Morning Joe: All Episodes Talk

[millennium]

No, Joey, your Trump-supporting friends are not good men, decent men, honorable men.   Barnicle, they are not "great guys."

They are active supporters of racial hatred, gender bias, anti-American policies and appeasement of our country's enemies.

You can't compartmentalize people like that to let them off the hook.   It's like saying a guy who kills his family is otherwise a man of good character, hard-working, attentive to his lawn, etc.

[Chloesmom]

Ok, so now Barnicle is in charge of the show?  Good grief . . . 

This guy from Frontline is a great interview.  Horrifying the details coming out about Charlottesville.

[XOQueens]

Joe was so weirdly reluctant to say there are racists in the South when he re-enacted his tweet about Trump being a racist grandpa. Joe has said some latently racist things in the past, which I doubt he recognized.

I know he said it because Trump’s from the borough, I wonder if Joe has ever been to Queens (gentrified LIC doesn’t count). There’s no doubt Mika has never been. Lol

I thought the Bunker Days were over. ? 

[WhineandCheez]

Has Barnacle lost weight? Everybody on this show is losing weight. I enjoyed the comments about Trump's tiny hand on the cover of that new book! That hand gesture that he always makes that drives me insane I hate it. It's like Kramer and Mary Harts voice

[cased]

3 hours ago, Chloesmom said:

Well, mom and dad are in separate studios/bunkers but appear to be in love

Since I am usually half asleep while watching the show from the West Coast, I didn't realize for a while that Mika was also in a bunker. They are so weird. I don't know why they can't appear in the same bunker when they are at a remote location.

[teddysmom]

2 hours ago, Chloesmom said:

This guy from Frontline is a great interview.  Horrifying the details coming out about Charlottesville.

He was on Fresh Air last week, it's a podcast on iTunes or the NPR site if you want to listen. 

[Chloesmom]

47 minutes ago, cased said:

Since I am usually half asleep while watching the show from the West Coast, I didn't realize for a while that Mika was also in a bunker. They are so weird. I don't know why they can't appear in the same bunker when they are at a remote location.

Actually cased she was at the table (occasionally) but everybody keeps wandering off so it's hard to know who's the quarterback at a given time.

[madfortv]

I'm enjoying the book discussions with the authors.  Other MSNBC shows have authors on but mostly those hosting other MSNBC shows or when books are controversial.  Bringing back book discussions is a big improvement. I was about to stop watching the show as it seemed to focus almost 100% (with hour repeats) only on latest Trump tweets and antics.

[Chloesmom]

5 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

He was on Fresh Air last week, it's a podcast on iTunes or the NPR site if you want to listen. 

Thanks teddysmom, I caught most of the Frontline special but I'll check out NPR too.

[Abiding Dude]

In case anyone wants to know what they bleeped out this morning...

 

[teddysmom]

23 minutes ago, Chloesmom said:

Thanks teddysmom, I caught most of the Frontline special but I'll check out NPR too.

I need to check if Frontline is going to rerun it. It might be online too. 

[cased]

1 hour ago, Chloesmom said:

Actually cased she was at the table (occasionally) but everybody keeps wandering off so it's hard to know who's the quarterback at a given time.

I could be wrong, but I don't think she was at the table. She had a backdrop that made it look that she might have  been, but for the entire show, they only showed close-up shots of her, and whenever they panned out to show the entire table she was not there. Once I noticed this, I also noticed that her backdrop was also a little diffferent than the regular set.

I will need re re-watch this evening to be positive.

[cased]

58 minutes ago, cased said:

I could be wrong, but I don't think she was at the table. She had a backdrop that made it look that she might have  been, but for the entire show, they only showed close-up shots of her, and whenever they panned out to show the entire table she was not there. Once I noticed this, I also noticed that her backdrop was also a little diffferent than the regular set.

I will need re re-watch this evening to be positive.

Having said that, even though I am pretty sure neither of them were in the NY studio, it is possible that they were in different locations. Maybe Mika was in Washington DC visiting her mother? Maybe Joe was with his kids? It is just weird that they are always so secretive about where they are.  

[XOQueens]

18 minutes ago, cased said:

Having said that, even though I am pretty sure neither of them were in the NY studio, it is possible that they were in different locations. Maybe Mika was in Washington DC visiting her mother? Maybe Joe was with his kids? It is just weird that they are always so secretive about where they are.  

I have this image of Mika sitting by herself at the DC studio with some plastic wine glasses filled with a sweet white just out of camera view. 

Joe looked to be in the OG bunker. 

[millennium]

6 hours ago, Abiding Dude said:

In case anyone wants to know what they bleeped out this morning...

 

I don't know why anyone is shocked or disgusted.    They're the same craven bureaucrats they've always been, who display "courage" only when self-righteously attacking those they perceive as weaker or disadvantaged.   They're so devoid of strength and character that all it took was a bigmouth buffoon like Trump to conquer them. 

[Landsnark]

Rosie O'Donnell is on "The Beat" with Ari Melber and she just called out Joe directly.  And Willie as well.  She laid Trump's popularity and success at Joe's feet.

[cased]

41 minutes ago, Landsnark said:

Rosie O'Donnell is on "The Beat" with Ari Melber and she just called out Joe directly.  And Willie as well.  She laid Trump's popularity and success at Joe's feet.

Here's my opinion (while trying not to get into the off topic political area). While the positive coverage from Morning Joe certainly did help Trump in the early primaries, an equally big factor was that all the cable networks gave Trump way more coverage than all of the 16 other Republicans combined. And it didn't really matter if the Trump coverage was positive or negative. It essentially starved the other candidates from getting the coverage they needed to emerge from the pack. They were basically all drowned out by Trump. Then, unfortunately for her, Hillary did not run a strong campaign in the areas of the country that she needed to.

A second point is that the Morning Joe audience has been described as "New York and DC elites". This is not the audience of the Trump voter, so if Trump voters were not watching MJ, then the positive Trump coverage from MJ would not have a big impact for them.

What I am trying to say, is that, yes, the Morning Joe coverage did have some impact on Trump's success, but much less of an impact than the fawning coverage on Fox News (which is what most of the Trump voters were probably watching).

Obviously we will never know, but I believe Trump still would have won, even if the Morning Joe coverage was negative from the start.

[XOQueens]

15 minutes ago, cased said:

A second point is that the Morning Joe audience has been described as "New York and DC elites". This is not the audience of the Trump voter, so if Trump voters were not watching MJ, then the positive Trump coverage from MJ would not have a big impact for them.

That's true, but a counterpoint would be that a wonk-centric, Beltway "elite" program gave him elevated status on their program, thus influencing how others view him and his political position. If they broadcast to the "elite", then it follows they discuss issues of importance to the "elite" and have on "elite" guests. In essence, there's a serious argument, at least in my opinion, that this legitimized him as a serious candidate in ways showing up on Fox and Friends wouldn't have. 

Edited August 6, 2018 by XOQueens

[cased]

3 hours ago, XOQueens said:

That's true, but a counterpoint would be that a wonk-centric, Beltway "elite" program gave him elevated status on their program, thus influencing how others view him and his political position. If they broadcast to the "elite", then it follows they discuss issues of importance to the "elite" and have on "elite" guests. In essence, there's a serious argument, at least in my opinion, that this legitimized him as a serious candidate in ways showing up on Fox and Friends wouldn't have. 

I don't discount your point, and it certainly was a factor, but I just don't think that Morning Joe is any more to blame than any other of the media outlets that were giving Trump wall to wall coverage. I just think it is way more complex than any one factor, so I tend to discount opinions that don't take the complexities into account.

Also, I was talking to a Trump voter a week a two ago, and I was telling her that I was looking forward to watching "All the Presidents Men" on MSNBC, and her exact quote was: "I have never watched MSNBC, but I assume I have it in my cable package". So I guess I don't see how Morning Joe could be that influential to people who have never watched MSNBC in their life.

[XOQueens]

37 minutes ago, cased said:

I don't discount your point, and it certainly was a factor, but I just don't think that Morning Joe is any more to blame than any other of the media outlets that were giving Trump wall to wall coverage. I just think it is way more complex than any one factor, so I tend to discount opinions that don't take the complexities into account.

Also, I was talking to a Trump voter a week a two ago, and I was telling her that I was looking forward to watching "All the Presidents Men" on MSNBC, and her exact quote was: "I have never watched MSNBC, but I assume I have it in my cable package". So I guess I don't see how Morning Joe could be that influential to people who have never watched MSNBC in their life.

How many other non-Fox News programs allowed him to call in with such frequency and dictate the course of the conversation? That’s a real question, I don’t have any idea, but I imagine not many. But I did notice clips from the Morning Joe call ins would often pop up  in the news cycle, beyond MSNBC from 6-9 Eastern. Without Morning Joe giving him that platform does the domino effect happen? Does his voice get amplified the way it did? I would say no. Mileage varies on that though.

ETA I’m not saying Morning Joe is entirely responsible for this. I don’t really think anyone is saying that. I 100% think they played a much larger role in normalizing an abnormal candidate than they will ever admit. He’s been the same racist, misogynist, conspiracy theory loon for years, they just didn’t care until the tide turned and he Tweeted about their affair.

 ETA2 Does anyone have links to Willie making fun of Rosie? I missed all of that. The search function isn’t working right now but I’ll try again later.

Edited August 7, 2018 by XOQueens

[izabella]

1 hour ago, XOQueens said:

ETA I’m not saying Morning Joe is entirely responsible for this. I don’t really think anyone is saying that. I 100% think they played a much larger role in normalizing an abnormal candidate than they will ever admit. He’s been the same racist, misogynist, conspiracy theory loon for years, they just didn’t care until the tide turned and he Tweeted about their affair.

This sums up Rosie's points as well.  She went after everyone in the media, not just Joe and the show.  And she explained that the way Trump treated her is the same thing he's been doing to Comey and others - discrediting them all over the media without rebuttal since the people he's discrediting don't have the wide forum and coverage he does. Just by repeating Trump's words and claims and lies on all the shows and discussing them ad nauseum, his claims stick in people's minds regardless of truth, or accuracy.  She also said every minute shows like MJ focused on Trump were valuable minutes that other candidates did not get, so they were not heard as broadly.

Edited August 7, 2018 by izabella

[Chloesmom]

Ok, I give up.  Cased you are correct, I believe both Joe and Mika are in satellite studios but the way they are opting to select their Brady Bunch shots it appears everyone is in their own bubble.  There was someone that showed up to I believe the NY studio late and was like a bull in a china shop settling into his chair (the audio guys must have been screaming at him, could have been Willie).  The show is off to a very rough start today.  It's like nobody cares anymore but Joe is shouldering on.  With all this split screen stuff it is really glaring how marginalized Mika's role is on this show as Elise Jordan has been on more (but you can hear her chirping/muttering in the background).  

fyi, Meeks bubble appears to be in Antarctica as I think she is wearing a merino wool sweater.

[millennium]

Scarborough and Mika's repeated "Preach on, preach on," and "oh my God" as Willie tried to read the Pence quote was highly annoying.

[madfortv]

So did Joe just throw in a comment about Rosie O'Donnell and her alternative 911 theory as an indirect way of getting back at her for her comments on Ari Melber's show?  I don't follow celebrities so didn't know about her weird 911 view.

[cased]

5 hours ago, izabella said:

This sums up Rosie's points as well.  She went after everyone in the media, not just Joe and the show.  And she explained that the way Trump treated her is the same thing he's been doing to Comey and others - discrediting them all over the media without rebuttal since the people he's discrediting don't have the wide forum and coverage he does. Just by repeating Trump's words and claims and lies on all the shows and discussing them ad nauseum, his claims stick in people's minds regardless of truth, or accuracy.  She also said every minute shows like MJ focused on Trump were valuable minutes that other candidates did not get, so they were not heard as broadly.

I’m glad you posted this, because I didn’t actually see Rosie on Ari’s show.  So I actually agree with her more than I thought I did. My belief is that all the media coverage that Trump received was the biggest factor in his early success. This definitely included Morning Joe, but also all othe media outlets too.

[XOQueens]

Who in the world told Joe to stop wearing his glasses? 

2 hours ago, Chloesmom said:

With all this split screen stuff it is really glaring how marginalized Mika's role is on this show

I’ve been watching around six minutes and I have neither seen nor heard her yet. She really did secure the bag when she started hooking up with the boss.

ETA Mika looks different today, but I think it’s just much less make up.  She looks better without the heavy work of her passive aggressive make up artist.

Edited August 7, 2018 by XOQueens

[WhineandCheez]

Joe is wearing an enormously wide tie.  IS this a thing again??

[cased]

25 minutes ago, WhineandCheez said:

Joe is wearing an enormously wide tie.  IS this a thing again??

I noticed this too. In the past he wore noticeably narrow ties.  Today he went to the other extreme. 

Speaking of ties, I wonder what caused Joe to start wearing a tie every day. A couple of years ago, he was wearing his fleece most days, with the occasional sweater thrown in. Now, I don’t remember the last day that he didn’t wear a tie. 

[teddysmom]

14 hours ago, cased said:

A second point is that the Morning Joe audience has been described as "New York and DC elites". This is not the audience of the Trump voter, so if Trump voters were not watching MJ, then the positive Trump coverage from MJ would not have a big impact for them.

Then who are all those people that got up at the crack of dawn to hang out in a bar and watch a live broadcast of this shit show?  I don't see any "NYC elites" in that crowd. 

Every cable channel and every media outlet, and newspaper holds culpability.  It's just that MJ's turn against him was personal, and they might as well take out a billboard "We used to love Donald til he threatened to expose our affair and made fun of Mika, so now we hate him, but we also love him because railing against him every day has done wonders for our ratings". 

[teddysmom]

8 hours ago, cased said:

14 hours ago, izabella said:

This sums up Rosie's points as well.  She went after everyone in the media, not just Joe and the show.  And she explained that the way Trump treated her is the same thing he's been doing to Comey and others - discrediting them all over the media without rebuttal since the people he's discrediting don't have the wide forum and coverage he does. Just by repeating Trump's words and claims and lies on all the shows and discussing them ad nauseum, his claims stick in people's minds regardless of truth, or accuracy.  She also said every minute shows like MJ focused on Trump were valuable minutes that other candidates did not get, so they were not heard as broadly.

 

I’m glad you posted this, because I didn’t actually see Rosie on Ari’s show.  So I actually agree with her more than I thought I did. My belief is that all the media coverage that Trump received was the biggest factor in his early success. This definitely included Morning Joe, but also all othe media outlets too.

Joe and Mika could take a page out of Rachel Maddow's book - cover what he does, not what he says. 

Only Mika could make me yell at the tv "shut the fuck up", about the immigrant children.  Anyone else talking about them, I am paying attention, and listening to the current status, but she is making my skin crawl with her pseudo outrage.   Hey Mika - Chris Hayes went down to Texas, Jacob Soboroff has been in TX  covering this since he broke the story, so once again, get up off your ass and go to a detention center and publicize what is happening, you worthless bag of hair and bones. 

[millennium]

58 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

get up off your ass and go to a detention center and publicize what is happening, you worthless bag of hair and bones. 

It's Fairfield County activism.   Behold as the wealthy and powerful consider the plight of the poor savages through the prism of a fine chardonnay whilst exchanging air kisses at a tony fundraiser.  

[Kemper]

Is this Board...the people on it...are we the only people in the country that cannot stand these two?  Are we the only ones that call them out and mock their fake-ness?  Are we the only ones that wonder how they hold on to their jobs; and wonder how they get so much publicity on places like Mediaite?  Yes, I know...Dan Abrams.  I always wondered if he was a bit of a bottom-feeder.  Gosh, I sound horrible and judgmental.  I should be a guest/host on MJ.  Guaranteed any one of us could contribute more than Barnicle.   

[millennium]

18 minutes ago, Kemper said:

Is this Board...the people on it...are we the only people in the country that cannot stand these two?  Are we the only ones that call them out and mock their fake-ness?  Are we the only ones that wonder how they hold on to their jobs; and wonder how they get so much publicity on places like Mediaite?  Yes, I know...Dan Abrams.  I always wondered if he was a bit of a bottom-feeder.  Gosh, I sound horrible and judgmental.  I should be a guest/host on MJ.  Guaranteed any one of us could contribute more than Barnicle.   

Maybe.  I'm always posting in the Unpopular Opinion threads on this site.  All my life I have always seemed to be in the minority point of view, often in the party-of-one point of view.   Why should this be different?

Not that I can't stand them entirely.   I think Scarborough is a useful idiot at this point in time.   I actually regret that he does not raise his game and take his point of view to the opposition.   It's easy to be a rebel in the comfort of a home studio, shamelessly pontificating to an audience predisposed to agree with almost everything you say.   He won't even take on potentially adversarial guests, i.e. Rand Paul.   He'll talk shit about him when he's not there, but put Rand Paul in the studio and it's all "friend of the show."

As for Mika, I admire her contouring.

[Landsnark]

So Ari Melber again made news tonight.  He had on a wholly batshit crazy, ranting and raving lunatic who... well... I've never seen anything like it.  I wonder if Joe will table the topic of both-siderisms.  That any opposing view point is a valid view from some bullshit "other side."
That unhinged maniac is going to get Ari better ratings than Rosie O'donnell did.  And that is, scarily, MSNBC's business model in these times.

[maggiemae]

I am so done with this show - especially after watching the old clips of Joe, and Willie and Tucker Carlson on CrooksandLiars tonight. I felt there was a reason I could never warm to to Joe and Willie.

[Eliot]

13 hours ago, Kemper said:

Is this Board...the people on it...are we the only people in the country that cannot stand these two?  Are we the only ones that call them out and mock their fake-ness?  Are we the only ones that wonder how they hold on to their jobs; and wonder how they get so much publicity on places like Mediaite?  Yes, I know...Dan Abrams.  I always wondered if he was a bit of a bottom-feeder.  Gosh, I sound horrible and judgmental.  I should be a guest/host on MJ.  Guaranteed any one of us could contribute more than Barnicle.   

So, it might be an unpopular opinion here, but I don’t actually HATE them. They frustrate me, I often roll my eyes at their antics, the hypocrisy and lack of self awareness are sometimes infuriating...yet I still don’t hate them.

Probably because they are just part of the fabric of my morning routine and I’d miss them if they up and vanished.

[Chloesmom]

44 minutes ago, Eliot said:

So, it might be an unpopular opinion here, but I don’t actually HATE them. They frustrate me, I often roll my eyes at their antics, the hypocrisy and lack of self awareness are sometimes infuriating...yet I still don’t hate them.

Probably because they are just part of the fabric of my morning routine and I’d miss them if they up and vanished.

Hee, I was with you on this eliot until the last eight words as I will not miss them should they finally decide to put the Morning Joe cup in the proverbial dishwasher.

I just turned the tee vee on.  Why is Meeks wearing overalls (she reminds me of kids that can't wait to wear their back to school clothes even if it's 90 degrees out) and spare me the Paul Ryan is a good guy routine.  No, no he's not.

[may flowers]

Political news is supposed to be this show’s lifeblood so a day like today - after various special elections and primaries - they should be all over the news but they seem listless, not revved up. And Mika’s just making noises while others talk, including  a fairly musical “Hmmmm” while Joe did a meandering rant on the new Paul Ryan article.  Plus Noah Rothman is there and he annoys me. Today he said that Trump was given a mandate. Last I checked losing the popular vote didn’t equal a mandate. But his assertion went unchecked.  I want more from these insiders and they always deliver less. 

[Chloesmom]

Ok, now I see what you guys were talking about in terms of Joe's ties . . . if they get any wider he's not going to need a shirt under his suitcoat.  

Ok seriously, I can't take this Mika muttering under her breath when she is not on set as it comes across as this disembodied voice floating through the show.

[Chloesmom]

It's hilarious when they do show a wide shot of the table in the studio to see three people huddled in the corner.  It's only a matter of time that we see them sitting around a card table and chairs.

[WhineandCheez]

Quote

Why is Meeks wearing overalls (she reminds me of kids that can't wait to wear their back to school clothes even if it's 90 degrees out) 

...and Podhoretz is wearing his  It's-90-Degrees-Out-and-90%-Humidity-Sweater.

Are the parents of Sandy Hook kids ACTUALLY having to move around the country because of threats?  Joe says this every other day.

 

This whole excitement over a 3 month long Ohio election that Dems still couldn't win is just sad.  I suppose I should feel happy we got so many more votes than historically, but when I think of all the support for Trump's vision, I just get tired and lost.

[Chloesmom]

3 minutes ago, WhineandCheez said:

Are the parents of Sandy Hook kids ACTUALLY having to move around the country because of threats?  Joe says this every other day.

Yes unfortunately it's true.  There is one family in particular that had to do move several times and cannot reveal/visit where their son's grave is because of Alex Jones.  Horrible.

And oh goodness Pods and that sweater.  I broke out in hives just looking at him!

[teddysmom]

13 hours ago, Landsnark said:

So Ari Melber again made news tonight.  He had on a wholly batshit crazy, ranting and raving lunatic who... well... I've never seen anything like it.  I wonder if Joe will table the topic of both-siderisms.  That any opposing view point is a valid view from some bullshit "other side."
That unhinged maniac is going to get Ari better ratings than Rosie O'donnell did.  And that is, scarily, MSNBC's business model in these times.

That Candace woman?  I saw he was having her on and I changed the channel.  I barely watch anymore, I have found regular tv stuff to watch in the mornings, I'm in a much better mood. 

 

13 minutes ago, WhineandCheez said:

Why is Meeks wearing overalls

She was on this morning? Every time I turned it on it was Joe & Willie, and Joe wasn't even on set. 

Edited August 8, 2018 by teddysmom

[Chloesmom]

2 minutes ago, teddysmom said:

She was on this morning? Every time I turned it on it was Joe & Willie, and Joe wasn't even on set. 

Yep, she's there in her own little bunker.  I truly think they are just going to start Skyping the whole show.

[Chloesmom]

15 hours ago, Kemper said:

Is this Board...the people on it...are we the only people in the country that cannot stand these two?  Are we the only ones that call them out and mock their fake-ness?  Are we the only ones that wonder how they hold on to their jobs; and wonder how they get so much publicity on places like Mediaite?  Yes, I know...Dan Abrams.  I always wondered if he was a bit of a bottom-feeder.  Gosh, I sound horrible and judgmental.  I should be a guest/host on MJ.  Guaranteed any one of us could contribute more than Barnicle.   

No trust me, we are not in the minority based on some of the things I have seen/read on Twitter.  As for Abrams, when he ran MSNBC the shows were nimble and exciting and didn't dwell on a handful of issues as all cable shows seem to do now.  I am not comfortable with his relationship with MJ as clearly he promotes them at an astounding clip but it is a good place to catch up on things one may have missed.

[XOQueens]

9 hours ago, maggiemae said:

I am so done with this show - especially after watching the old clips of Joe, and Willie and Tucker Carlson on CrooksandLiars tonight. I felt there was a reason I could never warm to to Joe and Willie.

Ohhhh, would you mind linking this on Small Talk? I’m curious about them “unfiltered.”

[MulletorHater]

20 hours ago, Kemper said:

Is this Board...the people on it...are we the only people in the country that cannot stand these two?  Are we the only ones that call them out and mock their fake-ness?  Are we the only ones that wonder how they hold on to their jobs; and wonder how they get so much publicity on places like Mediaite?  Yes, I know...Dan Abrams.  I always wondered if he was a bit of a bottom-feeder.  Gosh, I sound horrible and judgmental.  I should be a guest/host on MJ.  Guaranteed any one of us could contribute more than Barnicle.   

I've seen them get dragged outside of the people on this board on social media and on sites like Media Matters, particularly when they were shamelessly shilling for Governor Christie during the whole "Bridge-gate" affair.  Not only did they minimize the scandal, but mocked others who dared to bring it up while fawning all over the disgraced former governor.  They played a huge role in turning their show into "Morning Drumpf" by giving that thing a platform every damn day.  They couldn't even pretend to be unbiased after they visited him at the Tower of Doom in New York in September 2016.  That's why it's somewhat comical the way they try to editorialize and play "we told you so" now when, in fact, they not only helped to make Drumpf happen, but Meek-a even tried to legitimize Malignia with a fluff interview.  She was even waxing poetic about, and extolling the supposed "magazine cover looks" of the czarina and her consort, Jared, for weeks until the tides turned.  Now, Meek-a wants to give Ivanka the Terrible advice from the comfort of a studio.  Heffa, please.

At turns, I  find Joe and Meek-a shamelessly opportunistic, deliberately obtuse, tone deaf and disingenuous.  I have disliked the way she allows (the operative word) him to treat her going all the way back to the 2012 presidential campaign, when he famously stuck his finger in her face and berated her on the air.  That's why she has absolutely no credibility when she starts shilling her "Know Your Value" message, self-help book and conferences.  Just, stop it.  And, by now, everyone in the Western World and in outer space knows that Joe was in Congress at one time.  Oh, and, of course, all those world leaders and D.C. politicians have him on speed dial to tell him what the real deal is.  That's been a favorite shtick of his since the Obama Wonder Years, when these hidden figures allegedly told Joe that President Obama was "stupid," "inept," and "in way over his head"--something which Joe was more than happy to parrot. 

I've seen how much better this show can be when they aren't on it.  Perfect example:  This morning, Meek-a starts to read the headlines, and Joe is on the other side of the screen murmuring and interrupting her--with no push back from her whatsoever.  It takes me totally out of whatever it is she was trying to convey and causes me to switch to my local news channel.

I have my own question, too.  In all seriousness, did Joe and other Republicans (especially men) grow up on the same block as a Mr. Pelosi?  Did Mr. Pelosi's precocious and too-smart-for-her-own-good little girl, Nancy, steal their bicycles?  The thinly veiled contempt they have for the woman is mystifying.  The interview with O'Connor seemed okay initially.  Anytime someone says, "I  happen to like Nancy Pelosi," you know that the word "but" will soon follow.  Joe didn't disappoint when he put O'Connor on the spot and started on this screed about Nancy Pelosi, the good people in Ohio, yada yada yada.  Who knew that Nancy (not Chuck) would be such a big issue for the people in Ohio?  I get that the question was a legitimate one when it comes to discussing Pelosi's leadership of the Democratic Caucus, but still.

Edited August 8, 2018 by MulletorHater

[millennium]

3 hours ago, Chloesmom said:

Ok, now I see what you guys were talking about in terms of Joe's ties . . . if they get any wider he's not going to need a shirt under his suitcoat. 

He probably sees it as a question of girth rather than width.

[maggiemae]

3 hours ago, XOQueens said:

Ohhhh, would you mind linking this on Small Talk? I’m curious about them “unfiltered.”

Sorry, I'm unable to link but it is a current article  - just google crooksandliars - the title is JS Soothes Hurt Fee-Fees With Cheap Shot at RD.

[XOQueens]

12 minutes ago, maggiemae said:

Sorry, I'm unable to link but it is a current article  - just google crooksandliars - the title is JS Soothes Hurt Fee-Fees With Cheap Shot at RD.

Thanks -- found it! I'm going to post the link over in Small Talk, if anyone else is interested in reading/viewing this.