Seasoned troll and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) took his beef with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski to the Senate floor on Wednesday, bashing the MSNBC hosts for their interview with the billionaire Koch brothers earlier this week.
Reid called the “Morning Joe” interview with conservative mega-donors Charles and David Koch an example of the media catering to “modern-day robber barons,” and read aloud his favorite excerpts from the segment.
“Wow. Those were some really tough questions asked by the host of ‘Morning Joe.’ That’s sufficient journalism,” Reid said on the Senate floor, after reading excepts of the hosts asking the brothers if they play rugby together and whether their “graciousness” came from their mother.
He continued: “Those questions are so easy, they may even qualify them to moderate the next Republican presidential debate.”
Reid also said “most of the time there weren’t even questions. There were just compliments” during Scarborough and Brzezinski’s sit-down with the Kochs in the brothers’ hometown of Wichita, Kansas.
“It seems that some journalists are determined not to get on the wrong side of the Koch brothers and their billions,” he said. “When the media rolls over for these modern-day robber barons as it’s doing now, our country’s in trouble.”
Scarborough and Brzezinski shied away from pressing the billionaire brothers on substantive policy issues, including the nearly $1 billion they expect to contribute to 2016 races, during the interview.
Scarborough fired back on Wednesday in a statement to Politico, saying that Reid is “blinded” by hate.
“It is easy to understand why Harry Reid is enraged by the kind of thoughtful discussions we have with our Democratic and Republican guests on Morning Joe,” Scarborough said in the statement. “In fact, [Charles Koch] saved his harshest criticisms for Republicans he once supported.”
Scarborough’s “blinded” remark was particularly pointed given Reid’s significant eye injury earlier this year. The Nevada senator temporarily lost vision in his right eye after a nasty accident with an exercise band, leading to months of recovery and a lawsuit against the manufacturer.
Scarborough, an ex-congressman, also tweeted Reid is “still bitter” that his “dumb strategy” to focus on the Kochs has cost Democrats.
Guess you’re still bitter because your dumb strategy to focus so much on the Kochs cost Democrats the majority #Duh https://t.co/OJhlzYUnk9
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) November 4, 2015
Hey Harry, sorry I can’t pull off that Joseph McCarthy routine as good as you hatefully calling people un-American. https://t.co/OJhlzYUnk9
— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) November 4, 2015
In January this year, Brzezinski, the so-called “liberal” foil to conservative Scarborough, announced on the show she had seen the light on the Koch brothers after attending a Koch-backed retreat in Palm Springs.
“I thought the different programs they have had, the conversations they had, addressed really interesting questions,” Brzezinski said about the event.
The interview was billed as a historic get for the left-leaning MSNBC, and for the network’s tentpole morning news talk show.
How classy.
Is there an emoticon for projectile vomiting?
And I’m gonna miss this troller of ours, dearly. Frustrating now and then, he’s been an effective leader.
Kissing up to the Kochs: what’s new with the right wingers? and the media?
Here is from David Koch’s “Libertarian” platform when he ran in 1980. (For “Libertarian” read “John Birch Society”);
Taken from the blog post by Senator Sanders, available at
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/…
Here are just a few excerpts of the Libertarian Party platform that David Koch ran on in 1980: “We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
“We demand the return of America’s railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called “self-protection” equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.