Sometimes when I process events, trying to orient towards what I have seen, my mind often recalls a vivid image remembered from real events, which I witnessed on television news.
What’s disturbing is people think all fascist regimes use Jews as the scapegoat, but the reality is, it’s always immigrants, which happened to be the Jews the time and throughout history. In both Mussolini’s Italy, and Hitler’s Germany, it was Jews, Gypsies, socialists, communists and the LGBTQ community. Or anyone foolish (heroic) enough to challenge the regime.
Moreover, Jews were considered the lowest form of scum on earth, and the usual scapegoat. Now it’s immigrants from so called “shit-hole” countries.
However, when the next recession hits, and it’s going to be worse than the 2008 debacle, you know one thing for sure; Trump and his minions will need a new scapegoat, and Jews could be on the menu. Or when Vance takes over after the 25th the anointed one. There’s no shortage of white supremacists and White Christian Nationalists in his administration. Remember, when the shit hits the fan, it can never be their fault, just like when they lose elections: It’s always RIGGED! Heads I win, tails, you lose!
Furthermore, the religious right is using Trump for their own nefarious agenda. And now that they’ve completed the wholesale takeover of the courts; when Alito, Thomas and Robert’s all retire by the midterms, if it looks like Trump could lose the senate; the courts will be free to rule by judicial fiat.
Mika and Joe, are just the symptom of a deeper rot that has consumed our country and the media; and it reeks to high heaven! And as Steve points out; it takes a lifetime to build a solid reputation of trust and honor, and just one false move to destroy it completely! And what Mika and Joe did, isn’t one false step; it was a giant leap into the abyss.
Congratulations Mika and Joe! You just wrote your own obituary for MSNBC, and also signed its death certificate! IMHO…:)
These are mere “entertainers” not journalists! They are social and political climbers! Do not forget what they do for BIG money and the Trump infested tax breaks. It is in the Trump cards, entirely. Joe and Mika do not want to be over looked or left behind!
They have definitely showed their colors! Wonder whether they would do it again?
Totally agree with you Robert on scapegoating. If Trump's tarriffs, abortion bans, mass deportations, tax slashes, etc. crash the US, he will use his extraordinary propaganda machine to blame someone else. Count on the immigrants and trans folks being targeted, and I agree, when Tyrants get itchy, they often scratch us Jews.
On Morning Joe, your obituary remark is very much in line with Mark Twain's quip that news of his demise has been exaggerated. Did you see David Frum front and center on Morning Joe this morning?
This fabulous State whose natural beauty I would compare to any in the Union! Remember our state was the first to leave the union.every foot of ground in SC is deeply embedded in History, good and bad!
Our national politicians are self serving,cowardly lunatics!!! The citizens voted out 4 of the 6 female legislators this year.
One of them was a person I had attended school with and was in the band with. I know her to be a moderate,thoughtful person!
Most of the people I know are kind,loving people but make no mistake that there is a strong yearning among some for the Idiocy of
the confederacy ! My husband and I have Always been independent Voters casting our precious Votes for who we thought were the most qualified. Quite frankly until the 2016’s cult leader came on the scene we did not know
that the average voter would sacrifice their Country for the short sighted interest of a
Party! We have voted since 1972 and know many voters who regularly crossed party line!
One of the things that puzzles me is that so many don’t know that until 30 yrs that southerners were “yellow dog democrats”!
They don’t seem to know that the south was still recovering from the civil war well into the depression!!
I have watched
Scarborough Country/ Morning Joe since it beginning and know that they have always had a dependable first string line up 🆙 but this trip the Emerald City to see Wonderful Wizard of Propaganda has sickened me with a dose of reality that had been long brewing for me !!
There is no way one can stay connected to the “unwashed masses” once so called journalists achieve the level of privilege and wealth ALL the prominent talking heads have achieved!
I thought ALL thinking,informed adults knew that money and power were corrupting!
How is it that we thought Mika had lived some ordinary working class life? Really!!
Come on now isn’t this part of the propaganda? Two very ambitious people like Joe and Mika are not about to step back from the level of affluence and notoriety they enjoy !
Not going to happen with them or most folk deluded by the power of money!
As bad as I hate to say it I will! I weep as I say it!!
I believe America is done for! The average citizen is spoiled and has not been tested.
When we abandon our European allies they will be forced to abandon us we will be savaged by an Alliance of Russia,China, North Korea and various other nations that have been jealous of us for generations. Coveting is the number one cause of War and NOT religion.
They will come for us!
No they will not bomb us because they don’t want to destroy the infrastructure just the Nation.
They will occupy us! They will destroy us from within through Technology! The incoming leadership knows exactly how to accomplish this! They are all in position to begin by Spring to completely unravel 248 years of being a Republic!
I believe that democracy does not have a future. When we look at the world, the strong man type leader appears to be the preference. Some think democracy is the thing. Generally speaking, the world disagrees.
Can’t compete with billionaires. Can’t compete with the 50+ years the largest cult in the world has to get organized and can’t compete with the heritage foundation who uses religion to gain control of the government for their own use. We can just hope the three go to war with each other at some point.
Yes, the poor monkeys are at Alpha Genesis. They will eventually be sold to be tortured and killed in laboratories. You can see them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEA0_G0Z1I0
Joe and Mika have been following their faux-journalist playbook all along. They are not the only representatives of the media who acknowledged that views represented money, and Trump generated views. I can remember Mika playing with Trump's hair in 2016, and the show allowing Trump to call in daily. They have always been hangers on: I think the bleeding Mika comments came when they tried to crash a party at Mar-a-lago. Either they don't get it, or think we don't. Let's be blunt: they are chat show hosts who can be replaced by others more competent and less craven.
What ticks me off the most is that when the show started I checked it out a few times and stopped because it reinforced what I knew of Joe and Mika's political past. Then, as Trump came onto the political stage, I was seduced by their commentary/analysis concerning his character and persona. I believed that they believed what they talked about. The discussions with guests seemed direct and honest. The show "demonstrated" a concern for our constitution, the rule of law, human rights, women's rights, etc. The fact that they initiated a date to sit at the table with Trump and break bread with a convicted felon, an abuser of women. a racist, a welcher, a liar, and person who has never in his history respected the rule of law was a bridge too far. It was a betrayal of the fact that their relationship with viewers was transactional, and they are living in a silo of their own creation. To criticize viewers as "on the internet and not understanding the world", to imply that they are diplomats negotiating things, to cite "supportive phone calls from around the world" from unnamed persons who do not and will not live under what is to come, is assinine. It is an insult to their viewers. The fact that people are upset, angry, sad, whatever has nothing to do with the viewers reaction to what they did. Mika's ridiculous explaination which includes that she is the punching bag for viewers emotions is the response of a deluded, spoiled child. They could have handled this differently. Why did this epiphany occure now? Why did they go full bore on Trump when they could have chosen a modified reaction? We cannot escape news about Trump - it is everywhere so the excuse that they needed to stay informed/get breaking news is untrue. Trump will not call them first or whisper in their ears. He does not need to. Joe and Mika pulled back the curtain on themselves and have no one to blame for the viewers reactions but themselves.
I won’t miss mika’s constant sighing or her almost ability to read lines..i do not recall a single interesting independent thought ..I will however miss lemire (will tape his 5 am show) heilemann, ratner, and recent addition michele norris..
I’ve never heard the Edward R Murrow account of Buchenwald. I have no words. Thank you for providing the comparable of what exceptional trustworthy journalism is and should continue to be. It shows the shallow cowardly performance by JoMika in stark relief. I’m counting down the days to their firing announcement. Thank you for relentlessly showing their true colors. It is these kinds of dogged pursuits of injustices and the resistance to them that, collectively, will get us through these next four years.
People seem mostly happy these days in North Carolina. I listen to them. The only regret was not seeing Mark Robinson as our next Governor. I think I was dropped in from another galaxy.
I'm in NC as well, but no one I know is happy with the election of Trump. I think we feel slightly safer that we managed to elect Dems to AG, Governor, School Superintendent, etc. Of course I am in the big blue bubble that is Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, where I'd have to drive a ways to "feel" the red. I for one have stopped watching MSNBC except for Nicole Wallace and Mondays with Rachel. As for Mika and Joe, they are, without any shame, showing their complete cowardice. Disgusting.
My nephew & NIL live in Enid, OK. They moved there about 11 yrs ago because her mother had Alzheimer’s & needed help. Her Dad is in his 80s. She is a teacher who specializes in SpEd.
My nephew hates it there, they rarely socialize with anyone there because their politics & ethics are so different from the majority. They despise Ryan Walters.
Walters is a true chaos agent -- and I mean all over chaos. The DOE is a mess, information is withheld, and superintendents blamed. I think the guy is in way over his head; good thing he seems to want to be governor. Then we can have 24/7 chaos. are the children going to benefit? I don't think that's the point.
John D. You have consistently posted about North Carolina’s political landscape in accurate, yet disturbing, fashion. Hang in there. It has only just begun. I look forward to the day when the 15,000,000+ democrats who failed to vote on November 5, will return.
Strange days. I find it beyond bizarre that the CNN piece was a bridge too far for people here, but saying things were better when women could not vote was perfectly acceptable.
Actually, John D's continuing reporting from South Carolina may be a nugget of future promise for our future of dependable political awareness, especially when sources of news information via MSM can now be barely trusted. Simple like information from all states might just create an awareness that could be in itself conducive to common public assembling, a welding together of now scattered reactions, simply creating and binding a community. Reading his posts about his states' political happenings, I feel informed, quite thoroughly. Thanks to John D. What if we had a John D. informing us from all states?
It all depends upon where in NC you live. Here in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle, we are mostly among like-minded people who respect education, diversity and religious freedom. I keep my politics to myself - no bumper stickers - whenever I leave this safe area. It is not safe to be an obvious "liberal" in the Bible belt beyond our region.
I am a blue dot, in a purple state, living in a red district in NC. About half the state agrees with me. After losing the election, given the monetary donations I gave nationwide, and the multiple volunteer hours I exoended, I was totally disillusioned for a couple days. Now I'm concentrating on forming the resistence.
How about the 60,000 votes in the North Carolina Supreme Court seat. The Republican wants them voided, to steal that election, and he just might get it.
In New Jersey, the State Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Governor. Electing them, as is done here, is not something I think is actually helpful.
Yes. In a real world or on Earth One, the way maga disparaged our country and it's citizenry and institutions in the past 4 years (which started Feb 2021)...maga, repeating trump's insults no matter how common and low rent his use of the English Language may be! Trump: Our Military is Weak, VP Harris is Dumb, Post Office workers, Stupid, Blue cities A Mess...anyway - you get the picture. And his insults towards America as a whole, third world country, garbage can, etc...one would think that this level of supposed Dem disaster would take a decade or more to actually fix. But, nope. Not with this bunch. It's immediate. Trump and his cult base believe that on Nov 5, 2024 - everything was happy and fixed, simply by his win, a very narrow win. They don't care that 74.3M Americans said NO to these vile men and their disjointed and abhorrent agenda. They are happy and believe that today, Today, America is Great again! No actual work needs to be done. His majesty is simply there. They believe that such a huge mandate - will justify canceling of future POTUS elections. Yes, happy Red States be they poor, middle class or uber wealthy! Happy Happy! The Emperor, who isn't wearing any clothes, can be ruler for life.
For what it's worth, I never have been a fan of Scarborough the pedantic gas bag. Mika as the "dutiful dumb blonde" does not help much. She is blatantly obsequious, all the more to Joe's liking. I am not so irked over their visit to the Florida White House. They bent the knee and kissed the ring. Perhaps they were following orders "from on high". After all, every family has its Bezos. What really concerns me is the sweeping destruction to our republic planned by Trump, Musk, Vought, Johnson and others. They want to rip the nation away from its loyal inhabitants, turning it into a fascist stronghold. There is a saying, "One never knows what one has lost until it is lost and gone". That 70 Million created this monster. Good luck trying to slay it.
THANK YOU STEVE. I know some of our members will yell at you to stop already on the Joe & Mika thing, but this is really, really important. We have two "guardrails" left--i.e., State's Rights, and the news media. And the latter is breaking into a million tiny pieces, extremely difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Joe and Mika. Gutless to their core. I always claimed Joe was a Republican who saw $$$$$ in denying his party but, alas, he has returned 100% a MAGA cult follower. My guess is he wants a different job that keeps Trump off his tail. I imagine he would throw his kow towing spouse to the wolves should circumstances warrant.
Yeah but save some of that for the others to follow. There is a semantic difference between appeasement and belief, although functionally they are the same. Mika and Joe will not be the only or last ones. There will be a pilgrimage. I think, so far, what is most surprising to me about the coming of American Fascism is not the concept, but how easy it's been to pull off.
Because I had a professor in college who was related to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I became interested in German history. From Bismarck to Hitler, The Nazi Seizure of Power and the Holocaust. Steve, you hit every nail on it's head, history wise. Not many people living today recall how the ground was laid for the rise of the Nazi Party and fascism unless they'd made a study of it. People today won't take the time to fact check, no less do a deep dive back into history to see how fascism has progressed, unless they themselves want fascism to succeed. Trump and MAGA do. Whether Trump actually had a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table is debatable. But someone in his sphere surely has had. One of the prime directives of any coup is to control the media, to "dictate" the narrative. I'm not one to promote conspiracies (the Trump assassination attempt was staged) but, Joe and Mika taking down MSNBC plays right into hands of MAGA to control (or destroy) one of the largest "liberal" media outlets. Chatter about Musk buying MSNBC from Comcast to either: add to the MAGA propaganda arsenal; or stifle it, is no better evidence that the fascist "prime directive" is in play. By taking down MSNBC, whether intentionally or not, Mika and Joe may have done us a service. They inadvertently have turned the headlights up on all MSM. All cable news outlets operate in a way that is detrimental to honest reporting because they do not have to follow FCC regulations. They've been allowed to get away with that for to long. And now the FCC will be under the control of the Trump administration. It's a perfect confluence of events. Almost like it was planned.
I still like MSNBC it’s still the only place to see the other side. I recently reads biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer but don’t think we have any like him in this country unfortunately! I despise Trump and the system has allowed this con artist to become president for the second time. It’s tragic that in the past 91 years we ave learned Nothing! We or they have just elected a man who is every bit as corrupt and evil as Adolph ever was and a man with Dementia! He was bad enough 8 years ago but now he’s pure evil. I am disappointed in Joe and Mika for going to Trump but I suppose they were worried about their jobs as worried as the network NBC. Trump is going to make everyone bow and scrape at least for now. How long before his shrinking grasp on reality lasts? He’s not even close to being a normal human being. I try to see what his voters see in him but I can’t. There is something really wrong with they’re thinking they’ve been blindsided by Fox propaganda and don’t even know that Fox is not licensed as a News Channel it’s an Entertainment channel, they don’t have to tell the TRUTH! So they don’t!
They have money and investments. The will not go broke. They can do other things to make money - books, podcasts, new news gigs, etc. By giving in to Trump the strengthend him.
Thank You Steve for this article! Although it became my habit to tune in to Morning Joe every day, I did so often scold them through TV… Joe for being so arrogant and Mika for being self righteous and priggish!
Why did I continue this habit? Habits need to be replaced with something else! I didn’t like or trust CNN… I did turn to Substack but it took a lot of my time to read all that I wanted! I need it to be on in the background while I putter!
Media is in for a reckoning, let’s hope they get it right!
Yep ! I remember I was driving from Florida to NY I had the radio on . Trump called in to the show. Mika asked him who he had to advise him on matters. He told her something like I have a really great brain Mika I don't need anyone. At the time I thought it was hysterical and I laughed out loud for about 5 miles. Not so funny anymore. I still wish Hillary would have won .. and now I wish Kamala would have won. The country isn't ready for a woman.
I’ve watched about 1 hour of cable news since November 5th. Nicole Wallace’s show. I hate to see the decent people like her, Maddow, O’Donnell, Reid lose their jobs, but it’s time to break the wheel. NYT is out, my local paper & Boston Globe are in. Now that democracies worldwide are going to suffer because of us, it’s time to think bigger. We need a global democracy movement. We need to ditch the electoral college, change election finance laws, buttress institutions against corruption & stop elevating billionaires. The Biden presidency, while the best in my lifetime, showed that going back to pre-Trump status quo is not enough. The rule of law failed us. Since those who wanted to destroy the system have prevailed (whether fairly or not), we must rebuild something better from the ashes.
Thank you Steve, for this comprehensive piece and your unwavering commitment to the truth. Television news, particularly cable news, is not in the same ballpark (or, as per Jules Winfield, it ain't even the same f@#&!*g sport) as its predecessor. I grew up in the fifties and sixties and long for Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Roger Mudd. Despite Joe and Mika's belief that they are journalists, they are in fact, highly-paid television presenters, whose ratings (according to Nielsen figures) are plummeting. The podcast where Mika doubles down on her own importance is Exhibit A to her life in the bubble and her acute hearing loss when it comes to tone. At first blush, I thought her story about spilling caviar on Deng Xiaoping was apropos of nothing, but I realize that she was reminding the audience that she was raised in rarefied air (it was Beluga, after all, not Budweiser). She was also pleading to remain in rarefied air or maybe to just remain on MSNBC's air.
What’s disturbing is people think all fascist regimes use Jews as the scapegoat, but the reality is, it’s always immigrants, which happened to be the Jews the time and throughout history. In both Mussolini’s Italy, and Hitler’s Germany, it was Jews, Gypsies, socialists, communists and the LGBTQ community. Or anyone foolish (heroic) enough to challenge the regime.
Moreover, Jews were considered the lowest form of scum on earth, and the usual scapegoat. Now it’s immigrants from so called “shit-hole” countries.
However, when the next recession hits, and it’s going to be worse than the 2008 debacle, you know one thing for sure; Trump and his minions will need a new scapegoat, and Jews could be on the menu. Or when Vance takes over after the 25th the anointed one. There’s no shortage of white supremacists and White Christian Nationalists in his administration. Remember, when the shit hits the fan, it can never be their fault, just like when they lose elections: It’s always RIGGED! Heads I win, tails, you lose!
Furthermore, the religious right is using Trump for their own nefarious agenda. And now that they’ve completed the wholesale takeover of the courts; when Alito, Thomas and Robert’s all retire by the midterms, if it looks like Trump could lose the senate; the courts will be free to rule by judicial fiat.
Mika and Joe, are just the symptom of a deeper rot that has consumed our country and the media; and it reeks to high heaven! And as Steve points out; it takes a lifetime to build a solid reputation of trust and honor, and just one false move to destroy it completely! And what Mika and Joe did, isn’t one false step; it was a giant leap into the abyss.
Congratulations Mika and Joe! You just wrote your own obituary for MSNBC, and also signed its death certificate! IMHO…:)
1000% agree. I have not watched msnbc since. Nor any corporate access media for that matter. They cant be trusted.
These are mere “entertainers” not journalists! They are social and political climbers! Do not forget what they do for BIG money and the Trump infested tax breaks. It is in the Trump cards, entirely. Joe and Mika do not want to be over looked or left behind!
They have definitely showed their colors! Wonder whether they would do it again?
me too and as of now, I don't miss it one bit. thought it would be hard but it's been wonderful. fuck all corporate media and their hired hands.
Totally agree with you Robert on scapegoating. If Trump's tarriffs, abortion bans, mass deportations, tax slashes, etc. crash the US, he will use his extraordinary propaganda machine to blame someone else. Count on the immigrants and trans folks being targeted, and I agree, when Tyrants get itchy, they often scratch us Jews.
On Morning Joe, your obituary remark is very much in line with Mark Twain's quip that news of his demise has been exaggerated. Did you see David Frum front and center on Morning Joe this morning?
I didn’t hear it, as I no longer listen to them, but I read Frum’s piece in The Atlantic.
Speaking of insipid journalists, Kathleen Parker had a piece today about 43 monkeys escaping a facility in South Carolina.
Well, you’d run too if your elected representatives were Nancy Mace, Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, and Henry McMaster.
Or maybe they are among the monkeys. Apologies to all monkies.
This fabulous State whose natural beauty I would compare to any in the Union! Remember our state was the first to leave the union.every foot of ground in SC is deeply embedded in History, good and bad!
Our national politicians are self serving,cowardly lunatics!!! The citizens voted out 4 of the 6 female legislators this year.
One of them was a person I had attended school with and was in the band with. I know her to be a moderate,thoughtful person!
Most of the people I know are kind,loving people but make no mistake that there is a strong yearning among some for the Idiocy of
the confederacy ! My husband and I have Always been independent Voters casting our precious Votes for who we thought were the most qualified. Quite frankly until the 2016’s cult leader came on the scene we did not know
that the average voter would sacrifice their Country for the short sighted interest of a
Party! We have voted since 1972 and know many voters who regularly crossed party line!
One of the things that puzzles me is that so many don’t know that until 30 yrs that southerners were “yellow dog democrats”!
They don’t seem to know that the south was still recovering from the civil war well into the depression!!
I have watched
Scarborough Country/ Morning Joe since it beginning and know that they have always had a dependable first string line up 🆙 but this trip the Emerald City to see Wonderful Wizard of Propaganda has sickened me with a dose of reality that had been long brewing for me !!
There is no way one can stay connected to the “unwashed masses” once so called journalists achieve the level of privilege and wealth ALL the prominent talking heads have achieved!
I thought ALL thinking,informed adults knew that money and power were corrupting!
How is it that we thought Mika had lived some ordinary working class life? Really!!
Come on now isn’t this part of the propaganda? Two very ambitious people like Joe and Mika are not about to step back from the level of affluence and notoriety they enjoy !
Not going to happen with them or most folk deluded by the power of money!
As bad as I hate to say it I will! I weep as I say it!!
I believe America is done for! The average citizen is spoiled and has not been tested.
When we abandon our European allies they will be forced to abandon us we will be savaged by an Alliance of Russia,China, North Korea and various other nations that have been jealous of us for generations. Coveting is the number one cause of War and NOT religion.
They will come for us!
No they will not bomb us because they don’t want to destroy the infrastructure just the Nation.
They will occupy us! They will destroy us from within through Technology! The incoming leadership knows exactly how to accomplish this! They are all in position to begin by Spring to completely unravel 248 years of being a Republic!
May God truly help our country!🇺🇸🙏🏼🙏🏼🇺🇸
I believe that democracy does not have a future. When we look at the world, the strong man type leader appears to be the preference. Some think democracy is the thing. Generally speaking, the world disagrees.
Can’t compete with billionaires. Can’t compete with the 50+ years the largest cult in the world has to get organized and can’t compete with the heritage foundation who uses religion to gain control of the government for their own use. We can just hope the three go to war with each other at some point.
Yes, the poor monkeys are at Alpha Genesis. They will eventually be sold to be tortured and killed in laboratories. You can see them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEA0_G0Z1I0
Animal experimentation is horrific & is completely unnecessary, we the public should make is unacceptable.
Thank you, P.J. It's nice to have an ally on this platform.
:) :) :) !
Joe and Mika have been following their faux-journalist playbook all along. They are not the only representatives of the media who acknowledged that views represented money, and Trump generated views. I can remember Mika playing with Trump's hair in 2016, and the show allowing Trump to call in daily. They have always been hangers on: I think the bleeding Mika comments came when they tried to crash a party at Mar-a-lago. Either they don't get it, or think we don't. Let's be blunt: they are chat show hosts who can be replaced by others more competent and less craven.
What ticks me off the most is that when the show started I checked it out a few times and stopped because it reinforced what I knew of Joe and Mika's political past. Then, as Trump came onto the political stage, I was seduced by their commentary/analysis concerning his character and persona. I believed that they believed what they talked about. The discussions with guests seemed direct and honest. The show "demonstrated" a concern for our constitution, the rule of law, human rights, women's rights, etc. The fact that they initiated a date to sit at the table with Trump and break bread with a convicted felon, an abuser of women. a racist, a welcher, a liar, and person who has never in his history respected the rule of law was a bridge too far. It was a betrayal of the fact that their relationship with viewers was transactional, and they are living in a silo of their own creation. To criticize viewers as "on the internet and not understanding the world", to imply that they are diplomats negotiating things, to cite "supportive phone calls from around the world" from unnamed persons who do not and will not live under what is to come, is assinine. It is an insult to their viewers. The fact that people are upset, angry, sad, whatever has nothing to do with the viewers reaction to what they did. Mika's ridiculous explaination which includes that she is the punching bag for viewers emotions is the response of a deluded, spoiled child. They could have handled this differently. Why did this epiphany occure now? Why did they go full bore on Trump when they could have chosen a modified reaction? We cannot escape news about Trump - it is everywhere so the excuse that they needed to stay informed/get breaking news is untrue. Trump will not call them first or whisper in their ears. He does not need to. Joe and Mika pulled back the curtain on themselves and have no one to blame for the viewers reactions but themselves.
I won’t miss mika’s constant sighing or her almost ability to read lines..i do not recall a single interesting independent thought ..I will however miss lemire (will tape his 5 am show) heilemann, ratner, and recent addition michele norris..
Maybe they need to move to FOX? Another blonde for the sofa?
Brilliant, and especially grateful to hear Edward r Murrow’s account from Buchenwald,
I’ve never heard the Edward R Murrow account of Buchenwald. I have no words. Thank you for providing the comparable of what exceptional trustworthy journalism is and should continue to be. It shows the shallow cowardly performance by JoMika in stark relief. I’m counting down the days to their firing announcement. Thank you for relentlessly showing their true colors. It is these kinds of dogged pursuits of injustices and the resistance to them that, collectively, will get us through these next four years.
Their lawyers are probably already negotiating their exit with a very generous severance package. 🤬
good riddance
Yes they will go away and write books and Mika will promote women’s issues etc!
Exactly 🤞
Ditto
People seem mostly happy these days in North Carolina. I listen to them. The only regret was not seeing Mark Robinson as our next Governor. I think I was dropped in from another galaxy.
I'm in NC as well, but no one I know is happy with the election of Trump. I think we feel slightly safer that we managed to elect Dems to AG, Governor, School Superintendent, etc. Of course I am in the big blue bubble that is Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, where I'd have to drive a ways to "feel" the red. I for one have stopped watching MSNBC except for Nicole Wallace and Mondays with Rachel. As for Mika and Joe, they are, without any shame, showing their complete cowardice. Disgusting.
Lawrence O'Donnell and Ari Melber are also worth tuning in.
Joy Reid will also never drink the Koolaid or capitulate.
No doubt which one will hold firm!
I’m pretty sure Fox has two chairs waiting
on the Scarborough’s! Disappointed but not surprised 😮
Where I am is redder than Santa’s overcoat.
sorry John. :-(
Let's hope Justice Allison Riggs stays the winner after all the shenanigans going on now!
All sympathies, but I will see you and raise you: I'm in Oklahoma. I'm not from here and have always felt like a foreigner.
But, you are receiving the great gift - the Trump Golden Bibles in your schools.
All printed in China! Trump’s accomplished mission? Amen?
I know! You cannot make this up ...😬
My nephew & NIL live in Enid, OK. They moved there about 11 yrs ago because her mother had Alzheimer’s & needed help. Her Dad is in his 80s. She is a teacher who specializes in SpEd.
My nephew hates it there, they rarely socialize with anyone there because their politics & ethics are so different from the majority. They despise Ryan Walters.
Walters is a true chaos agent -- and I mean all over chaos. The DOE is a mess, information is withheld, and superintendents blamed. I think the guy is in way over his head; good thing he seems to want to be governor. Then we can have 24/7 chaos. are the children going to benefit? I don't think that's the point.
John D. You have consistently posted about North Carolina’s political landscape in accurate, yet disturbing, fashion. Hang in there. It has only just begun. I look forward to the day when the 15,000,000+ democrats who failed to vote on November 5, will return.
Strange days. I find it beyond bizarre that the CNN piece was a bridge too far for people here, but saying things were better when women could not vote was perfectly acceptable.
Actually, John D's continuing reporting from South Carolina may be a nugget of future promise for our future of dependable political awareness, especially when sources of news information via MSM can now be barely trusted. Simple like information from all states might just create an awareness that could be in itself conducive to common public assembling, a welding together of now scattered reactions, simply creating and binding a community. Reading his posts about his states' political happenings, I feel informed, quite thoroughly. Thanks to John D. What if we had a John D. informing us from all states?
It all depends upon where in NC you live. Here in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle, we are mostly among like-minded people who respect education, diversity and religious freedom. I keep my politics to myself - no bumper stickers - whenever I leave this safe area. It is not safe to be an obvious "liberal" in the Bible belt beyond our region.
I am a blue dot, in a purple state, living in a red district in NC. About half the state agrees with me. After losing the election, given the monetary donations I gave nationwide, and the multiple volunteer hours I exoended, I was totally disillusioned for a couple days. Now I'm concentrating on forming the resistence.
A Short Definition of Fascism: "I Alone Can Fix It."
A Short Definition of Democracy: "We Together Will Fix It."
Spot on, it’s the same here in GA, my county, Dekalb voted 85% for Kamala, she still lost the state.
How about the 60,000 votes in the North Carolina Supreme Court seat. The Republican wants them voided, to steal that election, and he just might get it.
Allison Riggs won by only 722 votes. There is a very real possibility she could lose this thing if the Maggots are successful.
I know. Scary stuff if they get away with it and we’re hearing nothing from the MSN; just crickets…:)
In New Jersey, the State Supreme Court judges are appointed by the Governor. Electing them, as is done here, is not something I think is actually helpful.
Yes. In a real world or on Earth One, the way maga disparaged our country and it's citizenry and institutions in the past 4 years (which started Feb 2021)...maga, repeating trump's insults no matter how common and low rent his use of the English Language may be! Trump: Our Military is Weak, VP Harris is Dumb, Post Office workers, Stupid, Blue cities A Mess...anyway - you get the picture. And his insults towards America as a whole, third world country, garbage can, etc...one would think that this level of supposed Dem disaster would take a decade or more to actually fix. But, nope. Not with this bunch. It's immediate. Trump and his cult base believe that on Nov 5, 2024 - everything was happy and fixed, simply by his win, a very narrow win. They don't care that 74.3M Americans said NO to these vile men and their disjointed and abhorrent agenda. They are happy and believe that today, Today, America is Great again! No actual work needs to be done. His majesty is simply there. They believe that such a huge mandate - will justify canceling of future POTUS elections. Yes, happy Red States be they poor, middle class or uber wealthy! Happy Happy! The Emperor, who isn't wearing any clothes, can be ruler for life.
Nit the people I choose to associate with. We are talking about firming the resistence.
For what it's worth, I never have been a fan of Scarborough the pedantic gas bag. Mika as the "dutiful dumb blonde" does not help much. She is blatantly obsequious, all the more to Joe's liking. I am not so irked over their visit to the Florida White House. They bent the knee and kissed the ring. Perhaps they were following orders "from on high". After all, every family has its Bezos. What really concerns me is the sweeping destruction to our republic planned by Trump, Musk, Vought, Johnson and others. They want to rip the nation away from its loyal inhabitants, turning it into a fascist stronghold. There is a saying, "One never knows what one has lost until it is lost and gone". That 70 Million created this monster. Good luck trying to slay it.
THANK YOU STEVE. I know some of our members will yell at you to stop already on the Joe & Mika thing, but this is really, really important. We have two "guardrails" left--i.e., State's Rights, and the news media. And the latter is breaking into a million tiny pieces, extremely difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Thank you. This is a big deal.
Steve
Joe and Mika. Gutless to their core. I always claimed Joe was a Republican who saw $$$$$ in denying his party but, alas, he has returned 100% a MAGA cult follower. My guess is he wants a different job that keeps Trump off his tail. I imagine he would throw his kow towing spouse to the wolves should circumstances warrant.
Just another pod caster in the making…
Yeah but save some of that for the others to follow. There is a semantic difference between appeasement and belief, although functionally they are the same. Mika and Joe will not be the only or last ones. There will be a pilgrimage. I think, so far, what is most surprising to me about the coming of American Fascism is not the concept, but how easy it's been to pull off.
The Entertainers!
Yes I agree !
Because I had a professor in college who was related to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I became interested in German history. From Bismarck to Hitler, The Nazi Seizure of Power and the Holocaust. Steve, you hit every nail on it's head, history wise. Not many people living today recall how the ground was laid for the rise of the Nazi Party and fascism unless they'd made a study of it. People today won't take the time to fact check, no less do a deep dive back into history to see how fascism has progressed, unless they themselves want fascism to succeed. Trump and MAGA do. Whether Trump actually had a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table is debatable. But someone in his sphere surely has had. One of the prime directives of any coup is to control the media, to "dictate" the narrative. I'm not one to promote conspiracies (the Trump assassination attempt was staged) but, Joe and Mika taking down MSNBC plays right into hands of MAGA to control (or destroy) one of the largest "liberal" media outlets. Chatter about Musk buying MSNBC from Comcast to either: add to the MAGA propaganda arsenal; or stifle it, is no better evidence that the fascist "prime directive" is in play. By taking down MSNBC, whether intentionally or not, Mika and Joe may have done us a service. They inadvertently have turned the headlights up on all MSM. All cable news outlets operate in a way that is detrimental to honest reporting because they do not have to follow FCC regulations. They've been allowed to get away with that for to long. And now the FCC will be under the control of the Trump administration. It's a perfect confluence of events. Almost like it was planned.
I still like MSNBC it’s still the only place to see the other side. I recently reads biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer but don’t think we have any like him in this country unfortunately! I despise Trump and the system has allowed this con artist to become president for the second time. It’s tragic that in the past 91 years we ave learned Nothing! We or they have just elected a man who is every bit as corrupt and evil as Adolph ever was and a man with Dementia! He was bad enough 8 years ago but now he’s pure evil. I am disappointed in Joe and Mika for going to Trump but I suppose they were worried about their jobs as worried as the network NBC. Trump is going to make everyone bow and scrape at least for now. How long before his shrinking grasp on reality lasts? He’s not even close to being a normal human being. I try to see what his voters see in him but I can’t. There is something really wrong with they’re thinking they’ve been blindsided by Fox propaganda and don’t even know that Fox is not licensed as a News Channel it’s an Entertainment channel, they don’t have to tell the TRUTH! So they don’t!
They have money and investments. The will not go broke. They can do other things to make money - books, podcasts, new news gigs, etc. By giving in to Trump the strengthend him.
That history is here. Mussolini wrote the How to.
https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/the-playbook-is-known?r=3m1bs
Thank You Steve for this article! Although it became my habit to tune in to Morning Joe every day, I did so often scold them through TV… Joe for being so arrogant and Mika for being self righteous and priggish!
Why did I continue this habit? Habits need to be replaced with something else! I didn’t like or trust CNN… I did turn to Substack but it took a lot of my time to read all that I wanted! I need it to be on in the background while I putter!
Media is in for a reckoning, let’s hope they get it right!
TY Again Steve!
Going way back, I remember when Joe and Mika had Trump on their show all the time. They helped make him.
Joe was afraid not to aid and assist Trump! Joe wants to be a “big guy” on all fronts!
Joe wants to be in the knowing! Bag of hot air and the arrogance cannot be measured.
Mika tags along as a “good wife”?
Yep ! I remember I was driving from Florida to NY I had the radio on . Trump called in to the show. Mika asked him who he had to advise him on matters. He told her something like I have a really great brain Mika I don't need anyone. At the time I thought it was hysterical and I laughed out loud for about 5 miles. Not so funny anymore. I still wish Hillary would have won .. and now I wish Kamala would have won. The country isn't ready for a woman.
I’ve watched about 1 hour of cable news since November 5th. Nicole Wallace’s show. I hate to see the decent people like her, Maddow, O’Donnell, Reid lose their jobs, but it’s time to break the wheel. NYT is out, my local paper & Boston Globe are in. Now that democracies worldwide are going to suffer because of us, it’s time to think bigger. We need a global democracy movement. We need to ditch the electoral college, change election finance laws, buttress institutions against corruption & stop elevating billionaires. The Biden presidency, while the best in my lifetime, showed that going back to pre-Trump status quo is not enough. The rule of law failed us. Since those who wanted to destroy the system have prevailed (whether fairly or not), we must rebuild something better from the ashes.
Perfect. May Morning Joe be thrown into the dustbin of history.
I look forward to the historical documentary that indicts Joe and Mika as malleable tRUMP puppets. What a disgraceful pair they are.
Thank you Steve, for this comprehensive piece and your unwavering commitment to the truth. Television news, particularly cable news, is not in the same ballpark (or, as per Jules Winfield, it ain't even the same f@#&!*g sport) as its predecessor. I grew up in the fifties and sixties and long for Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Roger Mudd. Despite Joe and Mika's belief that they are journalists, they are in fact, highly-paid television presenters, whose ratings (according to Nielsen figures) are plummeting. The podcast where Mika doubles down on her own importance is Exhibit A to her life in the bubble and her acute hearing loss when it comes to tone. At first blush, I thought her story about spilling caviar on Deng Xiaoping was apropos of nothing, but I realize that she was reminding the audience that she was raised in rarefied air (it was Beluga, after all, not Budweiser). She was also pleading to remain in rarefied air or maybe to just remain on MSNBC's air.