Scarborough to Brzezinski on Morning Joe: "[D]on't make me backhand you"

[NNN0LHI]

http://mediamatters.org/items/200801300002??f=h_top

On the January 30 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough said to co-host Mika Brzezinski, "Mika, don't make me backhand you." Scarborough made the comment after telling CNBC chief political correspondent John Harwood: "I, actually -- I don't endorse anybody because, as you know, I'm a journalist," prompting Brzezinski to laugh. Brzezinski responded to Scarborough's "backhand" remark: "Oh, lord."

[wryter2000]

1. Good God!

He threatened a female colleague with physical violence? :wow:

[sepulveda]

6. is there

a difference between threatening a female employee vs. a male employee with physical violence?

not in a world that doesn't judge people by gender.

[alittlelark]

8. Scarborough is the ex-congressman w/ the dead intern in his office.

[DainBramaged]

11. Yup, he is a scumbag

[sepulveda]

17. so

innocent until proven guilty (and in this case there were not even charges brought) doesn't exist for repub's.

i've seen no remotely compelling evidence that there was foul play in this incident/

i don't care what somebody's politics are when it comes to presumption of innocence.

i recall how many people (and the media) crucified the duke boys, for example.

accidental deaths DO happen.

[gratuitous]

18. Yes, accidental deaths happen

But not often to 28-year-olds with no history of medical problems. But it's curious that the only medical person to examine the body, Michael Berkland, had lost his license to practice medicine in Missouri a couple of years before Klausutis' death. And that within three hours of Lori Klausutis' body being discovered, both Joe Scarborough and his press secretary, Miguel Serrano, went public with their unsupported opinion that Klausutis had suffered from unspecified health problems. The original report claimed that there was no evidence of foul play, which became the template for the public's understanding of what was found that morning in one of Scarborough's offices. Berkland later acknowledged, however, that Klausutis had a scratch and a bruise on her head. But n further details were proffered.

Considering that this happened in 2001, at the very same time the press was so obsessed with Chandra Levy's disappearance and Gary Condit's possible involvement, this incident begins to pass out of the realm of the merely curious. The fact that Scarborough announced that he would resign his House seat shortly after being re-elected in May 2001, just two months before Klausutis' body was found moves this into the arena of is there anything more sinister going on? Fortunately for public opinion, the strongly Republican area of Florida where this all went down isn't terribly inquisitive about things that might reflect badly on Republicans, so folks are free to claim without foundation that there is no "remotely compelling evidence" that might lead one to suspect anything. When you don't look for evidence, it's a lead pipe cinch (you should pardon the expression) that you won't find any evidence.

[tsuki]

12. Lori Klausutis is her name, and when will her family see justice? eoq

[sepulveda]

16. im aware of that

how is that relevant to my question?

[BlueManDude]

2. Scarborough has a pretty lethal backhand.

[originalpckelly]

3. DeadInternJoe

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

4. I like the fact that on Morning Joe

Joe is hardly ever there.

Today, Mika was off. I did not watch.

Most of this week we had Mika and Willie, Again.

Joe is an arrogant, POS, chauvinistic, slacker.

[PCIntern]

5. Those are his GOOD points...n/t

[muffin1]

7. Oh, come on

Joe can be a bit annoying, but he is more palatable than any other repub on the MSM. He and Mika joke around quite a lot. I actually find it to be a tad charming. Without a doubt, I prefer them to any other morning news show. Kiran Chetry and John Roberts, anyone?:puke:

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

9. Pretty much agree...Joe can be a wank but they have a pretty good chemistry...

and are more entertaining then the other morning shows

[muffin1]

10. That's all I'm sayin'

;)

[UALRBSofL]

19. Joe, from my home town, what can I say

He's a right wing repuke that was up Bush's butt here in florida and helped Harris get Bush elected. Before his claim to fame getting Bush elected he flamed the Clinton's to death and never had a nice thing to say about the democratic party. After his claim to fame getting Bush elected he landed this job on MSNBC and I hope after the 08 elections he's gone. I just hope he doesn't come back here, cuz we don't want him.

[hiaasenrocks]

13. Agreed. Some people just aren't happy unless they're complaining about something.

Yawn.

[stanwyck]

14. I watch every morning. I like Mika, and remember,

Erin Burnette (the money honey) is the one who called Bush "the chimp". She said of a pix of Bush with Sarkozy, he's hot. And I'm not talking about the monkey in the middle (Bush). You know, the chimp.
The thing about Joe is, like the rest of the neocons, he's always wrong. Always. He's been making all kinds or predictions during the primary season. And he hasn't been close yet.

[SoCalDem]

15. Mike needs to trade places with whatshisname..

Women tend to "fall, hit their heds & die" when they are near a Joe Scarborough desk..

just sayin'...

[chimpymustgo]

20. He should have been taken off the air for that remark. He is quite abusive to Mica, when he's

not be patronizing and chauvinistic.

He is a mean bully, and Mica and Willie clearly enjoy the show more when he's not around.