MSNBC's Wolffe Sees Tea Party 'Crazies,' GOP 'Killing Themselves' Politically
Appearing as a guest on Wednesday's The Last Word, MSNBC.com executive editor Richard Wolffe joined MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell in tagging Tea Party Republicans as "crazies" as O'Donnell fretted over whether conservative activists Charles and David Koch the Koch would be able to convince Tea Party Republicans to cave on the debt ceiling issue.
Wolffe mockingly blamed wealthy conservatives like the Koch brothers for enabling the Tea Party's rise to power and asserting tht Republicans are "killing themselves" for the 2014 and 2016 elections.
O'Donnell introduced the word "crazy" as he posed: "Clearly, the Tea Party doesn't care about Wall Street, doesn't listen to Wall Street. But the Koch brothers are in tight with the Tea Party and have been with them on all of their crazy stuff except, of course, this debt ceiling."
Wolffe responded: "You know, the problem is if you invite the crazies into your house, you cannot say then say, 'Where did all these crazy people come from?'"
After suggesting that wealthy Republican donors are concerned that the Tea Party may hurt them, he lectured: "Well, I'm sorry, if you've built up this formidable opposition and you've unleashed it on your own party, then you have to live with the consequences. Sadly, we all have to live with those consequences."
He concluded by pining for a "grownup" to intervene, and predicted Republicans were "killing themselves" politically. Wolffe:
I would love to see the grownup standing up and saying this is too far, but, actually, you know very well that John McCain could not become a nominee of this party right now, nor could George W. Bush. Nor could Mitt Romney. Frankly, Chris Christie couldn't either. They are killing themselves not just in '14, but in '16. Sadly, they're also going to take down the world economy if they carry on like this.
Below is a trancript of the relevant portion of the Wednesday, October 9, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC:
LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Richard Wolffe, I specifically picked the Koch brothers because of this Wall Street thing. You know, it used to be -- and it's been talked about this week and by others -- that, that Wall Street could just call up the Republicans in Washington if they were ever misbehaving, out like this and say, "Hey, hey, hey, stop that right now," and they would stop it right now. The Boehner kind of Republican would listen to Wall Street.
But, clearly, the Tea Party doesn't care about Wall Street, doesn't listen to Wall Street. But the Koch brothers are in tight with the Tea Party and have been with them on all of their crazy stuff except, of course, this debt ceiling.
RICHARD WOLFFE, MSNBC.COM: You know, the problem is if you invite the crazies into your house, you cannot say then say, "Where did all these crazy people come from?"
O'DONNELL: Okay, you can try to because you have their phone numbers and you know them.
WOLFFE: But it's too late for this Republican party now.
O'DONNELL: (INAUDIBLE) ... optimistic show here based on the Koch brothers' ownership of these people.
WOLFFE: It's astonishing we are even having this conversation. You want to put your head in a bowl of cold water and think that it's just a dream. But, no, rational, apparently grown up people are talking defaulting on debt. And then the people who bankrolled them say, "What do you mean, tank the world economy? You may hurt my interests."
Well, I'm sorry, if you've built up this formidable opposition and you've unleashed it on your own party, then you have to live with the consequences. Sadly, we all have to live with those consequences.
I would love to see the grownup standing up and saying this is too far, but, actually, you know very well that John McCain could not become a nominee of this party right now, nor could George W. Bush. Nor could Mitt Romney. Frankly, Chris Christie couldn't either. They are killing themselves not just in '14, but in '16. Sadly, they're also going to take down the world economy if they carry on like this.
