Couldn’t Joe Scarborough have waited until after Barack Obama and Joe Biden gave their DNC speeches tonight before he began gushing over them? Apparently not. On today’s Morning Joe, Scarborough, pre-lauding Obama’s speech-to-be, said “you know when you’re watching a great movie . . . and you can see where it’s going, and you sort of start smiling?”
But it wasn’t just Obama’s as yet unspoken speech that had Scarborough excited. “You look at that lineup: it’s absolutely extraordinary,” enthused Joe. In addition to Obama, tonight’s line-up consists of Michael Bloomberg, Tim Kaine and Joe Biden. Yes, when it comes to oratory that will bring people to their feet, set their pulses racing and forever claim that they were there in the hall that night, there’s nothing like Mike Bloomberg bragging about the day he banned the Big Gulp.
And then there was poor Mike Barnicle, discussing the aftermath of Bill Clinton’s disastrous speech at the 1988 DNC that was so bad, and so long, that his biggest applause line was when he said “and in conclusion.” Clinton went on the Johnny Carson show the next night to clean up the mess, playing the sax. Except Barnicle said it was “Bill Carson,” who played the “tuba.” Time to say goodnight, Mike.
MIKE BARNICLE: He was the first real political guest that Johnny Carson had on his show, and the reason that Carson finally relented and had Bill Carson, had Bill . . Clinton, Bill Clinton on the show was because they said he’d play the tuba. Remember? He came out and he played the –MARK HALPERIN: Sax.MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Sax.WILLIE GEIST: Sax.MIKA: The tuba??BARNICLE: It’s a long time ago!. . . .JOE SCARBOROUGH: You know when you’re watching a great movie, or you’re watching a great TV series or you’re watching a great musical, let’s say, and you can see where it’s going, and you sort of start smiling, seeing where it’s going? You can see all this feeding right in to Barack Obama. Coming up on stage, and delivering a message to that hall and the rest of America, where he does four years later what Bill Clinton did for him four years ago. Remember all the Obama supporters said “why can’t anybody make the case? Why is there no–” Bill Clinton went out and made that case for the Obamas better than the Obamas could make for themselves. Barack Obama, I predict, returns the favor tonight and makes that case that you all are talking about in a way better than the Clintons can make for themselves.And again, you look at that lineup. It’s absolutely extraordinary. I think we’re going to look back, I really do. I think Joe Biden and Barack Obama, I think this is going to be a night to remember if you love politics, if you love this sort of thing.
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