At this point, it may be safe to say that “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough is no more Republican than Arlen Specter. After all, the show’s “conservative” host takes almost every opportunity to defend the current administration and dismiss Obama’s critics. On June 9, the panelists were reviewing the Obama administration’s response to the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Scarborough asserted, “A poll yesterday shows that more people think that the government is mishandling this then Katrina , which is just, I think, ridiculous .” Fellow MSNBC anchor Andrea Mitchell agreed, and noted that the president and his team have been down in the Gulf working hard. And then Mitchell asserted that Obama could have diminished criticism if a week earlier, he had “gone down there and stayed and had a meal with the people, eaten some shrimp.” [MP3 audio avaiable here ] Later, Scarborough held out hope that success is still attainable for the president because this crisis is a “marathon” and “not a sprint. He can play catch up.” While the Gulf is being ravaged with an estimated 12,000 to 25,000 barrels of oil daily and its residents’ livelihoods are being destroyed, it is reassuring to hear Scarborough offer that this is above all, a test of endurance for the president. Co-host Mika Brzezinski added her concern, wondering, “have we been covering it intensely?” Even though the oil spill has been a topic of discussion every day since it started, Scarborough practically insulted his audience by claiming that they were unaware of the president’s efforts and that, “there is a disconnect between that reality and the perception of Americans.” It just doesn’t occur to Scarborough that he may be the one who is out of touch.
