Joe Scarborough Goes OFF On Democrats Over Infrastructure Discord: ‘Stop Giving Republicans High Ground!’

Joe Scarborough went off on Democrats for undermining America’s chance at a bipartisan infrastructure package with their attempts to force a larger accompanying bill through Congress.

The comments came on Tuesday as Morning Joe focused on President Joe Biden’s efforts to promote the infrastructure plan Democrats and Republicans agreed to last week. However, they also noted the ongoing political strife over Biden’s now-withdrawn push to link the infrastructure package to a reconciliation bill.

As the panel used this topic to accuse Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of political opportunism, Scarborough turned things around by remarking that “it really does seem strange what the Democrats have been doing here.”

“I understand the progressive wing of the Democratic party has been long-suffering over the past four or five months listening about Joe Manchin and sometimes Kyrsten Sinema,” Scarborough said. “At the same time, if you want to have the bipartisan bill pass, you can’t say ‘Yes, we’re going to use you to get to the 60 vote threshold this time, but only if we also can roll you with this 50 vote threshold at the same time.’ It’s just not going to work.”

Scarborough continued to hammer his point by saying the infrastructure bill “is not going to pass if its linked” to reconciliation. He further argued that passing a $6 trillion budget reconciliation proposal [as backed by people including Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)] is unrealistic, and Democratic leaders need to get themselves in order if they want to move the bipartisan deal forward.

“I’m sorry to have to be this blunt this morning, but I’m getting tired of saying things and three months later people figuring out it’s not going to pass,” Scarborough said. “I respect Bernie and other progressives pushing for $6 trillion because if you don’t push for that, you don’t meet people in the middle. I understand why they’re doing that. But God, these conflicting signals between a president, a speaker and a majority leader? It’s got to stop.”

Scarborough managed to up the intensity even more when asked what Democrats should do:

Stop talking past each other! Pass the bipartisan piece of legislation, and then, instead of holding press conferences saying they need to be linked — because they can’t be linked — because if they’re linked, there’s no deal. So stop saying it! Stop saying it in front of the microphones and go to the bowels of the Capitol, get your Democratic caucuses together, and talk through it there…Stop giving Republicans high ground, which is exactly what you’re doing right now!

Watch above, via MSNBC.