On as we speak’s Morning Joe, the MSNBC crew spent 12 minutes of its first hour lauding the “Inexpensive Care Act,” they usually even fortunately known as it “Obamacare.” Becoming a member of within the lovefest was former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs and Steve Rattner, who lead Obama’s process pressure on bailing out GM and Chrysler.

However a half-hour earlier than that, Scarborough pressed Gibbs to affix him in heaping contempt on the concept of Ron DeSantis working for president in 2024.Two weeks in the past, we caught Scarborough mischievously surmising that Ron DeSantis will not run. 

As we speak, Scarborough expressed skepticism—to Mika’s shock—as as to if Donald Trump will run. Scarborough prompt that Trump may need introduced simply to fend off indictments and lift cash.

And as he did two weeks in the past, Scarborough additionally was overtly doubtful about DeSantis’ potential to take a punch from Trump. This time, he prompt that someway, former Gov. Charlie Crist bested him in debate. Ahem: DeSantis beat Crist, 59 % to 40 %. Who was bested??

Then he painted DeSantis as a bully who likes to really feel robust by yelling at feminine reporters. (It does not matter when Sharyn Alfonsi from 60 Minutes aggressively mischaracterized his vaccine coverage in a presser.)

It is a signal of simply how far left Scarborough has swerved that Gibbs was really extra balanced in his feedback on DeSantis. He acknowledged that DeSantis could be “scrutinized” when he pronounces. And, not like Scarborough, Gibbs talked about a bonus in opposition to Trump that DeSantis enjoys: his potential to level to his resounding re-election victory and his legislative report. 

But when Scarborough is down on DeSantis, he is method up on . . . Obamacare. Scarborough gleefully famous that “the enrollment simply retains skyrocketing!”  And when Gibbs claimed that on account of Obamacare, “we now have fewer people who find themselves uninsured,” Scarborough enthused, “it is made an enormous distinction on that entrance. You simply have a look at the numbers. It is plain.” Scarborough additionally praised Obamacare’s “outstanding resilience.”

When challenged on his liberalism, Scarborough’s often proclaimed fig leaf is that he stays a “small-government conservative.” Give it up, Joe: you simply enthused over a authorities takeover of well being care!

Query: what’s an apparent topic that an sincere journalist would have raised with former White Home spokesman Gibbs? Naturally, it will be Karine Jean-Pierre’s pitiful efficiency, notably within the context of Biden’s categorized paperwork scandal. Trick query! We mentioned “sincere” journalist. Scarborough predictably did not breathe a phrase with Gibbs in regards to the paperwork scandal or Jean-Pierre’s plain incompetence. They wanted 12 minutes to reward Obamacare.

Morning Joe was dropped at you partly by Liberty Mutual insurance coverage.

Here is the transcript.

MSNBC
Morning Joe
2/2/23
6:07 am ET

JOE SCARBOROUGH: The query is, Robert Gibbs, at this level, can anyone actually do something to cease Donald Trump, if Donald Trump decides he is really going to run.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: He is working.

SCARBOROUGH: Nicely, he is saying he is working. However you by no means know with him. It may very well be he is making an attempt to generate income, he is making an attempt to keep away from indictments —

MIKA: Oh, there’s plenty of circumstances in opposition to him.

SCARBOROUGH: — prosecution. If he really will get on the market on the talk stage, Robert, is there anybody who can take the man down? He is nonetheless the champ contained in the Republican social gathering.  

. . . 

Robert Gibbs, after I consider Ron DeSantis, I am reminded of that actually well-known Mike Tyson quote, that everyone’s received a plan till the primary time they’re punched within the face. I imply, I noticed Ron DeSantis. You noticed Ron DeSantis debate Charlie Crist. Charlie Crist had him tongue-tied a number of occasions when there have been some primary questions. 

You understand, Ron DeSantis is sweet with gestures. He is nice calling press conferences. He loves yelling, particularly at feminine reporters. It makes him really feel robust. He walks off, and other people give him a number of cash. 

However you realize this higher than any of us. On the presidential degree, you rise up on that debate stage, and when it is Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, and he has nowhere to cover, I imply, come on!

Once more, I, I, it is, it is seeming like that Tyson quote makes plenty of sense right here. I do not — I imply, what do you assume? Does DeSantis have an opportunity one-on-one in opposition to Trump?

ROBERT GIBBS: Nicely, I would say a pair issues. One, you level out actually accurately is what we do not know is how any person’s going to carry out on that nationwide stage. And, you realize, not loads totally different than what Barack Obama had when he first got here out is, he is not going to get an opportunity to observe off-Broadway earlier than the play begins opening night time. So he will be scrutinized from the very starting. 

I believe the one benefit that he will have, and also you noticed him attempt to use this within the response the opposite day to Trump, which is, to make use of these credentials of getting received considerably in Florida, and to construct a report within the legislature, and a governing report that he can use in opposition to him.

. . . 

SCARBOROUGH: And only a good day so that you can be right here. Steve Rattner’s about to point out his charts on Obamacare. The enrollment [chuckles] simply retains skyrocketing. Republicans have been making an attempt to kill Obamacare now for a dozen years. The American folks have continued to vote with their toes, proceed to vote by enrolling.

MIKA: By signing up, yeah.

SCARBOROUGH: Enrolling. Speak about that. I imply, we might get private for a second right here. That has to imply loads to you and to others who fought so arduous to make that occur.

. . . 

GIBBS: We now have fewer folks on this nation which can be uninsured than ever earlier than. 

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.

GIBBS: And that may be a very, very, good factor, no matter your social gathering.

SCARBOROUGH: It, it, it is made an enormous distinction on that entrance. You simply have a look at the numbers. It is plain. And once more, we, we discuss in regards to the ups and the downs, the difficulties. Once more, the resilience of this system, I believe, has been, been outstanding.