Joe Scarborough: Sarah Palin’s Political Career Is Over

This morning on Morning Joe, former Congressman Joe Scarborough weighed in on an idea I explored yesterday:

JOE SCARBOROUGH: I don’t think you’re overstating it at all. I really don’t. I think, all of us, Pat Buchanan was talking yesterday about how we understood the anger that Sarah Palin might feel for being unjustly accused minutes after the shooting of causing that, the shootings. But, Jon Meacham, the response by Sarah Palin, on the day that they were going to remember a nine-year old little girl that got killed and several senior citizens, and of course a congresswoman who was clinging for her life, to make it all about her, and to stir the pot up additionally with a very loaded phrase–that others have used–but others weren’t considering running for President of these United States. Got to say, I really do believe, it’s not an overstatement to say this probably ended Sarah Palin’s political career. I would be stunned–and save this tape, save this tape and rub it in my face if I’m wrong–would be stunned to ever see Sarah Palin elected to another political office.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. john personna says:

    Scarborough has been taking a moderate line and the high moral ground all through this.

    He’s been calling for moderation and “niceness” but at the same time, he hasn’t been afraid to oppose violent rhetoric full bore.

  2. largebill says:

    The only politician that Scarborough knows that the career is over for is Scarborough himself.

    If Palin is going to run for an office and win it will be because she succeeds in conveying her positions and ideas effectively to voters. If she fails it will be because she failed to effectively get her message out. The short video the other day and the fake outrage over blood libel will have nothing to do with her success.

  3. Tano says:

    “If she fails it will be because she failed to effectively get her message out. ”

    You are missing a rather obvious alternative. If she fails it most likely would be because she does effectively get her message out – and the people reject it.

  4. Gasman says:

    Palin is a mean spirited, vindictive, maladroit clod who clearly has no business asserting herself onto the national stage. That she could be so universally offensive in such a short speech clearly illustrates that she is not cut from presidential cloth. Despite John McCain’s many years of service to his country in the military and in government, his legacy will surely be that it was he who inflicted the feckless buffoon Sarah Palin on this country. McCain thought so little of this nation and of the presidency that he picked this moron to be his running mate.

    Mercifully, after this incredibly uninspiring, petty, and self serving apologia in which she managed to lob an anti Semitic swipe – at Giffords? – very few people will ever again seriously contend that she should be POTUS.

  5. Patrick T. McGuire says:

    Let’s see, we have a washed-up politician who makes his living on MSNBC talking to around 350K people telling us that someone who can get international press covereage any time she wants it, and who had a TV show with 10 times as many viewers, is finished in politics?

    Somehow I am very unimpressed.

  6. dmoreno says:

    International press coverage any time she wants it–have ya noticed it has not been positive coverage, and have ya noticed her show was basically a flop regardless of the number of viewers—I travel extensively and constantly get teased about the ridiculousness of scara paylin and the republican party–they both are an embarrassment to our country.

  7. Gasman says:

    So now viability as a presidential candidate is to be determined by reality show ratings and not by their own insipid and mean spirited remarks? At a time when humility, gravitas, and compassion were in order, Palin gave us a paean to her own victimization, nastiness, and anti Semitic bigotry. Nobody has termed her speech presidential in tone. She has made it abundantly clear that she is woefully lacking in ANY of qualities we expect from our presidents.

    Perhaps Mr. McGuire is somehow unaware that much of the most damning criticism of Palin’s rather uninspiring speech as come from Republicans. I am willing to bet that none of those GOP critics are taking their marching orders from Joe Scarborough or anyone else at MSNBC.

    Maybe Mr. McGuire would like to provide us all with a detailed explanation of how someone as self absorbed and small minded as Palin is capable of becoming POTUS or indeed of ever being elected to any office, anywhere ever again.

  8. wr says:

    Hmm, Bristol Palin got about ten times mom’s audience when she did Dancing with the Stars. By Patrick’s reasoning, she’s the one who should be running for president.

  9. mantis says:

    The most watched television show in the United States for the past six years is American Idol. I guess Randy Jackson should be president!

  10. wr says:

    Don’t be crazy – a black man could never be elected president!

  11. Because I said so says:

    Patrick, if political viability is determined by the viewership of your TV show, Sarah will be demolished by the Snookie/Situation ticket.

    It doesn’t really work that way, dear.

  12. John says:

    Gasman, Can I assume from your comment that those cut from “Presidential cloth” are those who smugly use their middle finger to “scratch an itch” while referring to a political opponent?

  13. anjin-san says:

    > Let’s see, we have a washed-up politician who makes his living on MSNBC talking to around 350K

    What do you do for a living? I imagine Scarborough’s accomplishment’s exceed yours by orders of magnitude.

  14. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III says:

    We will be serving crow at the main diner after the election of Sarah Palin as President of the United States in 2012. Please, those of you who will be eating, enter on the left side of the building. The tables on the right are reserved for RINOs.

  15. Smooth Jazz says:

    “Joe Scarborough: Sarah Palin’s Political Career Is Over”

    Oh Goodie, Goodie: Another proclamation from the Doug Mataconis/Joe Scarborough /Politico /DailyKOS /DCNewYork left wing echo chamber. Hey Dude, I have news for you: Joe works for MS NBC. His daily lineup is almost always Liberals save for the occasional mushy New York Lib Obama-Loving Repub such as Peggy Noonan. When was the last time you saw a Repub on Joe’s show rebutting the usual left wing panel??

    Joe Scarborough’s audience is almost 100% Palin Haters, so he is preaching to the choir. Perhaps most important, HIS BOSSES are left wing zealots, so he has a vested interest in pleasing all his critical constituencies. In that sense, he is very similar to this blog: Since the vast majority of your members are Palin Hating left wingers, many of your posts attack her so your members can all hold hands in this Liberal echo chamber shouting Kumbaya. Make no mistake, that is what Joe is up to: Since his audience, bosses and other constuencies are overwhelmingly Liberal, this “prediction” is their Kumbaya moment together.

    Joe is a Phony who works for a Palin Hating network for goodness sakes. If you think his opinion is objective, I have a bridge on sale I could sell you.

  16. anjin-san says:

    Kenny,

    If you can stop whining for even a single day, I have a bridge I will GIVE you…

  17. An Interested Party says:

    “We will be serving crow at the main diner after the election of Sarah Palin as President of the United States in 2012.”

    Do you have some kind of grave physical injury in your past? You really should lay off the hillbilly heroin before posting comments here…

  18. rjwalker says:

    Sarah Palin is no longer a politician (assuming she ever was, really):

    she is nothing more than an HMP – Hate Media Personality.

  19. dofwai says:

    The days are past when the American people could be told who to vote for by the MSM. Granted, there are still a lot of folks that DO blindly follow their “betters” – it seems that a lot of them post here – but by and large, American voters don’t give a rip about Joe Scarborough’s pontifications.

    The more negative press Palin gets, the more supporters she gains. Haven’t you figured that out yet, MSM? The calculus has changed.

  20. Stric9 says:

    “Maybe Mr. McGuire would like to provide us all with a detailed explanation of how someone as self absorbed and small minded as Palin is capable of becoming POTUS or indeed of ever being elected to any office, anywhere ever again.”

    It’s happened before!!! (GEORGE W. BUSH)

  21. icarustraveler says:

    @ Smooth Jazz:

    Keep your bridge to nowhere. You bought it, now you’re stuck with it.

  22. Edward Vos says:

    Governing is about helping people in need not about making your self look good.

    I haven’t heard any policy statements from Sarah other then the poor me let me talk and complain about my lost freedoms to talk. So how’s that working for you Sarah?