Like many political junkies, we’ve become addicted to MSNBC’s Morning Joe.
You can disagree with the politics of host Joe Scarborough and commentators such as Pat Buchanan, but you can’t help but appreciate their insights.
Scarborough was a Republican congressman from Florida and editor and publisher of the Florida Sun. Buchanan, of course, was a perennial presidential candidate, as well as special assistant to Gerald Ford, speechwriter for Richard Nixon and communications director for Ronald Reagan.
Frequent guest Chris Matthews, who also hosts Hardball, was a speechwriter for Jimmy Carter and Washington bureau chief of the San Francisco Examiner.
So, other than being able to sigh disapprovingly and hand slap smart-aleck bad boy Joe Scarborough, what’s the skill set of co-host Mika Brzezinski? Best we can tell, it’s being the daughter of former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski, who appeared on the show just last week. This morning, one of her incisive inside stories was about her childhood participation in the White House Easter egg roll.
If the network truly believes it needs a blonde woman to balance a show that’s too often dominated by old white guys, why not choose one with brains and solid journalistic credentials?
Our vote would go to Andrea Mitchell, who’s not only smart, classy and experienced, but also very connected. But MSNBC has just handed Mitchell her own hour-long show on politics. Our loyalties may wander to a later time slot.
Click here to sign up for the Muckety Newsletter
16 Comments
#1. cashmere 03.24.2008
I find Mika less than impressive. Her glowing memories of the WH Easter egg hunt was bothersome. Most of the time she acts like she’s afraid of Joe. She just comes across to me as this snooty, well connected chick that loves to wear plunging necklines and short skirts.
#2. Barbara L. 03.24.2008
i am confident that joe started drinking at 6:00 this morning in florida when mika asked chris matthews if he was trying to endorse someone. Did you see his face? could she BE more unprofessional or unjournalistic. anymore “i’m just sayin”, or “my whole family is for obama”, and i’ll lose my cheerios. she interrupts important guests with her 4-5 disclaimer sentences before asking an unrelated question. hopefully joe will strangle her soon! morning joe is a treasure and i hope msnbc knows it!
p.s. - please tell david gregory that interrupting his guests’ answers, does not make it a ‘fast paced’ show….it’s just rude is all. and the brady bunch opening set-up isn’t working either. too many guests at once so we only get snippets. i adore david gregory and am glad ‘they’ are noticing his talent….just slow it down a bit and let folk finish their sentences.
ok - i’m done…….thank you for your time.
#3. Tony Iovino 03.25.2008
I’m finding Mornin’ Joe unwatchable because of Mika. She mugs for the camera; she incessantly interrupts; she’s nasty and quite frankly–she’s not too smart.
I find Joe fascinating–not because we both agree on a lot of issues, but because he, of any personality on TV, has been willing to call it fair–and has been legitimately impressed with those who don’t necessarily agree with him.
But she’s making it impossible for me to enjoy the show.
#4. Jennifer 03.27.2008
I find the show extremely difficult to watch because of her. I truly believe she’s an idiot. She never has any opinion of her own , unless she’s heard it from someone else first. I’ve emailed MSNBC because she annoys me so much. For the life of me I do not understand why they keep her. If it wasn’t for the guest spots by Matthews, Chuck Todd, Russert, Ed Schultz , Andrea Mitchell, etc. I wouldn’t watch. I really wouldn’t. As it is, I’m getting ready for work so I can’t always mute her dumb ass. She honestly is an idiot - I’d like to use another harsher term - unfortunately , in this respect, I’m a feminist. She’s constantly chattering and using these vocal interruptions to let people know she’s in the room. It’s obvious she’s there because of who they thought she might be connected to, but it’s not working. Her father obviously did not pass on his brains to her. I’m sorry.
#5. Dr. Max Malikow 08.07.2008
There’s world of difference between “having something to say” and “having to say something.” Unfortunately, most of Mika’s comments are in the latter category. Rarely does she add anything to the topic under discussion. In addition, she appears to be plagued with ADD (attention deficit disorder); constantly making notes and reading from whatever is in front of her rather than listening to what is being said by others. I trust she doesn’t mean to be rude, but this is how she appears.
#6. Nina 09.18.2008
I can’t watch that show anymore — Mika’s incessant interrupting, her weird, nasal noise-making (you can’t even call it commentary — she just snorts and giggles and sucks her teeth and admires herself in the monitor), and her insatiable need to be the center of attention every single minute make the show unwatchable. Has no one at MSNBC informed her that people sometimes actually want to hear what the guests have to say? How are we supposed to be able to hear them when she’s constantly talking over them — and talking blather, at that. And why is she always coming on to men? It’s disgusting. Is she married? Does she have kids? Why does she shame them and shame herself with that kind of slutty, skanky behavior?
#7. MIAQ 11.01.2008
Mika is absolute worst thing about SNBC!
#8. MIAQ 11.01.2008
Sorry about typo; it’s too early to type. Not yet awake…
Mika is THE absolute worst thing about MSNBC!
#9. c 11.24.2008
Mika can’t think in a vertical position
#10. Mia 04.16.2009
My friends and I call her Mike “Box of Rocks” Brzezinski. At first, I was amused by her, and then later, I pitied her. Now, I just can’t stand her. I LOATHE her. She grates on me and makes me scream at the TV, “Seriously, how moronic are you?” Are the producers of Morning Joe deaf and blind? She is the phoniest, most affected and vacuous woman on TV. Painful and cringe-worthy. Joe is only a tiny bit better, but at least he is tolerable.
As for Mika’s father, you may not like his views, but he is a brilliant, knowledgeable, and articulate man. Mika is the opposite. Proof positive that genes aren’t everything.
#11. Jwhite1979 05.28.2009
Mika’s Must-Read Opinion Pages? Really? I’m pretty sure she grabs the flashiest titles from RealClearPolitics.com.
#12. rob 07.24.2009
i think they are both awful. scarborough is an ideologue and an intellectual lightweight. mika has a hard time reading the news without stumbling over the big words.
#13. Laurie Bennett 07.26.2009
The recent controversy about Skip Gates’ arrest highlighted Mika’s inability to handle intellectual debate. Several black analysts expressed frustration over her insistence on simplifying the conversation. She didn’t get it, and MSNBC didn’t stop it.
#14. Rick 08.19.2009
Best I can tell Mika’s job is to make verbal-ish noises as Joe the other guests converse. “Mmm!” “Ungh-huh!” “Ah” “Oooh”, “Mmmmyuh”, and such. Sometimes her cadence at least matches the conversation, but most of the time it sounds like she’s thinking about something completely different and generating noises by rote.
Then it’s headline-reading time! This is where she shines! She loves it! Whew! Don’t need to use brain! She is very very very heavily coached in reading aloud from a teleprompter.
#15. laura 01.08.2010
This vacuous woman has recently published her memoirs, proof that her Scarborough-assisted tenure on Morning Joe won’t be ending anytime soon. I don’t share Joe’s politics but at least he’s insightful; watching her on the show is EXCRUCIATING and an insult to broadcast journalists everywhere. One of the commenters mentioned how she lights up each time it’s time to read the headlines- so true. This task marks the extent of her skill set. When will someone put a stop to this??
#16. greg 01.22.2010
I have stopped watching morning joe because I can’t stand that idiot Mika..Who is she suppose to be? She is a dumb as a rock and can’t even read the news properly.She is no journalist I can’t believe she never even has an original thought…Nepotism at its finest…
Leave a Comment