Firstly I want to point out how hypocritical these twits are being. One morning Joe hosts and guests begged Biden not to attend the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. When Trump canceled the Correspondent’s dinner it was the end of the world and he was the worst president ever in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Joe Scarborough, co-host Mika Breiniski, Willie Geist, and Peter Baker all pleaded with Biden to phone this one in. Now, their reasoning is ‘COVID-19’ but we all saw what happened at the last White House event. Biden was sadly ignored and supplied plenty of gaffes for the horrified nets.
Scarborough pitched the idea that Biden should do a zoom call, ” I think he should thank everybody, he should say what he’s going to say, but when you have the Vice President of the United States with COVID, when you have the President of the United States in a high-risk group, there is no reason for him to go to that event. Put it on a videotape. Get the VCR or the beta, I don’t know what format they use at the Hilton, push it in, press play, and let them see the President. The President doesn’t need to go there. Not healthy. Not prudent. Wouldn’t be prudent.”
Baker added, “you would think a 79-year-old president might be in the vulnerable category but they’ve decided it’s worth him going. They’re not going to let him stay for the meal. Now a lot of people will say that’s probably a good thing for other reasons as well. [Laughter] But they’re trying to find some way of balancing it out. But he’s gonna be there for the evening with 2,600 people in a big ballroom. It’s a real interesting decision on their part.”
Of course, Geist pouted about how Trump shut the press out of their little dinner event saying, “I agree with both of you about this. I – first of all, we all appreciate, I think, the support and the gesture of the President showing up to support journalists whose work is difficult and hard, especially in places like Ukraine, but also to an industry that’s been under fire from the previous president. So certainly we all, I think, appreciate that. But having said that, I don’t know that it’s worth it to expose the President to that room on that night and we’ll see if he does end up going.”
No, I wager that the real reason they want Joe to sit this one out is that they’re exhausted. They’re tired of trying to cover up his diminished mental state.
Watch
Transcript
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Anthony Fauci is not going to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend but the president is, Peter Baker. You and I were just talking about this.
PETER BAKER [THE NEW YORK TIMES]: Yeah.
BRZEZINSKI: So it’s this reality that, yes, the pandemic has crested in many ways, data showing that. Data also showing that people are still in hospitals.
BAKER: Yeah.
BRZEZINSKI: Some people are still dying from COVID.
BAKER: Absolutely. Three hundred people are dying a day. It’s not, obviously, anywhere near where it was at the peak, but that’s still a danger for a lot of people.
BRZEZINSKI: It could be more of like a flu-type number.
BAKER: Right, right. But more vulnerable categories in particular.
BRZEZINSKI: Right.
BAKER: And you would think a 79-year-old president might be in the vulnerable category but they’ve decided it’s worth him going. They’re not going to let him stay for the meal. Now a lot of people will say that’s probably a good thing for other reasons as well. [Laughter] But they’re trying to find some way of balancing it out. But he’s gonna be there for the evening with 2,600 people in a big ballroom. It’s a real interesting decision on their part.
BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, I’m not sure about it. Joe, I know you want to jump in. I’m not sure about the decision to have the White House Correspondents’ Dinner event, I’m really not.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, let me just say it here –
BRZEZINSKI: I don’t think it’s a good idea.
SCARBOROUGH: Let me just throw the baseball in the punch bowl and say the president should not go to the event.
BRZEZINSKI: They shouldn’t have the event!
SCARBOROUGH: There’s no reason why he should go to the event. I mean, we’ve all been in that event before. Even when there wasn’t a pandemic it was unhealthy. I mean, people are so tight and jammed and close in there.
BRZEZINSKI: And drinking.
SCARBOROUGH: I think the President – and I’m dead serious – I think the President, Willie, should do a video. I think he should thank everybody, he should say what he’s going to say, but when you have the Vice President of the United States with COVID, when you have the President of the United States in a high-risk group, there is no reason for him to go to that event. Put it on a videotape. Get the VCR or the beta, I don’t know what format they use at the Hilton, push it in, press play, and let them see the President. The President doesn’t need to go there. Not healthy. Not prudent. Wouldn’t be prudent.
WILLIE GEIST: In the words of another president. I agree with you. I agree with both of you about this. I – first of all, we all appreciate, I think, the support and the gesture of the President showing up to support journalists whose work is difficult and hard, especially in places like Ukraine, but also to an industry that’s been under fire from the previous president. So certainly we all, I think, appreciate that. But having said that, I don’t know that it’s worth it to expose the President to that room on that night and we’ll see if he does end up going.
(…)
9:46 AM ET
BRZEZINSKI: Joe, let me just make one little point. I want – because not to be a complete hypocrite, I’m here in Washington, where I was attending events. And I am telling you that my experience here in Washington at events is that it doesn’t feel – people’s guard gets down, the masks come off, it is too soon to be having a White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. It’s too soon because everyone gets all packed in there and they’re all excited to see each other, some people have a few too many drinks and it’s just a mess.
SCARBOROUGH: It’s just a mess. So Mr. President, stay away from the mess, okay? Don’t go to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Don’t go to clubs. Don’t do any raves for a while. Wait a couple of weeks. You’ll thank yourself and America will thank you as well.
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Erica Carlin is an independent journalist, opinion writer and contributor to several news and opinion sources. She is based in Georgia.