Was Ed Schultz Slamming 'No Labels' Group - or Joe Scarborough?

December 21st, 2010 9:39 PM

Sounded to me like Scarborough was the actual target. Perhaps you'll agree.

Here's the easily angered Ed Schultz on his radio show yesterday, lashing out at the so-called "No Labels" organization whose most prominent members include fellow MSNBC pundit and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough (audio here) --

By the way, I've gotta spend some time, I'm gonna try to do this on the tube as well, spend some time talking about these people who just want to get along. I don't know, what's the name of this group that's out there? You know, the middle of the roaders or the fence riders, I don't know what that, the centrists or whatever. You know what this is? This is some political hacks out there trying to reinvent themselves. By the way, what is the middle of the road position on don't ask, don't tell? What's the middle of the road position on whether Republicans want to get rid of Social Security or not? How about Afghanistan, where's your middle of the road position on that, are we in or we out, what are we doing? I mean, oh, the No Labels! You see, they're so insignificant I can't even remember who they are, but they're gonna, they're gonna get a lot of media attention because there are some media folks out there who have locked onto this, as if they're holier than thou and they know so much more than everybody else!

More of the same from Schultz during Monday's radio show (audio) --

You know, it's easy for somebody who's got a bankroll, who's got enough money to choke a corral of horses, to sit there and say, hey, we gotta get along. Let me tell you something. It infuriates me. This country was founded on people who believed in principle. No middle of the roader advanced anything in this country. Nothing! It was people who believed that there was a certain direction that this country had to take if it was going to survive. You know, no middle of the roaders passed civil rights legislation! No middle of the roader won any war! No middle of the roader did anything for public education! And I think, it's almost as if these folks are trying to advance their own agenda with visibility, that they come up and say, well, we just have to get along. I can't get along with Jon Kyl. And I'm not going to act like I have to be ashamed for saying that. You do not see Republican senators on "The Ed Show" on MSNBC. I don't want 'em! I don't want 'em and I'm getting sick of righties on my show anyway! I'm getting sick, we might have 2011, there might not be any freakin' righties, I'm sick of 'em!

The aversion is assuredly mutual and appears shared by someone Schultz presumably counts as an ally -- AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka (audio) --

If you'll check, the labor leaders had lunch with the president on Friday. Some of 'em didn't even show up. Richard Trumka, who apparently won't talk to me, we've requested him on this show, we've requested him on the TV show, he's, no, he don't want to face me for some, either that or he doesn't like me. The president of the AFL-CIO is always conveniently busy when we request him for "The Ed Show." Why? Because I'm gonna stir it up on labor! I'm gonna ask him, where do you stand now?!