. The only difference between them is that he's been pandering for the right wing much longer than she, and we must suffer him daily -- along with his little group of sycophantic enablers -- from the platform of a broadcast organization that should know better.
Regarding the referenced Scarborough's article on HuffPost, I responded with the following:
"While I can appreciate your sentiments Joe, I'm not convinced that you're not still one of them. I still believe that your recent comments and actions to paint yourself as a moderate republican are a show to set yourself up as the GOP candidate for 2012. But you were anything but a moderate when you were a member of Congress. And should you return to power, I don't think for a second you would try and govern from the center as Obama is trying to do, and seeming failing miserably at it."
I've been posting for some time now that Scarborough is positioning himself to run for pres in 2012 by positioning himself as a moderate and everytime I do, there are some who contend that it'll never happen. Just wait and see. MSNBC continues to provide him a platform of 15 hours a week to run to president as a proposed moderate in 2012. But his record while in Congress was anything but and should he get elected by syphoning off the Independents and moderate voters from the rethuglican party, he will quickly return to his previously established 'conservative' voting record roots.
Exactly, thank you.
If he runs, perhaps he can debate Rache l Maddow too. Oh no, wait....
Rachel Maddow wouldn't last 2 seconds.
GOP strategist Michael Murphy made Maddow look like a toddler yesterday on Meet The Press.
Fascinating, the things one believes he sees once surrendered to delusion.
Selective memory perhaps?
Obama = Carter2.0
Carter? You mean the guy who told us that if we kept doing what we were doing that we'd end up with a giant mess like we have right now? The guy we ignored? The guy who was right? That Carter? Cause, if Obama is that Carter, I hope this generation is smarter then the last and actually changes instead of hiring an actor to smile and tell us that everything is A-OK!!
Obama = Bush Lite
... except for the IQ, the grasp of the English language and the policies.
I'm sure the world is intriguing, seen through the wrong end of the telescope, but it wreaks havoc on your perspective.
NOTE: I meant "open to new ideas"...S
Joe's a RINO. He'll never get enough votes from the base to secure the nomination. Too bad.
Whoa....le
We have all been so appalled by the behavior and utterances of Republicraps we are deperately looking for one of them to be sane. However, sanity is just one of the prerequisites for that office. The candidate must be above average in intelligence, not inclined toward knee-jerk reactions and not open to new ideas which presupposes the ability to listen to others. Joe interrupts people too much, shows too many flares of temper and appears to be unschooled in too many areas. In short, a normal, okay guy, but not presidential caliber.
With any luck, the Republicans have a few people left, who have not been drummed out of the party by the vituperative, reactionary cadre of crazies, who will stand up and encourage rational thought and polite discourse based on a firm grasp of the issues and a healthy respect for the people who elected them. Wouldn't that be a refreshing change?
John McCain was reasonably sane (how he got on the ticket still shocks me). I was very comfortable with the entire field, actually, of Hillary, Barack, and John, until Hillary came up JUUUUUST short and McCain chose that Palin creature for a running mate.
"Sane Republicans/Insane Republicraps" is too stereotypying. And I think that's one of the author's crticisms -- to include you.
And just BTW -- wouldn't it have been really really nice if W "showed too many flares of temper" in our Katrina/Rita/Ike responses??? It might have actually even gotten some things done, instead of the hopeless paralysis that emerged.
Whoa....le
We have all been so appalled by the behavior and utterances of Republicraps we are deperately looking for one of them to be sane. However, sanity is just one of the prerequisites for that office. The candidate must be above average in intelligence, not inclined toward knee-jerk reactions and open to new ideas which presupposes the ability to listen to others. Joe interrupts people too much, shows too many flares of temper and appears to be unschooled in too many areas. In short, a normal, okay guy, but not presidential caliber.
With any luck, the Republicans have a few people left, who have not been drummed out of the party by the vituperative, reactionary cadre of crazies, who will stand up and encourage rational thought and polite discourse based on a firm grasp of the issues and a healthy respect for the people who elected them. Wouldn't that be a refreshing change?
Joe Scarborough is the only Republican I'd ever vote for as POTUS.
me too!
Did you vote for McCain last year when Hillary lost?
No -- and Sarah Palin made the choice a very easy one.
Perhaps you need to re-read the original post?
"Joe Scarborough is the only Republican I'd ever vote for as POTUS."
the you are obviously NOT a LGBT American citizen...
So, along with Jimmygee that gives Joe....Two votes.
Right.
FWIW
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
