Morning Joe on Wednesday discussed the recent remarks by President Obama on Republicans who are “afraid of orphans and widows.” When the discussion turned to David Ignatius for commentary, he gave a defense of Obama stating, “The President is standing up as what he thinks of as America's traditional moral stature and values.” Scarborough pressed Ignatius with “Is there not a better way to do that than saying these Republicans are scared of debate moderators, and widows and orphans?” While Ignatius conceded there is always room to correct the words used, he thought the President was on point “by comparison Republican governors are making these comments.”
Further in, Michael Steele would jump into the discussion with a rather firm defense for the Republican Governors that the President and Ignatius are criticizing.
Can I go back, as someone who as actually served as a statewide elected official, as lieutenant governor of my state. I remember those security briefings and what that means and understand very much where these governors are coming from and no one seems to appreciate what they have to deal with. When Governor Markell of Delaware was asked yesterday, on Hardball, are you ready to take responsibility if one of these migrants come in and something happens? Are you ready to take responsibility for that? He stumbled and stuttered over the answer and that's the point the governors have to deal with. Who’s going to ultimately be responsible if something happens?
Not willing to let the segment end on a high note however, Mika Brzezinski would take a parting shot at the Governors for their words, and also at Congressman Peter King from Tuesday’s disagreement. “But they shouldn’t come on the show and lie about whether or not there’s a vetting process. I mean, we need to have a real conversation, and these governors, I think, have been to the point of kind of ugly.”
See the relevant transcript below.
2015-11-18-MSNBC Morning Joe
DAVID IGNATIUS: I want to make one point about the President’s comments. I think that what the President is doing at a time when governors are saying no Syrian immigrants, no Muslim Syrian immigrants, the President is standing up as what he thinks of as America's traditional moral stature and values. Those comments are disturbing to a lot of us. There is a vetting procedure in place that governors should know about. It’s understandable that governors want to be sure their states are safe but to make announcements at a time like this we don't want any Muslims that is really like throwing a match into kerosene. That speaks directly to the nerve of these people who want to kill Americans, kill Europeans.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Is there not a better way to do that than saying these Republicans are scared of debate moderators, and widows and orphans?
IGNATIUS: There's always room to correct people's language. But I think we need to understand the point –
SCARBOROUGH: David, David. Are you saying to me today that the president has been tonally on point over the past 48 hours?
IGNATIUS: I would say by comparison Republican governors are making these comments –
SCARBOROUGH: We have one Commander-in-Chief at the time of an international crisis.
IGNATIUS: You have to figure out what your principle focus of outrage is and I think the comments from the governors hurt our country.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: It was ugly.
MICHAEL STEELE: Can I go back, as someone who as actually served as a statewide elected official, as lieutenant governor of my state. I remember those security briefings and what that means and understand very much where these governors are coming from and no one seems to appreciate what they have to deal with. When Governor Markell of Delaware was asked yesterday, on Hardball, are you ready to take responsibility if one of these migrants come in and something happens? Are you ready to take responsibility for that? He stumbled and stuttered over the answer and that's the point the governors have to deal with. Who’s going to ultimately be responsible if something happens?
SCARBOROUGH: And again, you have Jeanne Shaheen, you’ve got Hillary Clinton. It's not just Republicans now concerned. We have a lot to get to.
BRZEZINSKI: But they shouldn’t come on the show and lie about whether or not there’s a vetting process. I mean, we need to have a real conversation, and these governors, I think, have been to the point of kind of ugly.
