Morning Joe Hosts Scoff at Perry's Chances: Romney Has Nomination 'in the Bag'

On Friday, another Morning Joe host went out on a limb and confidently predicted the political demise of Rick Perry. Discussing the Republican presidential candidate's positions on Social Security, Mika Brzezinski proclaimed, "Then, Mitt Romney has this thing in the bag. I mean, are you kidding me?"

Brzezinski's comments came just nine days after Joe Scarborough declared, "Of course, [Rick Perry] can't get elected in the general election. He can't."

Then, on September 06, 2011, Scarborough followed up. He insisted, "There is no way Rick Perry can win a general election. No way. Press the record button, Texas: there is no way Rick Perry can win a general election. No way."

New Yorker editor David Remnick appeared, Friday, and asserted that the contest between Romney and Perry will decide whether "the Republican Party will put forward somebody who is a true radical outlier."

A transcript of the September 09 segment, which aired at 7:13am EDT, follows:

JOE SCARBOROUGH: What is your take on Rick Perry doing this?

DAVID REMNICK: I don't think he's thought it through. I think he's playing to the imagined bleachers. And I think part of the drama of this campaign and the book that Mark's writing with John Heilemann and others will write is whether this time around the Republican Party will put forward somebody who is a true radical outlier.

SCARBOROUGH: Yeah.

REMNICK: The first candidate for that would have been Michele Bachmann and now Rick Perry has surfaced more vividly. I don't think they have thought it through. We have science and many, many other issues.

SCARBOROUGH: Usually, if you would say, sometimes you would say somebody is a radical outlier and I would debate you on it. And say, maybe by Manhattan standards. But, I gotta say, even by middle American standards, you are a radical outlier if you believe Social Security does violence to American values, if you believe united states senators should not be elected by the people. And that is exactly what he believes.

REMNICK: Maybe your state would be better off seceding from the union.

SCARBOROUGH: Secede. Right.

EUGENE ROBINSON: What if he has thought it through? I mean, you know, he's thought it through to the- exactly.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Seriously? Then, Mitt Romney has this thing in the bag. I mean, are you kidding me? This guy- If that's the case, this guy isn't going anywhere. As far as Social Security is concerned, he hasn't said it has to go, has he? He hasn't said it has to go.

SCARBOROUGH: He says it does violence to American values.

ROBINSON: It's a monotonous lie. It's a ponzi scheme. We gotta save it? Keep our monstrous lie? We gotta keep our monstrous lie? I mean, come on.

— Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.