Mika Brzezinski: fired up and ready to go . . . for Donald Trump? Not exactly. It isn't that Mika's jumping on the Make America Great Again express. It's just that she wants "intellectual honesty" from her peers when it comes to admitting that Trump has gone from amusing sideshow who's sure to eventually crash to true frontrunner who is now likely to be the Republican nominee.
You might not think of Brzezinski as being particularly data-driven, but on today's Morning Joe she repeatedly argued that there is no data supporting a Trump meltdown scenario. Going around the table with the question of whether it was "likely" or not that Trump would be the Republican nominee, she, Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist were in the "likely" column. Susan Ferrechio of the Washington Examiner was at 50-50. The only naysayer was Bloomberg's John Heilemann, who opined it was unlikely Trump would be the nominee.
Tautology Alert: Susan Ferrechio of the Washington Examiner said that what could keep Trump from winning the nomination would be another candidate who did "better than him in the polls . . . and [thus] take the lead."
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Those two [Trump and Carson] over 50% among likely GOP primary voters!
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Okay. I'm just going to make you all say it before we go to break. Because everyone's now saying well, he [Trump] probably won't win the nomination but he's a serious player. No, no, no, no, no. The question is, what keeps him from winning the nomination? Is there anything at this point?
SUSAN FERRECHIO: I think there is.
MIKA: Is there any data?
FERRECHIO: I don't think it's going to be Trump tripping up and the voters rejecting him.
MIKA: Is there any data?
FERRECHIO: What I think can happen is another candidate can break out and start to do a little bit better than him in the polls.
MIKA: Okay, but there's no data right now that keeps him from winning the nomination, is there?
FERRECHIO: No. All he needs to do is win enough primaries and enough delegates and it's his.
MIKA: There's nothing, guys. You have to start saying it that way. You do.
FERRECHIO: Another candidate can take the lead, and that's what will keep him --
MIKA: People can't say it yet. Still ahead --
JOE: No, no, no. You're trying to make some point. You got to explain to us the point you're trying to make.
MIKA: The point is that we were talking earlier about what stage and trying to cope with the concept of
Trump evolution most analysts and pundits and intellectual elites are at. And they're now saying well, he's definitely having an impact but he won't win the nomination. He's not going to become president. They can't say anything more than that. There's no indication --JOE: Here's actually the question to ask at this point on September 14th. Is Donald Trump more likely than not to be the next GOP nominee? Willie, we'll start with you.
MIKA: According to the data we have seen now.
WILLIE GEIST: Yeah, look what we have in front of us. You have to say yes, today.
JOE: Today. What would you say, John Heilemann, is Donald Trump more likely than not to be the next Republican nominee?
JOHN HEILEMANN: Less likely than not.
JOE: More likely or less likely than not?
FERRECHIO: Four months out from the early primary contests it's 50/50 at this point.
JOE: What do you say, Mika?
MIKA: I just think you guys --
JOE: Mika, just answer the question. You wanted everybody to answer the question.
MIKA: I think the data shows he will win the nomination.
JOE: More likely than not?
MIKA: Yes!
JOE: I think right now, more likely than not.
MIKA: Except for your personal feelings.
HEILEMANN: It's not my personal -- it has nothing to do with my personal feelings.
JOE: There's certain things whether it's Hillary --MIKA: I just think people need to be honest.
JOE: -- or it's journalists and Hillary or journalists and Trump. You just pick fights with ghosts.
MIKA: No, I'm --
JOE: You're shadow boxing. Look at that shadow over there, I'm going to chase it. It just insulted me.
MIKA: Susan Ferrechio, thank you very much. I'm just asking for intellectual honesty.
JOE: And that's what you're getting.
MIKA: Begrudingly.
JOE: He [Heilemann] just said less likely.
