Posts Tagged ‘joe scarborough’

I’m very hard on Joe Scarborough mostly because I like him (I’m always harder on people I like because I expect more from them) but today he said something that is incredibly important.

He was going on about the hypocrisy of both right and left on deficits and said this:

“There are a couple of tea partiers who care about this (the deficit) Rand Paul and Jim DeMint,that’s it!”

Although Joe likely doesn’t know Porkbusters he has a point. The Tea Party crowd doesn’t actually trust the republicans. I could not find a single person in the crowd at the Washington Freedom Works rally who would say they trusted republicans.

A lot of the newly elected republicans in congress got little or no help from the national GOP. This was due to several factors, they were not professional pols, the party didn’t expect them to win, but also because they are committed controlling spending.

Trent Lott gave the game away in July:

the last thing Lott needs is a bunch of unwashed, Tea-Partying right-wingers coming to Washington on a wave of anti-establishment, free-market populism, and messing up the good thing he has going.

“We don’t need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples,” Lott told the Washington Post, referring to the conservative South Carolina senator who has been a gadfly for party leadership and a champion for upstart conservative candidates. “As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them.”

But Lott is no longer in the Republican leadership — he resigned from the Senate in December 2007, mid-term, just before a law kicked in that would have required him to wait two years before lobbying the Senate. So who is he talking about when he says “we need to co-opt them”?

“We” means the K Street wing of the Republican Party.

There are an awful lot of republicans who are more interested in chairmanships and favors than controlling spending and lowering taxes (and yes they are connected). That group needs to keep the good will of the Tea Party voters who brought them over the top for now so they will play ball, but if they get the chance they will try to turn the newly elected reps.

This is going to be the fight that will dominate Washington over the next 2 years and will determine the party and the country’s future longterm and will actually have a lot to do with both the presidential elections in 2012 and if we have a tea party 3rd party in 2014.

If Morning Joe follows this story, they will have a jump on the rest of the MSM.

I was born during the Administration of JFK and raised in a Very Catholic Democratic house. My Father was a WW 2 navy vet. We were democrats and that was it.

As I got older I was fascinated by the past and started collecting history books figuring the best way to understand the past is to hear what the people who actually lived there thought. I’d pick the brains of anyone older than me about how life actually was. By 23 I owned small Hobby shop and got a crash course in the realities of business.

By 1992 my business had failed and a presidential election was coming up. I found Paul Tsongas an honest fellow who was unwilling to pander and I found Bill Clinton someone fun, but considered him a BS artist. (It was not until I saw him speak in person this year that I saw just how convincing he can be when simply shoveling nonsense).

When the party went with Clinton I became “unenrolled” (we don’t have independents in Mass because there was an “independent” party). I voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 as I was very worried about Ross Perot.

By 1996 I had more than enough of Clinton and happily voted for Dole, but with the help once again of Ross Perot Clinton became the only president to win two elections without ever winning the majority of the popular vote. UPDATE: Actually Grover Cleveland and Woodrow Wilson also share this distinction, good catch in comments.

In 2000 I desperately wanted George W. Bush and thought the attempts by democrats to steal the election AND disenfranchise Military votes were horrifying. Combined with Democrats deciding that believing Catholics were sexist, bigots, homophobes for opposing abortion and Gay Marriage I had enough.

By 2002 I was a registered republican, when asked why I answered: “I decided it was time to join the side I’m on.”

Which brings me to Joe Scarborough.

Over the last two years we have seen him move farther and farther to the left, suggesting that conservatives give up the fight on social issues, advising us to change in order to win in New England and NY, attacking the war in Afghanistan, Sarah Palin and dismissing the tea party while boosting stuff like the Jon Stewart Rally.

Now this week it has been just every day “Why is Obama caving” “Tax Cuts for the rich” blah blah blah. Not a word about the fact the democrats have not fixed the Alternate Minimum tax that will hit Americans who make $60,000 a year in January (in fairness to Joe the only show that mentioned this subject that I’ve heard was mine).

Now he is writing for Politico. Last week it was hitting Palin, this week it was hitting Obama for keeping the tax rates.

After all, the White House is convinced that the toxic combination of the Republican landslide and another grim jobs report has left Obama in an impossible position to negotiate. emphasis mine

Yup there is nothing more toxic than a republican landslide (oddly on the show it was all about republican failure) and yet four paragraphs later:

Americans don’t favor the Republican position on tax cuts.

Yup who needs an election to judge what people think when we have a CBS poll to tell us people don’t support republicans.

So we have Republican Joe Scarborough in two columns attacking Sarah Palin for fighting the democratic agenda and attacking Obama for not fighting republicans.

Bill Bennett today on Morning Joe mentioned how liberal he has gotten, on twitter on wag quipped:

It’s like working in a bakery, ya come home smelling of donuts even if ya didn’t eat any.

Bottom line is the Tea Party limited government wing of the party is taking over and Joe is apparently firmly in the Washington Beltway get along go along wing.

My advice: Joe, take a step back and think about what you actually believe. Sooner or later you have to join the side you are on.

Instalanche: Nothing like an Instalanche in your sleep. Welcome all. If you’ve missed my NEW radio show the Da Archive is to the left. Our guest this week will be Pam Geller of Atlas Shrugs and special guest Bob Belvedere of Camp of the Saints. Join us at our special time 5 p.m (due to UMass Basketball) on AM 830 WCRN 50,000 watts of true talk. (live stream at link) Oh and if you are a fan of Glenn you might want to keep the evening of Saturday January 15th open. And if you are interested in advertising and/or reserving space for February when we add a 2nd hour click here for rates

Update: Boy Kcom had a point in comments. Re-read the post and made minor corrections, I need to read these aloud before I hit post otherwise I tend to see what I’m thinking other than what I’ve actually written.

…and I think your morning show with the handsome and bright Mika, and the pleasant team of Willie Geist and my brother from the kingdom Mike Barnicle is the best morning show on TV.

But I think you are misrepresenting Sarah Palin, if you don’t know better you should.

Now that my modem has been replaced I’ve had the chance to look at your column in politico and frankly it’s worse than what I thought it would be.

Your claim that Sarah Palin mocked Ronald Reagan’s credentials is blatantly false (she actually noted that liberals were constantly mocking Reagan, you know liberals, those are the guys lionizing your column today).

As for noting the Bush family were blue bloods, that’s actually true, they come from a long line of Blue bloods although W has more of Texas in him. She did not comment on the Bushes until Mrs. Bush choose to comment first. Again the great love of the left for George Bush and the celebration of his flying days in WW II you might remember were not high on the liberal list of things to talk about in his days. Liberals mocked him as a wimp mercilessly once; yet now that he is not a political liability to them, they safely complement him.

Furthermore frankly Palin has succeeded and I want to put this as politely as I can, beyond your wildest dreams. Your critique of her ability to make money sounds a lot like sour grapes (how’s that ranking for Last Best Hope on Amazon doing?). You know and I know and anyone who follows this stuff knows that you hit Palin because it produces ratings for you. It produces attention for you, she however continues to ignore MSNBC in general because frankly she is smart enough to know what is going on and knows enough not to punch downwards.

Be honest; how many people would have cared about your piece if it was a critique of Mitt Romney?

As for political advice that you gave to republicans in general and Palin in particular this year, it was great advice…if your goal was to cement the democratic hold on congress. You preached compromise and a move to the left. Palin however along with Rush Limbaugh choose to stand and fight, and through 2009 fought nearly alone. Without that willingness throughout 2009 there is no huge republican majority in the House this year. She held the line while you counseled retreat, that’s what a leader does.

As for 2010 does it no occur to you that many of those gutless republicans unwilling to say on the air what you state they say privately are working as surrogates for other Republican candidates seeking the nomination but afraid of offending Palin’s supporters? Their job is to play stalking horse and you are happily obliging. Never once have I heard you bring up that fact. Granted I am off taking my son to school for at least 30 min each morning so I may have missed something but I think not.

BTW remember all last year when you kept calling Palin a liar over the “death panel” remark. Now that Paul Krugman is now talking about “Death Panels” openly any comment?

Hate to say it Joe but when it comes to Sarah Palin you are very near a case of Sullivan’s Syndrome without the OBGYN fascination. The Blog Eye of Polyphemus may have it right:

So what can we conclude from Scarborough’s rant? Palin’s playing the political game under modern rules and playing it well, but she is not playing it the Inside the Beltway. Method Does comparing herself to Reagan, or criticizing the Bushes damage her credibility among the rank and file voters? Is she really an embarrassment because of her media exploits? Considering the zeitgeist , I cannot imagine so. Maybe to the political dinosaurs. That, I think, is the root of Scarborough’s problem. Reality is changing for the old guard. If Palin is successful, they become extinct. That is scarborough’s real problem. He is not afraid a nominated Palin will lose in 2012. He is really scared she will win.

I’m sure we’ll touch on your quaint little piece this week on DaTechGuy on DaRadio (Sunday 5 p.m. due to UMass Basketball). I am not a professional writer like Robert Stacy McCain so I won’t comment on Ghost Writing or no (UPDATE: Stacy Backed away from that), but I agree with this line:

“To all you people who want to send me e-mails: Don’t waste your time. I’m not going to read it.”

In other words: “My mind’s made up. Don’t try to confuse me with your so-called ‘facts.’” An attitude we might call . . . uh, anti-intellectual.

I would be more worried about this: You have Charles Johnson on your side, Sarah Palin has Robert Stacy McCain, I’m sorry but you lose BIG.

…those are the words of Rush Limbaugh and they describe Sarah Palin to a T:

ITEM: Andrew Sullivan continues to exhibit the signs of Advanced Sullivan’s Syndrome whenever Sarah Palin comes up

What you see here is the chart of the Real Clear Politics poll average for the 2008 presidential campaign, showing that by Sept. 8, the McCain-Palin ticket was leading by 2.9 points — with the RCP average for the Republican ticket (48.3) on that date being the highest poll showing of McCain vs. Obama at any point during the entire campaign, even before either candidate had won his party’s nomination.

When Sarah Palin’s name was announced as the GOP vice-presidential candidate on Sept. 29, Andrew Sullivan saw what everyone saw: Here was a potential game-changer.

I remember that numbers game, the democrats were in dead panic, and in my opinion still are.

Item: People are getting violent

The general consensus is that Cowan was a leftist suffering from a particularly bad case of Palin Derangement Syndrome (via memeorandum). The story really doesn’t bear that out, though. I mean, he could have gotten just as enraged had be seen any spoiled politician’s daughter who had wrangled her way into a position that she would never have earned save for her last name.

That’s not to say that Bristol Palin is one of those bratty daughters (let the record reflect that I don’t believe she is), but given the general disposition of politicians’ daughters, you can forgive him just a little for thinking she is. It’s not as if the media has made any real effort to show her otherwise.

Item: Adults are obsessing with a teen girls facebook

“Willow Palin is a 16 year old girl who, like all 16 year olds is going to make mistakes and say things she shouldn’t have. This, however, has nothing to do with Willow Palin or the substance of what she said on Facebook. The ‘slur’ used here is one you could hear on the streets of West Hollywood or Chelsea every day of the week. Apparently, it’s only a ‘homophobic slur’ when it comes from the daughter of a conservative female leader. Make no mistake; this is all about destroying Sarah Palin by any means necessary.

“The angry misogynistic left and their accomplices in the main stream media have been unable to take down Governor Palin – no matter how hard they have tried. Unable to take her down directly they now have decided to try to hurt her by attacking the most important thing in her life – her family.

“Any person, gay or straight, who participates in this cheap political smear should be ashamed of themselves.”

Meanwhile Bristol Palin shows more class than those who wish to judge her:

Willow and I shouldn’t have reacted to negative comments about our family. We apologize. On a nicer note, thank you for supporting the great competition in Dancing with the Stars!

And those having no daughters of her own the Lonely Conservative (our guest next week!) asks the relevant question

Lefties are in a tizzy because of some things the Palin girls wrote on their facebook pages. Who, but the deranged, spends time reading teenagers’ facebook postings?

It’s a pretty good question, what would advocates on the left say if it was the facebook of one of the Obama girls?

Item: Panic over a dancing show

“This will be a disaster for the show if Bristol wins,” one TV insider tells me. “Any creditability the show had will be over. It will go from being a dancing competition to a popularity competition where whoever has the most rabid fan base will always win no matter how little talent they have.”

And while it’s true Bristol’s dancing has dramatically improved since the season began, no one with working eyes would put her in the same league as the other remaining stars, Jennifer Grey and Kyle Massey.

Excuse me “Dancing with the Stars” has credibility? It’s a dancing show that has the public voting on who stays or goes, just like American Idol. What kind of credibility do you think it had? Allah Pundit puts it well:

Is there any better proof of how stupid the hyperventilating over Bristol and “Dancing With the Stars” has been than “The Daily Show” feeling obliged to open the program with a defense of the Palins? Even if it is basically just a lead-in to a segment goofing on her new show? This is like flipping over to Maddow’s program and being greeted with the segment, “Maybe we’re being too hard on Jim DeMint.”

Full disclosure. I don’t watch Dancing with the Stars, I have no interesting in Dancing with the Stars, I never will have any interest in Dancing with the stars and I don’t care who wins or doesn’t win, but it is fun to watch the the left go Kryten over this.

Item: Sour grapes

JOE SCARBOROUGH: She’s not going to run. It’s The Art of War. The reason she’s saying this is cause she knows she can’t win. She knows she’s got to keep her name out in the press. She knows her poll numbers are dropping. She knows that she was humiliated in her home state of Alaska. She knows that Christine O’Donnell did not work out well. And so–I hate to say it–it’s about money.

And so, this keeps things ginned up. Because if she wasn’t saying this right now, people would be writing her Dany Quayle political obituary. So, she’s going to stir it up, and get people talking about to get in the mix. Now listen: you can hate me at home if you want to, and Mom, go ahead and write me the email, call me a Marxist. It’s the reality; it’s what’s happening. And it is so patently obvious I’m surprised more people haven’t picked up on it.

Joe I like you a lot, and if my show gets that 2nd hour sometime next year I’d love to have you with or without Mika on but if you think that Sarah Palin has been “humiliated” in the last election and call that reality then you need to have somebody cut the mind altering drugs you are being fed a bit more. Or is it just in the contract of all MSNBC conservatives not named Buchanan that they must dis Sarah Palin to preserve the Niche Market of the MSNBC Brand?

Oh and lets face it it’s you lot that hit depend on Sarah Palin for money, every time you hit her, or put her on the air, or whatever your ratings soar. That’s why you are upset she is not on your show, not because she is a coward, but because she isn’t bothering to punch downwards.

Item: People are getting upset over typos

From a strictly lexical interpretation of the different contexts in which Palin has used “refudiate,” we have concluded that neither “refute” nor “repudiate” seems consistently precise, and that “refudiate” more or less stands on its own, suggesting a general sense of “reject.”

Lawrence O’Donnell got wee-wee’d up with the decision, and lashed out against the dictionary for allowing Sarah Palin to ruin the English language, or something. He is also annoyed that for a woman, who he claims will not run for president, gets this much attention. Then why talk about her if she is so irrelevant?

Whatever you might think about Lawrence O’Donnell he is a smart political operator. He doesn’t waste his time on targets that don’t threaten his admitted socialist agenda.

Item: And here comes the old Bush Gravitas question:

The article by Robert Draper was much more fascinating as a snapshot of where the New York Times is at this moment regarding the former Alaska governor.

Now we can take it as a given that the powers that be on 44th Street would prefer China’s Hu Jintao — possibly even Hugo Chavez or Ahmadinejad — for U.S. president to Sarah Palin. Nevertheless, they have a problem. Is it better to tear down Palin unmercifully now, as was done by most of the MSM earlier, or to give her a pass for the time being, so that she might actually get nominated to be branded later, when it counts, as a dangerous extremist, not to mention an illiterate moron?

As Simon continues the whole book question comes up as the Times

I explained to Palin that in my view, at least, this line of inquiry wasn’t gratuitous — that questions did in fact linger about her “gravitas gap.”

Questions linger… Ah, poor Sarah. So insecure about her intellect. Ah, the “gravitas gap.” What we are we to do?

Let’s leave aside the snide quality of the writing (his and mine), the absurdity that Katie Couric could be the arbitrator of anything intellectual, and even that Draper is simply rehearsing the tired nostrum that Democrats are more educated than Babbit-like Republicans (when the Times itself finally admitted than Bush had better grades than Kerry at Yale) and ask something simple and important that rarely gets asked: What the Hell difference does this make anyway?

Katie Couric would be the laughing-stock of the media for managing to Sink a ship already at the bottom at CBS, but she helped stop the Palin when the one needed it so she will remain in the pantheon of heroes of the MSM and the 44th street crowd.

Item Spencer Baucus the voice of the GOP:

Alabama Rep. Spencer Bachus (R) told members of the South Shelby Chamber of Commerce that former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was probably the reason for the GOP’s failure to take control in the U.S. Senate in last week’s election.

“The Senate would be Republican today except for states (in which Palin endorsed candidates) like Christine O’Donnell in Delaware,” Bachus said. “Sarah Palin cost us control of the Senate.”

Tell me how much favorable coverage Spencer Bachus has gotten in the MSM before that comment? anyone Bueller? Bueller?

Every republican challenger will be using back benchers like Spencer like this over the next year to hit Palin because they don’t dare attack her openly and risk losing support of those of us who support her. And the media will lap it up.

Let’s bottom line this: Sarah Palin is the person liberals most fear, because of what she means culturally, she makes a lie out of truths they have convinced themselves of for years.

Sarah Palin is also the person the republican establishment fear the most because she means it when she says about change and that threatens their personal prerogatives.

It will not be a boring year.