"Let it begin with me." Those were words of Joe Scarborough used Friday morning, as he took up the challenge of living in accordance with qualities, as described by Andrew Sullivan, that marked Queen Elizabeth's life.
Chief among those qualities: restraint, grace, and reticence. None of which, we've documented from Scarborough over the years. In fairness, Scarborough's bombast is typical of our media age.
As liberal presidential historian Jon Meacham put it:
"The dominant feature of our culture now is that we have the means to express opinions constantly without having opinions worth expressing constantly."
Hearing those words made me wonder whether Meacham was to some degree aiming them at Scarborough.
So if Scarborough, and all of us, can take Queen Elizabeth's example to heart, and try to live with greater restraint and dignity, that perhaps will be her greatest legacy.
On Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough, saying "let it begin with me," accepting the challenge to emulate Queen Elizabeth's qualities, as described by Andrew Sullivan, of restraint and grace, was sponsored in part by Subway, Flonase, Farmers, and 4Imprint.
Here's the transcript.
MSNBC's Morning Joe
9/9 /22
6:13 am EDTJON MEACHAM: The dominant feature of our culture now is that we have the means to express opinions constantly without having opinions worth expressing constantly. You know, that's the tension that defines contemporary life. And in that sense, Elizabeth II is the embodiment of a counterculture. She was restrained. She was dignified.
WILLIE GEIST: Andrew Sullivan, the great writer and thinker, tweeted this yesterday: "I'm trying to write a column and I find myself in tears. I fear that everything she exemplified -- restraint, duty, grace reticence, persistence, are disappearing from this world."
. . .
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Andrew Sullivan's words, dignity, grace, fortitude, it seems as she went into old age, those attributes stood out even more as society seems to lose them.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: There's no doubt about it. Andrew Sullivan, when I read what Andrew Sullivan wrote, I mean, it just serves as a great, a great challenge. I mean, let it begin with me. It's, it's just the case that she was able to hold back and show restraint.