The extraordinarily poor decisions made by a couple of unhealthy apples gave MSNBC what it had been ready for: a feeble excuse to lament the complete proper. Tuesday’s Morning Joe introduced on a couple of friends who have been greater than keen to censure Republican management for in some way permitting the inexcusable conduct to happen, and within the course of counsel it was the way forward for the get together.
This got here the morning after Politico reported on racially-charged textual content messages written by particular counsel nominee Paul Ingrassia, which included a remark from him about holding a “Nazi streak.” Senate Republicans subsequently disapproved of Ingrassia’s nomination.
The Atlantic employees author Franklin Foer leapt on the alternative to color the revelation for example of Republicans’ soiled open secret, speculating that “… certainly that is the darkish underbelly of MAGA that each one the accountable folks inside who’re — who’ve clung to the Republican institution, to MAGA is aware of is there. And, you already know, they’ll solely blanch once they see these quotes.”
Ignoring the truth that Ingrassia might have his nomination pulled then positive, Republicans will solely “blanch.” The GOP should be related to jerks even after they’ve disassociated themselves. In the meantime, Democrats refuse to again away from Jay “Two Bullets to the Republican” Jones in Virginia.
After a lead-in from co-host Jonathan Lemire, New York Instances opinion author Mara Homosexual additional pushed narrative by connecting it to the New York Younger Republicans who have been not too long ago below scrutiny: “You already know, and there are some native Republican leaders, state Republican leaders who’ve condemned this. However that is a superb have a look at the way forward for Republican management.”
A pure separation of the wheat and the chaff was occurring. Those that ran to darkness and ignored knowledge’s calls have been having their sins discovered. That didn’t imply the complete subsequent technology of Republicans would be led astray by fringe extremists. In the meantime, a few of MSNBC’s favorites are sporting “I Am Antifa” T-shirts to protests.
After all, no condemnation was full and not using a rebuke towards the President or his administration: “However I believe — you already know, talking as a black American, you already know, there is not any shock right here. I imply, we see these views expressed from the White Home, from officers constantly about non-white People, however possibly by extra well mannered language.”
No clear instance was offered to show her level. Perhaps she was referring to ICE?
Not like his fellow friends, Axios CEO Jim Vandehei was not keen to demonize the Republican Celebration as an entire. However he was keen reduce death-wishing by equating it with racism:
This was in reference to Virginia Legal professional Common candidate Jay Jones, a Democrat who not too long ago got here below a firestorm for fantasizing about murdering a Republican and his children. If it was “equally unsuitable,” why cannot Democrats denounce him and pressure him out of the race?
Co-host Joe Scarborough then went on a weird tangential rant about his upbringing. He claimed to have lived in a markedly anti-racist “new South,” the place prejudice solely actually existed on the outskirts:
Scarborough was born within the early ‘60s, you already know, the climax of the Civil Rights motion. Onerous to consider practically everybody in his childhood locale steered away from racist discuss.
The transcript is beneath. Click on “develop” learn:
MSNBC’s Morning Joe
October 21, 2025
6:27:10 a.m. EST
(…)
FRANKLIN FOER: Okay. I imply — so, they’re nominating a man who as a self-proclaimed “Nazi streak” to the workplace of particular prosecutor the place he is imagined to be in cost, in some way, of defending the ethics of america. You do not want a deepfake model of the video that we’re seeing of the demolition of the White Home. I imply, that is — I imply, it is superb {that a} man like this is ready to discover place ensconced within the internal circle of this administration.
And, I imply, certainly that is the darkish underbelly of MAGA that each one the accountable folks inside who’re — who’ve clung to the Republican institution, to MAGA is aware of is there. And, you already know, they’ll solely blanch once they see these quotes. And it isn’t even clear that this is sufficient to derail the man but.
JONATHAN LEMIRE: Yeah, I imply, we heard it from Senate Majority Chief Thune. However it’s, as Mika famous, so uncommon that Republicans stand as much as Trump. I do not assume we must always take it as a assure that this does get pulled. We’ll need to see.
Mara, after all, it comes on the heels of different textual content messages that have been revealed from these Younger Republicans, these threads Politico doing good work on that as nicely. There’s reward of Hitler in there, in addition to different simply terribly offensive and racist feedback. And we must always notice that these have been defended by the Vice President of america, who— JD Vance taking to Twitter and saying, “Oh, these folks have been younger they usually made — we should not cancel everybody for silly indiscretions.” Thoughts you, a variety of these folks have been of their 20s and 30s, a few of them workplace holders. Paul Ingrassia right here, additionally 30 years outdated.
MARA GAY: Yeah, these weren’t school group chats, simply to be clear. You already know, and there are some native Republican leaders, state Republican leaders who’ve condemned this. However that is a superb have a look at the way forward for Republican management. And now we’ve somebody, Ingrassia, who might be in a key position within the White Home.
You already know, I believe it is a good signal that Republicans are a minimum of signaling by Thune a willingness to carry the road on this. It is a uncommon vivid spot. However I believe — you already know, talking as a black American, you already know, there is not any shock right here. I imply, we see these views expressed from the White Home, from officers constantly about non-white People, however possibly by extra well mannered language. So, that is simply open bigotry, which in some methods is definitely simpler to go up towards and to refute than simply hatred total and xenophobia and racism. So there is not any shock right here.
However we’ve to carry the road someplace. And I believe the query for Republicans is, the place is the road? Is it Martin Luther king Jr. is — I believe he was likened on this group chat to George Floyd, which I do not even wish to go there, I imply, the disgusting, twisted nature of those textual content messages. It additionally simply raises the query, you already know, what does encourage these folks? I imply, what sort of sick minds and sick people are going to be on this White Home? I imply, racism is a illness and these are public servants. I imply, it is horrendous. It isn’t stunning. And it is chilling. It is chilling.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: You already know what’s stunning, Savannah excessive is, although, it looks as if the Vice President of america, Jim, is — he is on the market. He is the defender-in-chief of like probably the most surprising, outrageous issues. And keep in mind, I imply, this is similar man — you simply cannot remind folks of this sufficient — as a result of this is similar man who wrote a ebook, Hillbilly Elegy, got here on all of our reveals, was the darling of the east coast, like, cosmopolitan elite set, which stays one in all my favourite — I do not know if Steve Bannon coined that time period or not, however anyone ought to trademark “cosmopolitan elite.” I like that quite a bit. I consider a man like within the Fifties and a hat smoking a cigar, about to go to the nation membership. Cosmopolitan elites. However that is who JD Vance was.
JD Vance was additionally the man lecturing Republicans that Jesus Christ anticipated extra of us than to vote for Donald Trump. He was additionally the man that mentioned that, you already know, Donald Trump, you already know, vaguely reminded him of Hitler. I do not know the precise phrases. However you go down the listing now and he was most undoubtedly in a far totally different house than he’s proper now.
And now I get — possibly it is as a result of he desires to be the subsequent not-Republican nominee, nevertheless it looks as if he is the man on the market defending the indefensible each day. Particularly on-line.
JIM VANDEHEI: And once more, this is not who we’re. Like, I do not assume —
SCARBOROUGH: No.
VANDEHEI: — we stay in a racist nation. I do not assume most members of MAGA —
SCARBOROUGH: No!
VANDEHEI: — or individuals who voted for Donald Trump are racist. I believe a variety of these —
SCARBOROUGH: No.
VANDEHEI: — racist folks find yourself getting amplified on social media. A few of them find yourself within the White Home.
And there is just one response. That is the place I fear we’re simply dropping our marbles. If somebody says one thing imply, if somebody says one thing moronic, if somebody says one thing racist, I do not care if it is in your get together or the opposite get together, you simply say it is unsuitable. “We’re illiberal of it. You are fired. You possibly can’t be round us. You possibly can’t be ready of public energy as a result of you will have nonsensical, ludicrous, and immoral views.”
And you may’t simply say, “Oh, have a look at that Democratic Legal professional Common over there. He mentioned one thing even crazier.” He did say one thing that was loopy, and it most likely makes him unelectable. However what was mentioned in that textual content chain is equally loopy, equally unsuitable. And when you do not condone it, it tells this group of youngsters, this group of males that it is okay.
Like, step again. Why was there a big string of males of their 20s and 30s who went to varsity, who have been within the skilled class, who have been clearly extremely educated, considering it is okay to reward Nazism. It is okay to say probably the most hurtful, ludicrous issues about their fellow black residents. It is simply unsuitable. And it would not characterize the majority of the Republican Celebration, I do not assume, and would not mirror America. And so the one factor you would say —
SCARBOROUGH: It doesn’t.
VANDEHEI: — is what I might say is an employer, “You are fired. You possibly can’t say that. I don’t —”
SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.
VANDEHEI: “— care what our rivals are saying. I don’t care what different persons are saying. It’s simply plain unsuitable.”
(…)
6:34:37 a.m. EST
SCARBOROUGH: And I simply wish to say — Jim mentioned we do not stay in a racist nation. I can solely communicate to my expertise. I’ve lived in Georgia rising up. I lived in Alabama. I lived in Mississippi. I lived in northwest Florida, which is the deep South. I’ve lived the vast majority of my life within the deep South.
And I’ll inform you by elementary college, center college, highschool, school. Maybe elsewhere, the darkness on the sting of city, there have been racists and bigots speaking this fashion. I by no means as soon as — nicely, truly I did one time, I heard one time, one time. However aside from this one time, I by no means heard this kind of discuss. I by no means heard, and I grew up — not in a bubble. I used to be very — we lived in a really center class household, went to Southern Baptist church buildings. I by no means as soon as heard this type of discuss rising up. This isn’t regular. Perhaps it has been normalized over the previous few years, however this isn’t regular. And I grew up within the deep, deep south.
And I am going to simply say, I’ve informed this story earlier than, I am going to say it once more, Mika, as a result of it explains the exceptional change that the south went by and the way we took nice delight at one time in being a part of the brand new South. I used to be in first grade, and Mississippi, 1969, obtained built-in. That was only a few years after the civil rights killings in Philadelphia, Mississippi, which was excellent down the highway from the place I went to elementary college.
We have been standing in line, we have been about to get lunch, and this younger child mentioned it — made a racist slur towards a younger black woman. I nonetheless keep in mind all these years later, a scholar instructor — she most likely went to Mississippi State or Ole Miss and was most likely, you already know, in her first 12 months at Northeast Elementary Faculty. She went over and he or she grabbed this child by the ear and mentioned, “Effectively, you would possibly odor too if you did not have indoor plumbing.” And I keep in mind her grabbing his ear — most likely could not do this immediately — dragging him out screaming, taking him to the principal’s workplace, and we did not see him at school once more for 3 days. That was the instance that was set in first grade.
You do not — even within the midst of the combination fights in 1969, in rural Mississippi, that was the message that was being despatched to first grade. “No! We stay in a brand new south. We stay in a brand new nation.” And that was the message that I acquired in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, northwest Florida, whether or not I used to be at school, whether or not I used to be on — taking part in baseball, whether or not I used to be within the locker room, taking part in soccer. You simply did not do it.
And now for our leaders to be nodding and winking, saying, “Oh, children shall be children.” No, no, children will not be children. Not on this realm. We train our youngsters higher than that. We deserve — our youngsters deserve higher than that. So only a shrug and say, “Oh, children shall be children. They’re younger. They’re of their 20s and their 30s” No. These are excess of youthful indiscretions. This can be a lurch again 70 years right into a racist previous that the majority People, most Republicans, most independents, most Democrats don’t wish to return to, Mika.
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