MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough Claims The Left Is ‘Hypocritical’ Regarding Libya

by Alex Alvarez | 4:24 pm, March 29th, 2011

» 30 comments

Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and a former Republican Congressman, took to Politico to air his grievances over the way Liberals have been discussing our role in Libya. In his piece, “The hypocrisy of the American left,” Scarborough writes: “How can liberals call for Qadhafi’s ouster when they opposed the war against Saddam?”

The Huffington Post, for one, isn’t totally buying Scarborough’s statements. (Um. Surprise?) For one, as HuffPost political reporter Jason Linkins notes, the TV host didn’t supply any links or examples illustrating Liberals’ change in tone. Linkins also corrects Scarborough’s assessment that mostly female anti-war group Code Pink has done nothing in response to our actions in Libya:

Not true! CODE PINK wants a ceasefire in Libya. The head of the organization, Medea Benjamin, has repeatedly called for an end to our involvement in Libya. She’s been on the teevee. She had a press conference at the White House last week. CODE PINK has highlighted the efforts of women in the Middle East working to bring about peace in the region.

Scarborough also noted – again, incorrectly – that anti-war protesters have backed away from Guantanamo Bay and that no one on the left is speaking out against our actions in Libya, and Linkins provides examples to the contrary.

The thing is, Scarborough has a point, albeit one buried and gasping for breath beneath the weight of too many broad generalizations. Says Linkins:

Let me be clear: I am nothing if not entirely willing to concede this point to Scarborough. I think, though, that it’s more than possible to discern a distinction between Democratic Party lawmakers and all liberals. If you want to level this charge against lawmakers, knock yourself out. But leave the rest of the “liberal” movement out of it, especially if you can’t actually make the case.

Scarborough also asserts that “Democrats streamed to the floors of the House and Senate to praise the president for invading Libya,” conveniently leaving out the Democratic lawmakers – like Dennis Kucinich and Anthony Weiner – who have taken issue with Obama’s tactics, if not with the invasion itself.

Linkins’ post is a worthwhile read, if only because it shows how sometimes, in order to make a point, those deeply entrenched in their own viewpoints tend to cherry pick information as it suits their argument. This isn’t to say, of course, that this sort of thing never happens on Linkins’ own Huffington Post, but, if people can’t ascertain a clear picture of reality (Because, really, who can ever fully trust a TV pundit or political blogger not to have a set bias?), then at least one can read different takes on an issue in order for that picture to grow a little less foggy.

h/t Huffington Post

barack obama, Jason Linkins, joe scarborough, Lberals, Libya, Politico

catfishjuggling

RINO!

Oh wait….I kinda agree with him here.

Um (Inaudible scream).
tatboy

I think Linkin is the one cherry picking. To try and argue that the anti-war left is at the same level under Obama as under Bush is beyond laughable. And Code Pink going on “teevee” compared to storming the state of the union is a joke worthy of the Marx Brothers. 2 hardcore libs with safe seats appose Libya Ooooooo, big Fing deal. Go back and see the opposition to Bush over the last 2 years of his term.

“I think, though, that it’s more than possible to discern a distinction between Democratic Party lawmakers and all liberals. If you want to level this charge against lawmakers, knock yourself out. But leave the rest of the “liberal” movement out of it, especially if you can’t actually make the case.”
Here ya go guys… start posting those links he’s asking for. I’m waiting for Code Pink to camp out at Obama’s vacation home. Waiting… waiting…
Probably NOT wrong

Usual problem for Joe and all MSNBC program hosts and commentators!.
Sounds like a, If a tree falls in a forrest (you know the rest)
moment !!
Colorado_Conservative

This video is all one needs to watch to point out the obvious liberal hypocrisy in this Country:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF7Nfwf_z7Q
http://twitter.com/SailRabbits Magister

Scarborough may be suffering from living inside an echo chamber. I don’t know, but here’s a link to the Matt’s Mediaite post that has a clip of the Code Pink co-founder agreeing with Bill O’Reilly about “the hypocrisy of MSNBC”.

As for Scarborough’s actual assertion — which is wrong as Linkins demonstrates because he generalizes too broadly — but as the idea has morphed into a meme, I’m taken aback by how what evolved into the popular Democratic position over Bush’s second term is being characterized as the dominant Democratic position from the start.

In fact, the Iraq invasion was well supported and voted in favor by people all over the political spectrum in the beginning and in those early days, it was only the hardcore anti-war doves who opposed it. This seems to be similar to what we have today.
lonestar77

I don’t know how Jason Linkins or Alex Alvarez can pretend that the anti-war left is anywhere near as strong and vocal now as they were under Bush. Scarborough was correct and the fact that Linkins & Alvarez have to resort to naming a handful of individuals to make their point shows that Scarborough is correct. The anti-everything left wasn’t anti-war or anti-Guantanamo so much as they were anti-Bush.

Here’s a pretty good read on the subject complete with Medea Benjamin whining about not being able to draw crowds to her current anti-war rallies.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/28/anti-war-left-has-trouble-convincing-obama-followers-to-protest-libya-involvement/
Dave Richards

Rachael Maddow and Larry O’Donnell are slobbering all over Obama on how el he has been handling the Lybia situation. What hypocrites!!
http://www.swissarmyjew.com Keeva

Yeah, because conservatives/Republicans are NEVER hypocritical…except on this issue. LIberals are just as bad (especially on Libya), but Scarborough needs to get a working mirror and yell his accusations at that.

Both sides are so terminally full of BS about each other that it is almost pointless to try to argue.

Here is the reality:

Liberals hate everything Bush ever did.
Conservatives hate everything Obama has done or will do.
Neither cares one iota about America or real Americans. They only care about themselves and the next election or fund raiser.

Have a nice day.
slickerwick

Hey, Joe, tell it to your colleagues at msnbo, those new war hawks–O’Donnell, Maddow, Schutlz. Oh, and while you’re at it, remind Larry O’Donnell, who calls himself a socialist, that he works for GE, which made billions in profit but paid zero in taxes and likes to outsource jobs. No wonder msnbc loves Obama, their parent company CEO was appointed to head the jobs commission. Obama and Immelt scratch each other’s backs while the hypocrite-whore pundits genuflect.
Nationman

hey wait, isn’t joe a rino or something?
TfT

Maddow, Scultz, and O’Donnel should join hands and nominate W for a nobel peace prize. They were talking last night how this move in Libya just validates the Nobel for Obama.

Bwahahahaha

spin city…spin, spin, spin.
Barack Must Go

Knock, Knock, Knock, is there anyone in there ? NEWSFLASH: Joe, The Left Is ” YOU ” regarding everything, so shut up and sit down……..please?
tatboy

http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/28/anti-war-left-has-trouble-convincing-obama-followers-to-protest-libya-involvement/
Nationman

Barack Must Go said:
Knock, Knock, Knock, is there anyone in there ? NEWSFLASH: Joe, The Left Is ” YOU ” regarding everything, so shut up and sit down……..please?

That’s right he’s a rino. LAWL
Pablo

Keeva said:
Conservatives hate everything Obama has done or will do.

Conservatives have not given Obama much crap over Afghanistan, aside from for his occasional indecision.
macombman

Brian Williams interviews President Obama the day after his Libya speech. A humorous video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLSWIXENBpk
Dem4Ever

Let me be clear. O-Bomb-A is a fraud.
http://www.swissarmyjew.com Keeva

Pablo said:
Conservatives have not given Obama much crap over Afghanistan, aside from for his occasional indecision.

OK, that’s 1. And even that one is not quite accurate. Conservatives have challenged Obama’s schedule to leave and still refuse to acknowledge the fact that more strikes have been launched against terrorists in the border regions. And any conservative that agrees with Obama even once is instantly branded a RINO.

Liberals that agreed with Bush were branded as traitors. Again, both sides engage in this idiocy.

At the end of the day, I stand by what I said.

I think Obama has made some errors. I thought Bush made some errors. But I also credit them with what they got right in my opinion. The problem now is that it is apparently heresy to credit the other side with anything they do right and thus our permanent stalemate. Both sides do this and both sides need to shut up, go home and relearn the difference between blind ideology and principled opposition.
Yoda002

Pablo said:
Conservatives have not given Obama much crap over Afghanistan, aside from for his occasional indecision.

They went on and on and on about it. According to the Frank Luntz memo: keep bringing up that the president sounds indecisive and not giving what the commanders want. I’m sure you probably got the memo too.
ProObamaAgenda

In Non related news…. district court judge re-slaps the shit out of scott walker and placed another injunction on the collective bargaining law he rammed through…this time with a warning…she said TRY THIS BS AGAIN AND SOMEBODIES DUMB ASS IS GOING TO JAIL
da-wdc

“How can liberals call for Qadhafi’s ouster when they opposed the war against Saddam?”

Joe, the world is a complicated place. Believe it or not. More complicated than “the Left and the Right are all hypocrites and the only enlightened folk are on Joe Scarborough’s tv show.” I mean, you’re free to ask dumb questions but don’t turn around and accuse the Left of hypocrisy because they are more thoughtful than you are.
BushClintonCrimeFamily

lonestar77 said:
I don’t know how Jason Linkins or Alex Alvarez can pretend that the anti-war left is anywhere near as strong and vocal now as they were under Bush. Scarborough was correct and the fact that Linkins & Alvarez have to resort to naming a handful of individuals to make their point shows that Scarborough is correct. The anti-everything left wasn’t anti-war or anti-Guantanamo so much as they were anti-Bush.

Here’s a pretty good read on the subject complete with Medea Benjamin whining about not being able to draw crowds to her current anti-war rallies.
http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/28/anti-war-left-has-trouble-convincing-obama-followers-to-protest-libya-involvement/

Maybe the anti-war left has just given up. It isn’t like 8 years of protesting got them a single payoff.
BushClintonCrimeFamily

slickerwick said:
Hey, Joe, tell it to your colleagues at msnbo, those new war hawks–O’Donnell, Maddow, Schutlz. Oh, and while you’re at it, remind Larry O’Donnell, who calls himself a socialist, that he works for GE, which made billions in profit but paid zero in taxes and likes to outsource jobs. No wonder msnbc loves Obama, their parent company CEO was appointed to head the jobs commission. Obama and Immelt scratch each other’s backs while the hypocrite-whore pundits genuflect.

O’Donell actually did a “Rewrite” piece about MSNBC not paying taxes. On Friday. A good piece. Against his owners. Let’s see a Fox head try that one.
BushClintonCrimeFamily

Barack Must Go said:
Knock, Knock, Knock, is there anyone in there ? NEWSFLASH: Joe, The Left Is ” YOU ” regarding everything, so shut up and sit down……..please?

Yep, Joe is so left. So is Ronald Reagan, by your teabagger standards.
KirbbDogg2000

This is from the guy who said on his show the resion him and Mika didn’t cover the earthqake in Japan because he needed more facts and wanted to talk politcs. He’s full dog crap.
Nationman

Dem4Ever said:
Let me be clear. O-Bomb-A is a fraud.

good for you posting in this more than one place. makes it seem more smart.
redwriteblue

Whichever tribe prevails in the Lybian civil war means that the other side’s civilians are going to be misstreated so the U.S. State Department will be bringing thousands-more of them to be “resettled” in our country as “Political Asylum” refugees.

They will be able to keep-up with daily political events in their homeland on facebook and raise money for their tribesmen’s efforts to fight the other tribe like the Egyptians in the U.S. are doing:

http://www.flixya.com/blog/2799108/Egyptian-Events-
eingriff

Glenn Beck’s masterful analysis of the Libyan military adventure and its doublespeak interventionist justification was highly informative and accurate, as far as it went.

This justification, misleadingly branded “responsibility to protect”, will be used to promote a global caliphate and jihad against Western Civilization, particularly the U.S. and Israel. It meshes nicely with the Comintern strategy of allying with Islam to destroy the West. A Comintern mole at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is throwing the weight of the United States behind it.

It would be in the best interests of the U.S. not to meddle in Muslim scrapes, as they are endemic to Islam, with every fatwa-happy imam free and frothing at the mouth with eagerness to propound jihad against any other imam who stand in his way, and an infinite number of contenders for the title of almighty exalted Grand Global Caliph. Let them kill one another. They are beyond the pale of civilization.
KirbbDogg2000

He;s trying to get attenion. The ratings on Morning Joe went up yesterday. And Joe was not there. it just shows he’s not the rating darw he thinks he is.
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