Morning Joe: All Episodes Talk

[Kemper]

I have been so "worked up" these last couple of weeks..that I knew I needed a bit of a break.  Mr. Kemper thought I needed one, too; he said I was starting to scare him. I was getting my day started with MJ...actually looking forward to it when I got up.  The rest of the day I would go in and out of MSNBC and CNN; when I wasn't out and about.  Then I realized that listening to Joe's self-serving rants was bad for my mental health.  It is never anything new..just the same Trump bashing...mostly with the same hostages/guests.  

So, I took a break from daytime cable news viewing; usually tuned back in for Nicole Wallace; then maybe Ari Melbar.  Been watching the Olympics.  I kept up with MJ with this board.  I tuned in this morning and realized that I hadn't missed much of anything...the lovebirds are always the same...the giggling "embarrassment" when Joe gets mushy..Trump and his minions are evil..sexual harassment is the current bash and rant.  The self-importance of Joe and Meek-a...gigs to play..pics and tweets to share..being at the right places.  

I'm hoping that the two of them, along with Chris Matthews finally wear out their welcome at MSNBC.  When there is a stable of fresh hosts/reporters/talent waiting in the wings, I wonder when the network will get the guts to pull the plug.  It pains me to say this because I am retired and it is usually sad when there is a changing of the guard.  But the talent on MSNBC seems to be deep..I am hoping they don't get snapped up by other networks.  CNN's loss of Ali Velshi was MSNBC's gain.  Just look at the "bench"...KC/DC (sorry), Callie (can't remember her last name), Joy Reid, Steve Kornacki, Katie Tur (please, let her replace Chuck Todd), Stephanie Ruhle, and lots of others.  I think Andrea Mitchell is untouchable...but at least she has paid her dues and manages to stay professional during the hijinks of the Gold Dust Twins.  They could even bring in other talent..or let their guests have longer segments.  Real conversations.  It could still be fresh and funny.  But it would be about the guests and reporters...not all about the hosts.

[cased]

1 hour ago, Kemper said:

I have been so "worked up" these last couple of weeks..that I knew I needed a bit of a break.  Mr. Kemper thought I needed one, too; he said I was starting to scare him. I was getting my day started with MJ...actually looking forward to it when I got up.  The rest of the day I would go in and out of MSNBC and CNN; when I wasn't out and about.  Then I realized that listening to Joe's self-serving rants was bad for my mental health.  It is never anything new..just the same Trump bashing...mostly with the same hostages/guests.  

So, I took a break from daytime cable news viewing; usually tuned back in for Nicole Wallace; then maybe Ari Melbar.  Been watching the Olympics.  I kept up with MJ with this board.  I tuned in this morning and realized that I hadn't missed much of anything...the lovebirds are always the same...the giggling "embarrassment" when Joe gets mushy..Trump and his minions are evil..sexual harassment is the current bash and rant.  The self-importance of Joe and Meek-a...gigs to play..pics and tweets to share..being at the right places.  

I'm hoping that the two of them, along with Chris Matthews finally wear out their welcome at MSNBC.  When there is a stable of fresh hosts/reporters/talent waiting in the wings, I wonder when the network will get the guts to pull the plug.  It pains me to say this because I am retired and it is usually sad when there is a changing of the guard.  But the talent on MSNBC seems to be deep..I am hoping they don't get snapped up by other networks.  CNN's loss of Ali Velshi was MSNBC's gain.  Just look at the "bench"...KC/DC (sorry), Callie (can't remember her last name), Joy Reid, Steve Kornacki, Katie Tur (please, let her replace Chuck Todd), Stephanie Ruhle, and lots of others.  I think Andrea Mitchell is untouchable...but at least she has paid her dues and manages to stay professional during the hijinks of the Gold Dust Twins.  They could even bring in other talent..or let their guests have longer segments.  Real conversations.  It could still be fresh and funny.  But it would be about the guests and reporters...not all about the hosts.

I believe that Joe and Mika's contract is up this year (not sure when), so there is a chance that either side will choose not to renew it.

[teddysmom]

I feel ya Kemper. I usually try to find something else to watch in the mornings.  Not only becos JoMika are twits, but it's just same shit different day.

I might check for a minute, and this morning I left it on because Mika said "next is the most important conversation we'll have today" and I joked to myself "They're breaking up".  I was in the bathroom listening to them talk to Boling and yelling about how ridiculous it was. I lost it when Joe I think said "can you imagine if a city's water supply was poisoned and killing people like this? The federal gov't would DO SOMETHING." Or something to that effect. 

I yelled "Hey Joe, have ya heard about Flint Michigan ? " 

[XOQueens]

31 minutes ago, cased said:

I believe that Joe and Mika's contract is up this year (not sure when), so there is a chance that either side will choose not to renew it.

I can't see Joe+Mika ever being the ones to give up their contracts. His entire music "career" is dependent on being "Morning Joe." Same with her Know Your Value thing. 

Does anyone remember the name of yesterday's last guest who had the new Facebook article out, on the cover was Zuckerberg with his face beat up? They ran out of time and were going to record a proper interview to show today, but that never happened. I tried to Google, but Zuckerberg Facebook article didn't get me far. ;) I would really like to read the article.

Edited February 14, 2018 by XOQueens

[teddysmom]

31 minutes ago, XOQueens said:

anyone remember the name of yesterday's last guest who had the new Facebook article out

It was Wired Magazine. 

[millennium]

8 hours ago, XOQueens said:

They gave a speech at a Goldman Sachs event. Joe's band played, and then Joe got weird about Lloyd Blankfein dancing with Mika.

Even the Partridge Family never gushed about their gigs the way these two do.

[millennium]

6:20 and I'm out.   I can't help but regard this as the exploitation of tragedy.   I also firmly believe that this kind of wall-to-wall coverage and publicity only encourages other sick minds. 

Mika's hammy "crisis voice" is also very grating.

[oakville]

Thursday Recap. The show is on at a regular time. Joe is in the Bunker. Mika is on the set. Joe gave a scripted rant about gun ownership vs kids having AR 15's.

Joe said he supports enhanced background checks.

Mika looks like she has been crying. Mika warned the audience that she will not tolerate any guests coming on the show and saying "now is not the time to talk about guns".

It is very sad that there was another mass shooting in Florida school.

They showed a chart. USA 3.8 violent gun deaths per 100K Canada .48. UK .07.

Joe is mad at the gun lobby. He doesn't like the NRA anymore.

[stormy]

After the sad news, the show lightens up with a funny story about nearly everyone in a high position in the White House not having a permanent security clearance.  And reading top secret intell everyday.  Lord, a couple of the panelists actually think that congress, or whoever is in charge of oversight, will do anything or spend one minute to change things.

[millennium]

13 minutes ago, stormy said:

After the sad news, the show lightens up with a funny story about nearly everyone in a high position in the White House not having a permanent security clearance.  And reading top secret intell everyday.  Lord, a couple of the panelists actually think that congress, or whoever is in charge of oversight, will do anything or spend one minute to change things.

And then they go right back to the ghoulish coverage, with breathless Mika repeating for the second or third time "children cowering in closets, calling their moms to say they love them."   She's eating this up with a spoon.

I'd love to hear Scarborough explain why a millionaire like him and his kids need to hunt.   

[oakville]

I switched to Olympic Hockey. Canada just scored !. The Men's Hockey tournament is a big deal in Canada.

I think I could probably recap the rest of Morning Joe without watching it. The lack of security clearances is not shocking given the shady characters that Trump appointed.

[Chloesmom]

Peggy Noonan suggests a congressional committee to discuss this school violence.  Sigh.  Yes, those have been so successful and non-partisan as of late.  Time to get back on the bus grandma.

eta:  As much as I kid about Peggy, that woman has phenomenal style.  Her hair is always perfect and the sweater she is wearing is gorgeous.  Of course I'm sitting here with two-tone hair and a velour bathrobe from WM so YMMV.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Chloesmom

[novhappy]

The sanctimonious dial is set to 11 today.  They both come from gun-owning families and have never shot anyone!

Also, as millennium said,  Mika's sad tragedy voice is absurd. Mika, you are clearly reading  and not that well - adding the crisis tone is not that helpful  but that tone seems to be her entire value add to headlines. She must know that-she Knows Her Value. 

Edited February 15, 2018 by novhappy

[millennium]

I've been meaning to ask, does Scarborough get a royalty every time he plugs Ken Burns' "Vietnam?"   They could be talking about who makes the best fudge in town, and he would find some way to bring Vietnam into the conversation.

Speaking of fudge, we know now that the US fudged the truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident which was used as justification to start the Vietnam War -- which of course 50 years later brought us the Vietnam series by Ken Burns ...

[stormy]

Mika is talking is a slow voice this morning for tragedy mode.

Peggy did bring up a horrific observation.  Kids in this situation  know the drill.  How to hide from gun shots and how to talk in front of the cameras as if they're actors following a script.

Edited February 15, 2018 by stormy

[Landsnark]

Joe's bloviating sanctimony and Mika's faux solemn quiet talking are the stars of the show, not the news or the guests.
Joe's rants are too long.   He's Rantsy Pants.   He touches upon great points, but he belabors them so thoroughly.  Editing the sound of his own voice is not one of his strong suits.

[stormy]

What really pissed me off about Joe's non stop ranting this morning is that Joe's a former congressman.  He reminds us every day.

Do something instead of complaining.

[Chloesmom]

Their coverage today was just pitiful.  I was watching CNN quite a bit, did MJ has any live segments from FL at all or just the usual congressional talking heads?

[stormy]

They had footage

[XOQueens]

1 hour ago, novhappy said:

The sanctimonious dial is set to 11 today.  They both come from gun-owning families and have never shot anyone!

Also, as millennium said,  Mika's sad tragedy voice is absurd. Mika, you are clearly reading  and not that well - adding the crisis tone is not that helpful  but that tone seems to be her entire value add to headlines. She must know that-she Knows Her Value. 

 

I listened to a Podcast with them, I forget which one, but it was actually sort of sad because she does think her voice (plus memory and looks) is her best value. She talked about how her parents were always quite disappointed with her learning struggles, but she was an aristocratic grandmother's favorite grandchild because she thought Mika was cute and had a great voice. 

I too had to take a break from the show this morning, Oakville. There's a very fine line between tragedy overexploitation and good in depth coverage.

Edited February 15, 2018 by XOQueens
spelling woes

[Ladyrain]

35 minutes ago, Landsnark said:

Joe's bloviating sanctimony and Mika's faux solemn quiet talking are the stars of the show, not the news or the guests.
Joe's rants are too long.   He's Rantsy Pants.   He touches upon great points, but he belabors them so thoroughly.  Editing the sound of his own voice is not one of his strong suits.

Yes!  Times a million.  And may I please use Rantsy Pants in reference to Joe from now on?  "It fits like a g-l-o-o-o-o-v-e"  (said in my best Jim Carrey Ace Venture voice).

[Landsnark]

Holy shit.  Mika just asked Marco Rubio to "step up and be a man."  BE A MAN?????!!!!!  Know your value, you fucking twit. 

Stephanie Ruhle slapped down Mika immediately.  "Step up and be a man??  No.  Step up and be a human."

[XOQueens]

Thank you Stephanie Ruhle...

Mika Know Your Value ended her final thoughts by telling Rubio and others in Congress to "step up and be a man." She throws to Ruhle. Ruhle says, "Rubio, you don't need to step up and be a man. You need to step up and be a human."

[teddysmom]

1 hour ago, novhappy said:

The sanctimonious dial is set to 11 today.  They both come from gun-owning families and have never shot anyone!

 Hey Joe & Mika !!! My father and his father used to go pheasant, duck and goose hunting all the time. There were shotguns in their cases in the hall closet when I was a kid, we never touched them.  My father and his brother served in the military.  You aren't some special sub set of America.  Other than your heads are further up your asses than most. 

You wanna help? Start having pro NRA members of Congress on your show, and hammer them to explain why they won't support an assault weapon ban, stronger background checks, and money to update the technology so that people who are flagged show up instantly. 

[oakville]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

I've been meaning to ask, does Scarborough get a royalty every time he plugs Ken Burns' "Vietnam?"   They could be talking about who makes the best fudge in town, and he would find some way to bring Vietnam into the conversation.

Speaking of fudge, we know now that the US fudged the truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident which was used as justification to start the Vietnam War -- which of course 50 years later brought us the Vietnam series by Ken Burns ...

Ha! (Chris Matthews Voice). Joe has periods when he repeats the same talking point over & over again until my ears begin to bleed.

Today it was the 95-5 poll number on background checks.

[The Solution]

Can anyone check Saint Joe's voting record while he was in Congress to see if he really did vote against the gun lobby's interests? I would love to see someone refute his claims. Just because I don't particularly like him.

[oakville]

1 hour ago, stormy said:

What really pissed me off about Joe's non stop ranting this morning is that Joe's a former congressman.  He reminds us every day.

Do something instead of complaining.

Did Joe explain to viewers why he did nothing on gun control & had a perfect rating from the NRA when he was in Congress?

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

Of course I'm sitting here with two-tone hair and a velour bathrobe from WM so YMMV.

Hey!  I thought two tone hair was all the rage now--like ombre? Oh, you say your tow tones occur at your part?  Oh, okay then....

[oakville]

54 minutes ago, XOQueens said:

Thank you Stephanie Ruhle...

Mika Know Your Value ended her final thoughts by telling Rubio and others in Congress to "step up and be a man." She throws to Ruhle. Ruhle says, "Rubio, you don't need to step up and be a man. You need to step up and be a human."

Stephanie Rules! I wish she was on Morning Joe more often.

[Landsnark]

One thing Joe said that I was pleased to hear, and won't mind if it becomes one of his repetitive talking points - fund the CDC to thoroughly investigate gun violence

[cased]

1 hour ago, oakville said:

Did Joe explain to viewers why he did nothing on gun control & had a perfect rating from the NRA when he was in Congress?

It is very possible that Joe has legitimately changed his views on gun control since he was in Congress (he says he changed his opinion after Newtown). The real test would be how he would vote if he were in office in the future, which we may never know.

[novhappy]

1 hour ago, cased said:

It is very possible that Joe has legitimately changed his views on gun control since he was in Congress (he says he changed his opinion after Newtown). The real test would be how he would vote if he were in office in the future, which we may never know.

I would like to see a legit calm conversation wherein Joe discusses what his gun views were, specifically and why. Then how they changed. Yes this would probably put him on the spot about NRA money during his time in congress but if he wants to fix things he can explain How that shaped his voting then and how he evolved to his new position. Not a rant. Because obvi many congresspeople are in the same boat he was in so he could provide a template to get something done. 

That said, it won't happen because the answer is he took NRA money/imprimatur during his time in Congress, didn't think about the issue at all. Now out of Congress in his new role of sanctimonious knowitall he evolved to a position of regulating guns. Sounds better on tv. 

[cased]

41 minutes ago, novhappy said:

I would like to see a legit calm conversation wherein Joe discusses what his gun views were, specifically and why. Then how they changed. Yes this would probably put him on the spot about NRA money during his time in congress but if he wants to fix things he can explain How that shaped his voting then and how he evolved to his new position. Not a rant. Because obvi many congresspeople are in the same boat he was in so he could provide a template to get something done. 

That said, it won't happen because the answer is he took NRA money/imprimatur during his time in Congress, didn't think about the issue at all. Now out of Congress in his new role of sanctimonious knowitall he evolved to a position of regulating guns. Sounds better on tv. 

I would like to hear this discussion too, and I agree with you that it is vey easy to sit there as a TV commentator and spout views that are popular with the majority of people, and not have to worry about the realities of fundraising that congress people have to deal with.

However, I do think it is very plausible for someone's views to evolve over time (I know that my opinions on some issues have changed), especially since Joe lives quite close to Newtown, and he had young children at the time.

Edited February 15, 2018 by cased
grammar

[Eliot]

1 hour ago, cased said:

It is very possible that Joe has legitimately changed his views on gun control since he was in Congress (he says he changed his opinion after Newtown). The real test would be how he would vote if he were in office in the future, which we may never know.

Newtown shook him; I remember it being one of the times that I've really respected him on the show.

But he's still trying to thread the needle too finely, I think. He's too respectful of gun culture in general, waxing all nostalgic about how shotguns are passed down from generation to generation and how lawmakers need to understand how important gun ownership is to so many people, blah blah blah. Until he is able to step up and address the problem of gun worship, he's just part of the problem.

[XOQueens]

I agree about Newtown. Every once in awhile he posts a photo he took at the memorial site that he has hanging in his bedroom. 

[izabella]

5 hours ago, teddysmom said:

You wanna help? Start having pro NRA members of Congress on your show, and hammer them to explain why they won't support an assault weapon ban, stronger background checks, and money to update the technology so that people who are flagged show up instantly. 

And make sure to tell us how much the NRA contributed directly to their campaign funds, and how much the NRA contributed to their PACs.  Rubio, for example, collected over $3M through PACs from the NRA, and he isn't the worst offender.

[teddysmom]

17 minutes ago, izabella said:

Rubio, for example, collected over $3M through PACs from the NRA, and he isn't the worst offender.

That honor goes to John McCain. $7 million. 

[millennium]

5 hours ago, WhineandCheez said:

Hey!  I thought two tone hair was all the rage now--like ombre? Oh, you say your tow tones occur at your part?  Oh, okay then....

Reminds me, Alex Haley once wrote a book called "Roots," which was adapted for television and became a groundbreaking series that paved the way for later multi-part, history-themed presentations such as Ken Burns' "Vietnam" ...

[millennium]

2 hours ago, Eliot said:

Newtown shook him; I remember it being one of the times that I've really respected him on the show.

But he's still trying to thread the needle too finely, I think. He's too respectful of gun culture in general, waxing all nostalgic about how shotguns are passed down from generation to generation and how lawmakers need to understand how important gun ownership is to so many people, blah blah blah. Until he is able to step up and address the problem of gun worship, he's just part of the problem.

Adam Lanza and his mother were "gun enthusiasts" and their preferred pastime was to boogie on over to the Wooster Mountain shooting range and let 'er rip. 

From the outside, they probably appeared to be the same kind of upstandin', gun-totin' Americans that Scarborough fancies himself and his kids.

[stormy]

Joe's indefensible. I will turn off any of his absurd rantings and ravings about guns from here on in.

He lived (maybe still) in Connecticut when innocent babies were killed. He did nothing.

He's from Florida where young men and women are cruelly cut down and all he can muster is a red faced early morning rant?

[cased]

43 minutes ago, stormy said:

Joe's indefensible. I will turn off any of his absurd rantings and ravings about guns from here on in.

He lived (maybe still) in Connecticut when innocent babies were killed. He did nothing.

He's from Florida where young men and women are cruelly cut down and all he can muster is a red faced early morning rant?

I’m just curious about this - what would you want Joe to have done?  He is not an elected official, so it’s not like he could have passed gun control legislation. In his position as a TV political pundit, he regularly has Senators  and Congressmen from Connecticut on his show to state their case for common sense gun control. Joe himself also regularly states his opinion for more gun control - pretty much in line with what any Democratic Congressman would favor. Could Joe have done more in his capacity as a private citizen? I have no idea what he has or has not done in that regard, so who knows.

As for Florida, it is 10 years since has lived there, and more than 15 since he was a Florida congressman, so I don’t think it’s really fair to hold him accountable for what is happening there now. 

[Chloesmom]

I cannot believe Mika just said the tech companies don't fully understand the impact they are having on the current environments and conversations we are having.  GOD I am so tired of hearing that crap!  These guys are the brightest of the bright and they know exactly what they have created but to make the changes necessary is going to cost them long term revenue and they aren't ready to part with that until a ton of federal lawyers come down on them.

[oakville]

Friday Recap. Morning Joe is not on yet here. Oh, it started. Teleprompter Trump. A distraught mom whose daughter was killed shouting at Trump.

Mika is working on a Friday. Blue bathrobe. KC gets a spot at the table without a lightning intro. For once, the show is being mature. Bunker Joe starting to complain about Newtown.

Joe is now naming cities affected by shootings. He should finish in a few minutes.

[The Solution]

It's so transparent how much Joe and Mika just loooove the events of the past couple of days so they can showboat and mug for ratings. They don't give a shit about anything, but they're just looooving the opportunity to grandstand. Soulless, godless pieces of shit. I'm done.

[Nidratime]

I understand that people have to cough, have to clear their throats, etc., but there is someone on the MJ set who is constantly doing that in the background, including breathing in with a rattling breath. Why can't they get up and go get some water and call it a day until they actually feel better? None of these people *have* to be there, not even our hosts, as they prove on a regular basis. So annoying.

[Chloesmom]

GO KASIE GO!  That was the best two minutes of MJ's entire week.  They should give the morning show to her and maybe Heileman or my fave Sam Stein.

[millennium]

7:16.   I had to switch off before Donnie Deutsch started ejaculating right on camera.    I often agree with him, but his fantasy of President Hero Trump was stomach-turning.   "We would forgive Russia, we would forgive everything ..." 

No, we wouldn't, dipshit.  

2 minutes ago, Chloesmom said:

GO KASIE GO!  That was the best two minutes of MJ's entire week.  They should give the morning show to her and maybe Heileman or my fave Sam Stein.

What did Kasie do?   Reverse the lightning bolts and electrocute Scarborough and Mika?   I had already turned off the show.

[Nidratime]

11 minutes ago, millennium said:

7:16.   I had to switch off before Donnie Deutsch started ejaculating right on camera.    I often agree with him, but his fantasy of President Hero Trump was stomach-turning.   "We would forgive Russia, we would forgive everything ..." 

No, we wouldn't, dipshit.  

I agree. Deutsch is saying that if Trump does "something" on the gun issue, then "we" will look the other way -- All forgiven! -- regarding Russia. What?! That's not the way it works, bonehead. If Mueller finds actual crimes -- and he's already indicted a couple of people and elicited guilty pleas -- then Trump has to pay for those crimes. If Trump and his family colluded with Russia to subvert an American election and then continue to pay back the Russians, they have to pay for that. There's no either/or here. A person who shoots someone dead doesn't get forgiven if they turn around and help the police catch a robber. They still have to answer to the murder! Insane.

Edited February 16, 2018 by Nidratime

[Chloesmom]

Kasie went a very detailed rant about exactly why congress is failing on so many things including gun control.  She gave examples of what they could have done at each juncture but as usual chose not to.  She was clear and focused which really made the segment pop as opposed to the majority around the table which they could have rerun the tapes from yesterday as they all said the exact same thing.

I'm glad Charlie Dent is on, I like him and I am sorry he is retiring.  I missed Deutsch but that's fine as even he doesn't add anything to the conversation anymore.

9 minutes ago, millennium said:

What did Kasie do?   Reverse the lightning bolts and electrocute Scarborough and Mika?

I wish.  But it just goes to show that Mika is behind that ridiculous and insulting intro.

[millennium]

9 minutes ago, Chloesmom said:

Kasie went a very detailed rant about exactly why congress is failing on so many things including gun control.  She gave examples of what they could have done at each juncture but as usual chose not to.  She was clear and focused which really made the segment pop as opposed to the majority around the table which they could have rerun the tapes from yesterday as they all said the exact same thing.

 

We all know nothing will change.   According to the principles of Republican arithmetic:

Millions of dollars in NRA campaign donations > lives lost in mass shootings.   

It's just business.

Which makes the whole, predictable exercise of television pundits ranting, lamenting, scolding, weeping, etc. seem maudlin, self-serving and ultimately pointless.   

10 minutes ago, Chloesmom said:

 

I wish.  But it just goes to show that Mika is behind that ridiculous and insulting intro.

Mika is hell-bent on keeping Kasie in her "junior" position, which is why she perpetuates that demeaning device every morning.   Except today, when Super-Somber Mika decided it would not be in good taste

Edited February 16, 2018 by millennium