Does anyone have a contact address for someone in power at MSNBC? I would like to send them a quick letter:
Dear ----
It has become clear that you need to fire Joe Scarborough.
I very rarely watch the evening news, preferring to watch your channel and other cable news channels. However, imagine my shock at watching the ABC Nightly News on Wednesday night and seeing your talk show host, Joe Scarborough, at a campaign rally in New Mexico, seated right behind President George W. Bush, clapping.
I did a double take. That can't be him, I thought. A person working in the media, even in the opinionated media, would never be caught dead at a campaign rally for a political candidate. But when the camera again cut to another scene, with Bush hugging his "nemesis," Sen. John McCain, there was your talk show host, cheering and clapping away, in support of the president.
Let's be clear about this: Scarborough was not on the risers with the news cameras. He was not holding a mic reporting on the rally. He was not in the audience watching with other political reporters and talk show hosts. He was sitting on the stage with the president, supporting the president.
One could make the case that maybe if the president was visiting Scarborough's old congressional district in Pensacola, it might be okay for him to tag along. But it is never okay for a news organization - which is supposed to be unbiased - to allow anyone working in their broadcast booth to be on stage with the president or any candidate for public office, cheering.
I really enjoy your news channel. I enjoy "Hardball," "The Countdown," and even Pat Buchanan, who I find intelligent and interesting to listen to. I even like some of the comments Scarborough made in some of your panel shows.
However, you cannot allow your talk hosts to be doing this. You cannot allow your talk show hosts to be doing this after you fired Phil Donahue for saying he was against the invasion of Iraq. Donahue's ratings were better, his program was more entertaining, and no one ever found a dead intern in his office.
It is time to fire Scarborough.