Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 07:15 pm
Joe Scarborough, not the most Democrat-friendly of observers, nevertheless took the time on Monday’s edition of MSNBC’s Morning Joe to rave about what a great pick Tim Kaine is for VP. He called Kaine a “good choice” and Mika Brzezinski called him “awesome.” Bloomberg’s John Heilmann went even further, saying, “this is the most qualified ticket in terms of sheer resume that’s ever run on either ticket in the history of the country.”
Watch courtesy of Media Matters or America:
JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): But this stepped on —
MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): Tim Kaine.
SCARBOROUGH: — the selection of Tim Kaine. Now, we may — some people in here may disagree. I think Tim Kaine is about as good of a choice —
BRZEZINSKI: He’s awesome.
SCARBOROUGH: — as Hillary Clinton could have made. This is a guy —
BRZEZINSKI: Puts me over the top.
SCARBOROUGH: This is a guy who fought as a civil rights lawyer. He went to Honduras fighting for civil rights. Worked with Jesuit priests.
MIKE BARNICLE: Jesuit missionary.
BRZEZINSKI: Spoke in Spanish.
SCARBOROUGH: He was a Jesuit missionary in Honduras. The guy has been DNC chair and he did it right. He’s been a senator. He’s been a governor of a swing state.
BRZEZINSKI: Mayor.
SCARBOROUGH: He’s been a mayor. I’m telling you, and they’re going to attempt to make Donald Trump look irrational and crazy. Tim Kaine is a perfect device to do that.
BRZEZINSKI: Two governing partners.
SCARBOROUGH: I think it was a home run. I know a lot of progressives don’t think so, but if you want to keep Donald Trump out of the White House, hard to find a better selection than that, Willie.
[…]
JOHN HEILEMANN: Three things that are true. One is, between him and Hillary Clinton, this is the most qualified ticket in terms of sheer resume that’s ever run on either ticket in the history of the country. Just resume alone. The second thing is Tim Kaine is a tough street fighter. He has never lost an election. And all those ones he won —
BRZEZINSKI: But also the sweetest guy.
HEILEMANN: Not lost one, very nice guy, but also really tough politician. And the third was I was down there in Miami for that event. The contrast between the body language and the chemistry between Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine and Donald Trump and Mike Pence could not be more dramatic. These two like each other. They’re happy to be campaigning together.
What is funny is Scarborough saying Clinton and Kaine are “going to attempt to make Donald Trump look irrational and crazy,” because nobody has to make Trump look irrational and crazy. He’s that way already. All Clinton and Kaine have to do is state the facts, and all the rest of us have to do is sit back and report what Trump says.
The real strength of Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine is self-evident: years of experience in various government roles, and this is the type of criticism Trump is going to face going forward.
He picked a failed governor about to get run out of his own state, and plans to put him in charge of both domestic and foreign policy, leaving many of us to wonder what, precisely, Trump intends to do besides enriching himself.
On the flip side is the most experienced team in the history of the country, as Heilmann said. I’ve been told by conservatives I know that Trump’s speech was great and that he is the most qualified, but facts matter, and facts argue strongly against Trump and Pence.
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