Morning Joe

Margaret Carlson: Maybe Potential Terrorists Will Americanize and Not Carry Out Plots
By Mark Finkelstein | November 18, 2015 | 9:29 AM EST

There's been a lot of arrant nonsense spoken since the Paris attacks, but Margaret Carlson's might just take the cake . . . 

On today's Morning Joe, Bloomberg columnist Carlson suggested that because the US is better than Europe at assimilation, potential terrorists sneaking into our country might not carry out their plots. Said Carlson: "maybe they become Americanized, maybe the anger goes away. Maybe what they snuck in to do they're not going to do because we do have an acceptance of these people." Great point, Margaret.  If only we'd had a little longer to hug it out with the 9/11 terrorists.

Halperin: Kerry 'Tired' When Speaking of 'Legitimacy' of Charlie Hebdo Attack
By Mark Finkelstein | November 18, 2015 | 7:09 AM EST

Suggestion for John Kerry: if traveling makes you so tired that you say things undermining the war against radical Islamic terrorism, do us all a favor—stay home on Nantucket and conduct your diplomacy by Skype . . . 

On today's Morning Joe, here's how Mark Halperin explained Kerry's despicable statement about the "legitimacy" and "rationale" of the Charlie Hebdo attacks: "Secretary Kerry has a history when he's tired in particular after he hurtles around the world of speaking imprecisely." Was Kerry speaking "imprecisely"—or did he let the truth slip of precisely how he and President Obama really feel?

Mika Brzezinski: There Is Vetting Despite No Records to Verify
By Michael McKinney | November 17, 2015 | 1:56 PM EST

Morning Joe featured on Tuesday, an interview with Congressman Peter King. Early into the segment, Mika Brzezinski began a war of words with Congressman King. After Brzezinski introduced the topic, King stated, “I'm extremely concerned because what the President is telling us is not true.” Brzezinski interrupted the Congressman, saying that “there is vetting,” and arguing that he was wrong. What followed was a tense segment where the Morning Joe crew questioned King on his statements and his argument’s credibility.

Mika Attacks ‘Hateful’ ‘Stupid’ GOP Governors for Questioning Syrian Refugees
By Jeffrey Meyer | November 17, 2015 | 10:06 AM EST

On Tuesday’s Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski went off on a number of governors who have vocally expressed their opposition to allowing Syrian refugees into their state without a proper vetting process, calling their views “hateful” and “stupid.”

Barnicle Frets Creating NATO Force Would Fuel ISIS Recruitment
By Mark Finkelstein | November 17, 2015 | 7:58 AM EST

If Mike Barnicle were around at the beginning of WWII, perhaps he would have written "we better not fight back. It might make Hitler mad."     

On today's Morning Joe, the cringing former Boston Globe columnist, second-guessing a united front against terrorism, worried "wouldn't . . . creating a NATO force just add fuel to the recruiting fever that ISIS employs within Europe?" Maybe Mike should start referring to ISIS as Borg. After all, he apparently believes that resistance is futile.

Morning Joe Sees the President Disengaged Against ISIS
By Michael McKinney | November 16, 2015 | 12:17 PM EST

Monday’s Morning Joe began with an evaluation of the actions of the White House prior to and after the attack on Paris Friday night. Joe Scarborough began by demanding to know if the roundtable thought the President actually looked involved and engaged in understanding “the level of threat.” When Mike Barnicle tried to claim the President “looks fully engaged,” Scarborough felt it necessary to confront him on it.

‘Morning Joe’ Mocks Dems Refusal to Say ‘Radical Islam’
By Jeffrey Meyer | November 16, 2015 | 10:09 AM EST

On Monday, the panel on MSNBC’s Morning Joe repeatedly mocked the three Democratic presidential candidates over their refusal to use the term “radical Islam” following last Friday’s terrorist attack in Paris. After playing a clip from Saturday night’s Democratic presidential debate, co-host Joe Scarborough appeared shocked at their answers and proclaimed “How stupid do they think we are?"

Former CIA Director Hayden Stuns Mika With Praise of Carson's Foreign Policy Approach
By Mark Finkelstein | November 13, 2015 | 7:57 AM EST

"Wow . . . I'm absolutely surprised by that answer . . .  Are you sure? . . . Are we talking about the same person?" That was Mika Brzezinski's stunned response after her attempt to recruit retired General and former CIA Director Michael Hayden into her campaign against Ben Carson blew up in her face on today's Morning Joe. 

Referring to Carson, Mika asked Hayden "are you concerned that there's a front runner whose foreign policy sensibilities seem to lack, to say the least?" But instead of playing along with Mika's leading question, Hayden replied that, based on a long conversation he had had with Carson, all of his foreign policy instincts are "right." He said Carson asked "good questions" and is a "well-meaning, serious, bright man."

'Morning Joe' Questions Jerry Brown: 'Right to Die,' But Not 'Right to Try'?
By Michael McKinney | November 12, 2015 | 12:49 PM EST

Thursday at the end of Morning Joe, the roundtable invited Darcy Olsen of the free-market think tank. the Goldwater Institute. to discuss Gov. Jerry Brown's veto of “Right to Try” legislation in California. The discussion centered on the book “The Right to Try” and the legislation surrounding the effort. Mika Brzezinski began by inquiring of Olsen "why is it so hard? What gets in the way?"

Halperin Agrees: MSM Double-Standard on Hillary Laughing at Idea of Fiorina Being Strangled
By Mark Finkelstein | November 12, 2015 | 9:26 AM EST

Hillary Clinton found the notion of Carly Fiorina being strangled a laughing matter. But on today's Morning Joe, Mark Halperin acknowledged that Fiorina is "exactly right" when she suggested that if a conservative candidate had laughed in similar circumstances, the liberal media would be all over it. "I don't think there's any ambiguity about that," added Halperin.  

No doubt. Can you imagine the media/Dem outcry if a Republican presidential candidate had laughed at a similar suggestion about Hillary? "We interrupt regular programming for Breaking News on the GOP War on Women: Laughing at Murder!"

Mika: Ben Carson 'Doesn't Sound Completely Connected With Everything'
By Mark Finkelstein | November 12, 2015 | 7:32 AM EST

Did Mika Brzezinski just suggest that Ben Carson has a screw loose? On today's Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski said of Carson "I want to be very careful with my words, but he just doesn't sound completely connected with everything."

Judging from her halting cadence,  Mika clearly seemed to realize that she was treading on some very controversial mental-health ground. The lead-in to her "connected" comment was her observation "he tried to kill his mother for God's sake!  . . . we have been listening to this man talk in a flat monotone tone about taking a hammer to his mother's head."

MSNBC Still Much Softer on Trump's Deportations Than Carson's Veracity
By Michael McKinney | November 11, 2015 | 4:49 PM EST

Veteran MSNBC watchers have surely noticed the Obama-loving network's extreme hostility to black Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson. These attacks and the pressure against Carson, compared to other Republicans in the race, has been intense. As a black conservative, Dr. Carson has taken extreme criticism and scrutiny for his words.