Today’s opening segment of Morning Joe was one—long—gush-fest over First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech to the DNC last night. The apotheosis of adulation came from Joe Scarborough, who said that the speech “reminded me of Ronald Reagan.”
Scarborough also had an “America love it or leave it” message for those who think our country needs to be made great again: “we are the last best hope for a dying world. If you can’t get behind that message as a Republican or a Democrat, then let me buy you a ticket to another country.” Wonder if Joe offered Michelle a ticket out back in 2008 when she said that “for the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country?”
Mike Barnicle weighed in to suggest that the speech was greater than the best ones he’d ever seen.
MIKE BARNICLE: I’ve seen a lot of great speeches at conventions, Mario Cuomo in ’84, Ted Kennedy in 1980, Barack Obama in 2004. Bill Clinton in 2012. I have never seen a speech, given the presentation from a non-politician, really, the First Lady.MIKA BRZEZINSKI: From the heart.BARNICLE: The presentation, the content of the speech from the beginning about watching her children go off to school.MIKA: Chilling.BARNICLE: The speech was about our children. The speech was about us more than it was about politics.JOE SCARBOROUGH: It really was. And again, I’ve got to draw my attention to Republicans right now who see me with clinched fist up in the air cheering Michelle Obama’s speech to say, I don’t know that Michelle Obama would appreciate that, what I’m about to say, but her optimism and her hope reminded me of Ronald Reagan, who could talk about all of the problems that we were having and then look right at the audience, but always end by saying, I believe that America’s greatest days truly do lie ahead. Despite all the problems that we are facing as a country, despite all of the problems that we have in our economy, despite all of the challenges across the globe, we are Americans. Look where we have been. Look where we are. Look where we are going.And Michelle Obama, again, like Barack Obama in 2004, like Ronald Reagan in 1984, like Ronald Reagan in 1980, she spoke the truth! We are the last best hope for a dying world. And if you can’t get behind that message as a Republican or a Democrat, then let me buy you a ticket to another country. Because we are the greatest country on the face of the Earth. And I’m proud of where we are and where we’ve been.
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