Even as his fellow Morning Joe co-hosts praised John McCain on Friday for denouncing Code Pink anti-war protesters who attempted to disrupt a Senate hearing as "low-life sum," [1] MSNBC's Thomas Roberts lectured the Republican Senator for shutting down the intruders: "If people want to show up and protest, right? They should be allowed to hear their voices. And instead of calling Capitol Hill police and then calling them 'low-life scum.'"
Bloomberg's John Heilemann was incredulous: "Really? You think you should be allowed to show up at a Senate hearing and just like disrupt a Senate hearing? I mean, I'm all for peaceful protests and everything, but like, you know, you're in a Capitol Hill hearing room, you think people should just be able to like go in there and scream?"
Roberts defended his argument by referencing Republican Congressman Joe Wilson shouting "You lie!" to President Obama during an address to Congress: "We've heard people yell during the State of the Union....I'm talking about sitting members of Congress." Heilemann replied: "I'm not in favor of that, either."
Roberts continued: "But I think there's a more interesting way for Senator McCain or other people to talk about, you know, calming a crowd like that and then not pounding them down by calling them 'low-life scum.'" Even panelist Howard Dean pushed back: "Well, you can't calm them...that's not why they're there."
The segment began by substitute co-host and BBC anchor Katty Kay applauding McCain: "I love this. Senator John McCain lashed at protesters who interrupted a committee hearing yesterday, calling one man a 'low-life scum.'"
Following a soundbite of McCain telling off the disruptive activists, fellow fill-in co-host Donny Deutsch cheered: "There you go. That's – that's what we want from our leaders, right?...I love that. Wasn't that great?" Kay agreed: "That was great."
After Roberts criticized McCain, Deutsch wrapped up the exchange by declaring: "I'm a big McCain fan today, that's all I gotta say."
Earlier on the program, Roberts bizarrely asserted [2] that if Jeb Bush ran for president in 2016, the first thing that would come to mind for voters would be the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
Here is a full transcript of the January 30 segment:
7:11 AM ET
KATTY KAY: I love this. Senator John McCain lashed at protesters who interrupted a committee hearing yesterday, calling one man a "low-life scum." Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was about to testify, but as he walked into the room protesters from the group Code Pink began chanting and waving signs demanding his arrest. Watch what happens when McCain thought things were going – brought under control.
JOHN MCCAIN: I've been a member of this committee for many years and I have never seen anything as disgraceful and outrageous and despicable as the last demonstration that just took place about – you know, you're doing to have to shut up or I'm going to have you arrested. If we can't get the Capitol Hill police in here immediately – get out of here, you low-life scum.
DONNY DEUTSCH: There you go. That's – that's what we want from our leaders, right?
THOMAS ROBERTS: Get off my lawn! Get off my lawn!
DEUTSCH: Get off my plane!
JOHN HEILEMANN: Donny, how many times have you been called low-life scum?
DEUTSCH: This month? Two. But there's another side to the argument that I'm not going to get into. I love that.
KAY: You have a defense?
DEUTSCH: Wasn't that great?
KAY: That was great.
DEUTSCH: McCain, you know, that's a guy at a point in his life just doesn't care.
KAY: That's the John McCain we want to see. The guy who doesn't care what he's meant to say and just says it.
HEILEMANN: A, defending the honor of Henry Kissinger, B, really hating Code Pink, and C, just really being cranky, just a really cranky human being.
DEUTSCH: No, just not-
KAY: The old McCain was back.
DEUTSCH: One of the great things about people as they kind of age a bit, they just don't give a crap.
KAY: They don't care.
DEUTSCH: And you get a lot of effect-
HEILEMANN: Well, I gotta say, McCain hasn't really given a crap for a long time.
KAY: Yeah, but he's sort of – when he was trying to play the game to get ahead, he massaged some of that. He lost.
HOWARD DEAN: Not all of it.
KAY: Not all of it, as you know.
THOMAS ROBERTS: If people want to show up and protest, right, they should be allowed to hear their voices. And instead of calling Capitol Hill police and then calling them "low-life scum."
HEILEMANN: Really? You think you should be allowed to show up at a Senate hearing and just like disrupt a Senate hearing? I mean, I'm all for peaceful protests and everything, but like, you know, you're in a Capitol Hill hearing room, you think people should just be able to like go in there and scream?
ROBERTS: We've heard people yell during the State of the Union.
HEILEMANN: I don't think that should be allowed either.
KAY: They were moved out, too.
HEILEMANN: Yes, that was-
ROBERTS: No, no, no, I'm talking about sitting members of Congress.
HEILEMANN: I'm not in favor of that, either.
ROBERT: They weren't removed.
KAY: When you had them in the gallery.
ROBERTS: But I think there's a more interesting way for Senator McCain or other people to talk about, you know, calming a crowd like that and then not pounding them down by calling them "low-life scum."
DEAN: Well, you can't calm them [cross-talk] that's not why they're there.
KAY: And actually I suspect they'll be kind of happy about it because they get a hell of attention.
DEAN: That's exactly right. He did them a favor.
KAY: He did.
HEILEMANN: The biggest fundraising day in Code Pink history today.
KAY: All publicity – exactly. All publicity is good publicity.
ROBERTS: But they're talking about war crimes.
KAY: Right, Donny? This will have booted up their fundraising numbers?
DEUTSCH: I don't know. I just – I'm a big McCain fan today, that's all I gotta say.
— Kyle Drennen is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter. [3]