I make the mistake of starting my day with “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. “Joe” is Joe Scarborough, an articulate former Congressman who’s inclined to talk over his guests and his co-host, Mika Brzezinski. There are times I’d like to reach through the television screen and choke him!

He does, however, represent a rational conservatism, whether I agree with him on many topics or not. I feel I can listen to what he has to say and hear a legitimate conservative point of view, not some Ted Cruz anarchist crap.

Mika and Joe

Recently, for whatever reasons, he seems not to be there on set as much or else he participates in the first segment from some location other than the studio from which “Morning Joe” originates.

On the days Joe isn’t there, hosts and guests speak in complete sentences, try not to step on each other’s points by talking over each other. There is no loud talk, no interruptions of the news when Mika reads it, no need to reach through the screen to choke somebody. You know who!

One needs to hear all sides of an argument, not just the ones that match one’s closely held prejudices….that’s where Joe comes in.

To my amazement, Mika actually is articulate, is a great moderator of the discussions, and she smiles! On days Joe’s in studio talking over her, she frequently doesn’t get to complete a thought, and she has a nearly show-long scowl on her face… even though she is close enough to reach over and choke Joe in person, something I sit there urging her to do since I can’t reach through the television set.

On days Joe appears from another studio, he participates, of course, because he is articulate and has fully formed opinions on the news of the day. Not to say he’s infallible, of course, but he, at least, isn’t an ideologue like so many on Fox News are. (I find Shep Smith and Chris Wallace usually are watchable, professional journalists; the rest leave me reaching through the television set to choke them…!)

Also, on the days Joe appears from another studio, he is less likely to step on other people’s comments by talking over them. Those days are more meaningful, as I actually can hear what everyone says – I have total deafness in my right rear, and some hearing loss in my left, so this over-talking makes listening difficult to impossible. On those days, though Joe is more subdued, I actually like him. Closed Captioning helps, but isn’t the whole answer for me.

I note that Joe Scarborough is my conservative of choice because he presents an argument rather than proclaims an opinion as a fact. You might call him the Chris Matthews of Conservativism. (Cheap shot! Cheap shot! I love you, too, Chris! But you do walk over other people’s comments.)

Where I live, in Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District, people sent to Congress tend always to be Republicans who get around 70% or more of the popular vote. The district isn’t red, it’s screeching scarlet!

I also note that I watch most of the MSNBC political and news programs in the afternoon and evening. They tend to be liberal, as charged, though they are honest about their biases, unlike Fox, where they routinely parade Republican Party propaganda as news, with the exception (in my opinion) of Chris Wallace and Shep Smith.

All I ask of newscasters and pundits: honest arguments based on credible facts. That and a desire for Joe to shut up and listen more to Mika and his guests rather than risk me reaching through the television set to choke him!

I didn’t intend to write a review of a television show today or get political. It occurred to me, however, during today’s dose of “Morning Joe”, that a lot of my upset about the Obamacare defunding/debt ceiling mess originates with this start to my day. That and the fact that Joe Scarborough irritates me when he talks over guests before my morning joe kicks in.

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Incidentally, it was reported on the news that 26% of all Texans are without health insurance. What about that Senator Cruz? Wouldn’t working to correct deficiencies in the Affordable Care Act make more sense to your constituents than you working to deny them access to some form of affordable health insurance?

Just asking, sir. Maybe you’d even look presidential if you worked for the people instead of self-aggrandizement. Nevermind. It’s too late for you now.