Morning Joe

This is a show I really like. But be warned, it goes on at 6 am EST and runs until 9 am. I'm 75 and I watch the show mainly because, at about 6 am, I often have to make a bathroom call. If you're anywhere around my age, chances are you know what I'm talking about. And, since I often find I can't get back to sleep, I'll go into another room and turn on MSNBC.

Joe's regulars include Mike Barnacle, Willy Geist, Amika, Pat Buchanan. He also has a parade of stimulating guests. One thing you begin to realize is that a lot of people who gravitate to "the talking heads" business seem to be well connected. But I guess that's true of life in general.
Amika, for example, is the daughter of Zbignew Brezinski (please excuse me if I misspell any names). Amika and Joe do their little Punch and Judy routine adding a touch of levity to an otherwise fairly serious show.

Willy Geist's father apparently was a mover and shaker in the media business, though I'm not sure of the details. Mike and Pat are, as far as I can tell, self-made men, which is also true of Joe, a one-time Congressman from Florida. He certainly brings a lot of political knowhow to the show and, without skewering them, doesn't allow guests to get away with delivering nothing more than prepackaged answers to important political questions. Joe's about as fair as you're ever going to get on TV.

But even Joe has his weaknesses. They discussed Glenn Beck and it was pretty clear that Joe, and certainly Amika, didn't have much respect for Beck. I'm not in love with Glenn Beck but respect must be given where respect is due. It was on Beck's show that I first became aware of film that had been shot surreptitiously at various Acorn offices. The footage was dynamite and couldn't be ignored by the other networks. If it hadn't been for Fox News and Glenn Beck, it is possible the film would never have seen the light of day. The other networks showed it only days later when this information could no longer be ignored.

Sure, Beck goes off on silly tangents. For example, I saw his piece on how the communist muralist Diego Rivera (hope I've got that right) sold works to Standard Oil people for installation in the Rockefeller Center complex. The art was great; the message not so great. But, that was ages ago. It's not that I don't appreciate wonderful insights to history. But that was then and things like Acorn are now.

I'm glad Joe's got Pat Buchanan on his show on a more or less regular basis. As a Republican, I appreciate much of what Pat says. And, when he suggested that Levi Johnson be taken down to the stream, and have his head held under water until the thrashing stopped, I did get a good laugh. However, as one who appreciates the true merit of the State of Israel, Pat's attitudes and misperceptions regarding this marvelous nation do grieve me.

Be that as it may, "Morning Joe" is a great show.