The 'Morning Joeing' of America

Tuesday morning, Joe Scarborough gleefully cheered former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's debate performance the previous evening. Scarborough seemed to feel that Newt's condescending attitude toward Juan Williams and his suggestion that school janitors should be replaced by 30 students who would then earn pocket money and would stay in school earned him an "A" rating. It is unclear if he thought that rating was earned because the idea was particularly good or that it seemed to be a hit with the racously partisan South Carolina crowd.

And that's just the point. Joe Scarborough and the gang that gathers around the table on weekday mornings don't have to become definitive in their opinions unless it serves their own self interest. They talk over one another, the intermix semi-serious discussion with meaningless bumper sticker phrases, and they do it from the comfort of the studio. When they do venture out to Iowa, or New Hampshire or in a few days to South Carolina they will do so in a sterile environment in which the audience will be comfortably sitting around tables, drinking their coffee and hanging on the words of folks who haven't done a decent day's work in many a year.

Joe, Mika and the gang will have a lot more credibility when they do their program from the kitchens of their 'on the road' establishments. Talk to the dishwasher, the cooks, or the servers. Talk to folks who struggle to earn enough money just to pay the rent. Talk to folks who can't afford to go to Starbucks because that would take food of their children's table. That might be the key to recovering your credibility. Quit talking, and if you do talk, talk one at a time. Most of us learned that in kindergarten. Quit talking, and start listening. Your morning chat show would become much more relevant to the majority of the people of America.

Joe on more than one occasion has mentioned Matthew 25 where Jesus speaks about the 'least of these'. I'm sure that Joe is also a charitable fellow. But, Joe, instead of talking about 'the least of these' or offering them charity from your well compensated salary, try listening to them. And drag the gang that sit at table with you along with you. You all might learn something. You might learn that your often inane conversations are out of touch with the people who suffer most in our society. They don't have the time to listen to your show because they are either at work or trying to figure out how to cope with the unfairness of a nation where the 'least of these' struggle, while the wealthy and well-placed can comfortably chat about it.