Good interview with Scarborough.
Cuppa Joe
A visit to Scarborough Country.
March 29, 2004, 8:39 a.m.
Q&A by Meghan Keane
Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Scarborough Country (airs weeknights at 10 P.M.) and a former United States congressman from Florida, recently spoke to NRO's Meghan Keane about the election, prime-time punditry, and more.
NRO: TV host vs. congressman: Which has better perks?
Scarborough: Congress, without a doubt. Free food, free trips, free golf outings. Best job position this side of rock star.
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NRO: Have your views on the media changed since starting your show?
Scarborough: Yes and no. "Yes" in that I have found most reporters to be more interested in scoring a great story instead of making an ideological point.
But "no" when it comes to whether the overwhelming
majority of people working in the mainstream press have a
liberal bias. They do whether they work in broadcast or
print. Anyone who tells you otherwise is supporting a
position as indefensible as Baghdad Bob's in the closing
days of the war. That being said, almost [everyone] I have
worked with [does his] best to suppress their personal
beliefs while reporting their stories.
NRO: Who is your favorite liberal journalist? Who is most fair?
Scarborough: I've been pleased that Bill Keller has been moderating the New York Times's tone since Howell Raines was sent packing. The Times remains the Left's strongest voice in America, but Keller's Times is not as frantically liberal as Raines's was leading up to the war.
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NRO: Who's been your favorite guest since first going live with Scarborough Country?
Scarborough: I always loved Frampton Comes Alive, so Frampton was a big thrill.
NRO: Who is your least favorite public figure right now?
Scarborough: George Steinbrenner. (I'm a big Red Sox fan.)
NRO: Back when you were a congressman on the Hill, you were in a band called "Average Joe." Will there ever be a tearful VH1 Reuniting the Band reunion?
Scarborough: No. The other members of the band are either in rehab or stuck in hellish Turkish prisons. I don't see it happening anytime soon.
NRO: Does your interest in music influence your politics?
Scarborough: Not directly, but I find that listening to music that I love on my iPod or playing music alone relaxes me and helps me look at the world differently than when I'm wearing a suit at work.
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NRO: What's the weakness of the GOP right now, going into the presidential election and Senate battles?
Scarborough: The Republican's record on spending is shameful. They have lied to the American people by promising a smaller federal government while giving them the largest deficit and federal debt in American history. The president's immigration policy has also hurt his reputation with his base.
NRO: Will the Republicans keep the Senate? Will the GOP majority increase this year?
Scarborough: Republicans should pick up a few seats in the Senate this year not because they have done well over the past two years, but because the Democrats have done worse — and have disappeared as a significant political force in the Southeast. R's will pick up seats in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, with Florida and Illinois leaning GOP.
NRO: How close will the election be this November? Do you fear another Florida?
Scarborough: Not if John Kerry continues his Implosion Tour 2004.
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NRO: Who would win in a fight — you or Bill O'Reilly?
Scarborough: I don't fight.
NRO: Are you sure?
Scarborough: Positive. My wife would whip up on me if I did.
NRO: What's next for you? Ever see yourself running for office again? Or might you consider a venture into late night?
Scarborough: Time will tell. I want to get my boys out of high school in one piece before considering another run. Regarding late-night ventures, I'm a morning person. These 10 P.M. shows are killing me.
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