<![CDATA[Jezebel: morning joe]]> http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png <![CDATA[Jezebel: morning joe]]> http://jezebel.com/tag/morningjoe http://jezebel.com/tag/morningjoe <![CDATA[Helen Thomas Defends Fox Against Obama Administration]]> On Morning Joe, veteran reporter Helen Thomas advised Obama and staff to lay off the organization, saying "stay out of these fights... They can only take you down. You can't kill the messenger." [Newsbusters]

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<![CDATA[Mika Brzezinski Shrugs Off Morning Joe Co-Hosts' Rampant Sexism]]> Today on The View guest co-host Mika Brzezinski admitted her Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mike Barnicle can be sexist, but said, "you can't take it too seriously." After reviewing Morning Joe's track record, we can't say we agree!

In the clip above, Mika says she "doesn't get frustrated that much," by the guys on the Morning Joe crew, but Sherri Shepherd points out that she's often the only woman on the panel and "sometimes they say things that are so sexist." It seems Brzezinski follows the "boys will be boys" school of thought. She calls Mike Barnicle "my misogynist," then says she admires Joe because, "one of his key messages is to raise the bar."

Here's a brief look back at the various ways her male co-hosts have "raised the bar" in recent years:

JUNE 1, 2007
Mika wasn't present for the controversial incident in the YouTube video below, but there's no doubt that she heard about it. On Morning Joe, Joe discusses Fred Thompson's wife Jeri Thompson with a caller and asks, "Have you seen Fred Thompson's wife? You think she works the pole?"

JANUARY 18, 2008
Joe responds to the controversy over Chris Matthews saying that the only reason Hillary Clinton is,

"a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around. That's how she got to be senator from New York. We keep forgetting it. She didn't win there on her merit."

According to Media Matters, Joe says:

I think it's outrageous that Chris Matthews has to apologize for saying something, inartfully perhaps, so many years later that op-ed writers were talking about in '99 and 2000 because Gloria Steinem, who wrote an op-ed supporting Hillary Clinton before New Hampshire, Media Matters, who many people have called a front group for Hillary Clinton, just because they're attacking Chris Matthews, who has obviously been critical of Hillary Clinton. What's your take?

JANUARY 23, 2008
On Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle says of Hillary Clinton, "when she reacts the way she reacts to Obama with just the look, the look toward him, looking like everyone's first wife standing outside a probate court, OK?" Media Matters reports that panelists Joe Scarborough, Willie Geist, and David Shuster all crack up.

JANUARY 30, 2008
According to Media Matters, Joe Scarborough announces, "I, actually - I don't endorse anybody because, as you know, I'm a journalist," which makes Mika Brzezinski laugh. Joe responds: "Mika, don't make me backhand you." She replies, "Oh, lord."

JULY 3, 2008
On MSNBC's Race for the White House, Joe argues with Rachel Maddow about whether or not Barack Obama said we'd be out of Iraq in 16 months in an interview during the campaign, according to Media Matters. Rachel Maddow laughs and tells Scarborough, "You're so wrong. I can't even hold it together. You're so wrong." He replies: "You might support Obama, but you've got the Clinton cackle down, Rachel. I'm proud of you."

MAY 13, 2009
While discussing Donald Trump's decision to let Carrie Prejean keep her crown, Joe polls the Morning Joe panel, asking if they think Carrie Prejean is beautiful in the video below from Media Matters. All the men raise their hands and Mika refuses to answer, saying the story is "stupid" and "ridiculous." Joe cuts her off saying, "Shh, shush. Seriously guys, when I ask you to cut her mic it's not like hey this is great TV theater, I mean cut her mic."

Actually, we see Mika's point: If we had to spend three hours with these guys every morning, we'd probably just stop taking them seriously too!

Scarborough Talks About Working The "Pole" [YouTube]
Joe Scarborough: "[I]t's Outrageous That Chris Matthews Has To Apologize" For Hillary Clinton Comments [Media Matters]
All-Male Morning Joe Panel Laughed As Barnicle Compared Clinton To "Everyone's First Wife Standing Outside A Probate Court" [Media Matters]
Scarborough To Brzezinski On Morning Joe: "[D]on't Make Me Backhand You" [Media Matters]
Scarborough To Maddow: "[Y]ou've Got The Clinton Cackle Down, Rachel. I'm Proud Of You" [Media Matters]
Morning Joe Crew Takes A Vote: "Who Thinks [Miss California]'s Beautiful?" [Media Matters]

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<![CDATA[Dan Rather Takes Morning Joe Hosts To Women-In-The-Newsroom School]]> This morning on Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski said viewers wouldn't accept a woman anchor, Joe Scarborough stammered about double standards, and Dan Rather schooled them both.

Mika Brzezinski seems kind of clueless as she claims that women "get brought to the front of the line many times when they're far too young for it or they're not ready for it." This is relevant to 63-year-old Diane Sawyer how? She goes on to say that a woman in the anchor chair is "still a hard thing for the viewer to accept, I don't know if the viewer would admit that." Rather helpfully explains that this vague Viewer of whom she speaks is likely to be older, and perhaps share the prejudices of a different era. But his best moment comes when Joe Scarborough haltingly speculates that "this culture of America ... tougher on women than men, it seems to me." Rather responds, "It seems to you that way because it is that way." There's hope for the older generation yet!

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<![CDATA[Sorry, Charlie: Al Franken In A Diaper Cannot Alter The Fabric Of Reality]]> Since members of GOP can't exactly win elections, change the minds of voters or influence policy, they've got time on their hands, so they're learning Photoshop and politics along with HuffPo's Jason Linkins and I. (But we're better at both.)

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<![CDATA[Why Is It That Elaine Donnelly Can't Stop Thinking About Gay Sex?]]> Elaine Donnelly is a crazy right-wing lady who hates the idea of gays in the military so much that she just can't stop thinking about all the perverted things they do to one another and how other completely heterosexual people like her might get caught up in homosexual behavior. And if that sounds like the start to, like, every gay porn flick you've ever seen, well, that's because Elaine missed her calling as an erotic writer/lesbian and is instead writing porn into her Congressional testimony. Her lesbian fantasies, plus Joe Lieberman's delusions, John Hagee's godliness, Nas's hotness, Joe Scarborough's looniness about bloggers and a defense of our friend Spencer Ackerman against scurrilous accusations that he eats Cheetos are after the jump with me and Moe.

MOE: Morning boo! Time to get onerous?
MEGAN: Maybe ponderous?
MOE: I was checking Drudge last night on the way to a bar and there was this bizarre bunch of headlines as to Obama's 5 a.m. Western Wall visit and I thought, damn, that is early for the hecklers to be waiting.
MEGAN: Yeah, I don't heckle anyone before 10:30 at least. Luckily the Germans have the Obamania, so I don't expect too many hecklers there.
MEGAN: We should probably take a moment to defend our Attackerman on his reporting on how McCain fucked up when he said the Surge predated the Anbar Awakening, because Joe Scarborough accuses him and other bloggers of eating Cheetos while frantically Googling to play gotcha. Because I have never once seen him eat or heard about Spencer eating Cheetos, and I'm pretty sure he knew about the timing without having to Google since it's his job to know shit like that, being a national security reporter and all. It ought to also be McCain's job — or McCain's policy staff's job — to not just make shit up that isn't true.
MOE: That is hilarious. You name your whole show after a popular morning beverage and you get on us for eating extruded snack food? Speaking of which my own Awakening here has yet to be followed by my morning joe so I am a little slow. Do you think CBS was seriously trying to cover up McCain's ignorance though? Or are the video editors basically, half-Awake themselves?
MEGAN: Yeah, um, I haven't had any caffeine either because I needed to hydrate first this morning... I mean, I don't know if CBS did it to cover up what they knew was a wrong answer, or because someone on McCain's staff knew it was wrong, but why would you splice in an answer he gave to another questions completely randomly?
So, yes, personally, I think it was deliberate. I don't think you do it at that moment, for that question, for that answer, if it's not deliberate.
MOE: They were like "oh god this McCain senility thing has gotten too fucking hard to watch" or whatever?
MEGAN: This is why I wonder if it wasn't a quiet word from someone within the McCain camp, someone who realized the size of the gaffe and asked nicely or not-so-nicely and CBS complied. Because that's what I'd do if I worked for McCain.
CBS is saying that they "edited it for time,", which totally doesn't explain anything.
MEGAN: Anyway, so, onto other things, Nas rapped on Colbert last night, which he was on to promote his petition against racism Fox News and looking, dare I say, fucking hot as shit.
MOE: Well speaking of Subtle Mainstream Media Tricks To Save Politicians From Themselves That Are Completely Ineffective, John Edwards and Rielle: why make the story of the day "Why The Mainstream Media Is Ignoring This Urgent Sex Scandal" when you could just, like, run a bunch of stories saying the National Enquirer seems to have stalked John Edwards and boy, what a shameless douchebag! (They would probably spell it "douche bag.") Because my future colleague over at Gawker has a point here, even if the "Constitutionally Protected jobs" thing is an unbelievably warped jab to make considering the last time fucking anyone in newspapers had any fucking sense of job security was the Reagan administration, but that's neither here/there.
MEGAN: Well, but then you'd have to cover the National Enquirer. And they're probably still smarting over Gennifer Flowers or something.
Oh, well, if we're going to be like the real media, we should probably totally change the subject now and I would like then to point readers to Dana Milbank's column today which is about the House's Don't Ask Don't Tell hearing yesterday in which psychotic Elaine Donnelly testified about lesbian rape gangs and shit and just about everyone there was shocked that she thought it was appropriate but she always, always does. Also, she doesn't want women serving in the military for the sake of the men. And in 1950, she probably wasn't so keen on integration either. She's a scary bitch, yo.
I might have once implied in print that she herself is just scared of her own lesbian tendencies. Because I'm a mean bitch like that.
MOE: Dude, someone watching that hearing got a totally dope plotline for his next thrasher movie though. I love Vic Snyder for calling her testimony "just bonkers" because I can't really do better, this woman's just totally completely nuts and the thing we always forget is THERE ARE MORE OF THEM LIKE THIS OUT THERE MANY MANY MORE.
MEGAN: Yeah, there totally are more people like that out there. Speaking of more of "them," Steve Doocey weighed in on sexism yesterday. That guy is so dumb I think it probably rubs off.
MOE: And don't forget they're not just any lesbian rape gangs they are black lesbian rape gangs. Because white lesbians in the military are too busy planning their weddings while watching the L Word and styling their expertly layered hair to bother raping anyone?
MEGAN: Oh, right, black lesbians are waaaay scarier. Did I ever tell you how I once ended up at a black lesbian bar in D.C.?
My friend made me get on one of those party shuttle buses for her bachelorette, but the organizers were from out of town and ended up taking us to a black lesbian club. Best. Bar. The. Whole. Night.
Great DJ, appropriate level of air conditioning, super nice people. After dancing with strangers for 40 minutes I realized the bride and all her friends were huddled in a corner and talking about me.
MOE: Omg I went to a black gay coke bar last weekend and although or maybe because the coke was probably not really coke but crushed up No-Doz cut with laxatives it was the Best Night Ever Too. Musically, muscle tonally, etc. Anyway, we need to find some site about this alleged black lesbian rape gang attack in 1974. If only to WARN THE READERS.
MEGAN: I'll do that while you read about Lieberman comparing creepy Catholic-hating crazy pastor John Hagee to Moses and saying that bloggers would've shit all over Moses and Miriam, too.
MOE: Well, you gotta admit bloggers will shit on anything, they are like junkies that way. Remember Pastor Pfleger? That guy was so clearly Down with God but the haters wanna hate, you know?
Lieberman is such an idiot.
MEGAN: I mean, is he trying to flame out? Like, can he be recalled by voters or something? Because I don't understand when he went batshit.
MOE: I CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ABOUT THIS CYNTHIA YOST LESBIAN RAPE THING does this mean I have to nexis?
MEGAN: Ok, so, the lesbian rape story is only available in Elaine's testimony. This woman, Cynthia Yost, claims that she was hugged and rubbed by a group of black women she knew to be lesbians but never reported it until now.
MOE: because my nexis is down.
MEGAN: Page 10, by the way.

“Some of them were ethnic minorities, and it was a group of black lesbians who decided to gang-assault me. I don't know what else you would call it. This incident happened in the spring of 1974, at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. We were riding crowded together in a "cattle truck", and suddenly they all began groping my crotch and breasts through my fatigues, talking suggestively, rubbing my thighs, hugging me tightly around the waist and shoulders, and giggling.
“This was in 1974, when the military brass lived in terror of accusations of racist attitudes among military personnel. It was assumed that any white person hitting or attacking a black one for any reason, even in self-defense, was, ipso facto, a racist. Such an incident, reported, meant a letter of reprimand in one's permanent record, and many tedious hours of "race relations" classes.
“…I didn't report the assault because I wanted to keep my record clean, and I didn't defend myself from their physical assault for the same reason. I didn't want a permanent label of "racist" to derail my military career. So, I restrained my nausea and outrage, and just kept pushing their hands and arms off me and telling them to please stop. They finally did, when they were tired of it.

MOE: dude that description is totally from a porn.
MEGAN: Totally. Homophobic rantings about homosexuality are always pornographic for some reason. Frankly, like, why was it important that her alleged assaulters were black in that context.... if it wasn't important to her?
MOE: Yeah and call Lizz Winstead but this so-called gang rape does NOT SOUND THAT TRAUMATIZING. I mean, also, like, this is just nuts. I wonder where Cynthia Yost is now. I bet if we teepee-d her house she'd call it a hate crime.
MEGAN: We hate her for her heterosexuality, because we're just a bunch of fucking dykes.

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