At It Again: GOP Labeled as ‘Crazy, MAGA Maniacs’ By ‘Morning Joe’ Team

With the push for gun control still going strong and January 6 hearings coming up, there are a lot of hot topics of discussion going on in the political world. MSNBC verbally attacking the GOP is just one example of these things. “Crazy, MAGA, mania!” is what MSNBC contributors John Heilemann and Donny Deutsch ever-so creatively came up with on Friday’s Morning Joe. They might have hoped that the left would reward them with a congratulatory note for such an original line.

The beginning It’s too early Host and Morning Joe staple Jonathan Lemire kicked things off by reiterating Biden’s speech about guns from Thursday night. Lemire praised Biden for trying not to alienate responsible gun owners and expressing that this has nothing to do with the desire to take people’s guns away; even though Biden said explicitly in the speech that he wanted to ban AR-15s.

Lemire showed then two clips showing Republican Congressmen trying to show viewers that Republicans are passionate about guns.  One clip was Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio at the Judiciary Commission hearing about gun control claiming that this is “an attack on the Second Amendment.”

Even more fascinating was the second clip. This clip showed Rep. Greg Steube, Florida, showing Congress some of his guns that would be outlawed by the new legislation.

And what was MSNBC’s response? They blew it completely out of proportion, saying that he behaved “like an utter ass” and made himself look “like he not only has way too many weapons, but doesn’t actually know how to operate them.”

Steube was not trying to simply “wave” his “arsenal” around to scare Democrats, he was showing them the popular guns that would be banned as a result of their magazines.

Even better, Joe Scarborough, absent from his own show, still made himself relevant by tweeting about Steube’s “spectacle.” “This is the Republican Party of 2022. Extremists, freaks, insurrections, conspiracy theorist, and authoritarians,” he raged typed.

Heilemann chimed in by accusing Republicans of being too scared of the NRA and begging for their money, calling their acts “political cowardice.” He even called Steube an “ass” multiple times and clearly thinks that this is the entire Republican Party.

Deutsch contributed to the conversation further by accusing Republicans of not caring if a girl is raped but still making “sure an 18-year-old continues to buy automatic weapons and weapons of war.”

Did Deutsch mean to say “semi-automatic,” or does he actually think automatic weapons have not been banned yet (because they already have been)?

Claire McCaskill, a former Democratic senator from Missouri was an invited guest. When discussing the upcoming midterm elections, she stated one of the narratives as being “do you want to fight extremism?” She continued “That there’s — that he’s so proud of the 30-round magazine that he wants to show everybody that he has one. So that’s extremism.”

So according to the former senator, a man showing people his gun magazines that might potentially get banned is “extremism”, okay then.

She then branded Americans as “willing to look the other way on extremism,” because they are “so focused right now on the pain at the grocery store and the pain at the pump.”

McCaskill says that if Americans are really struggling to pay their rent and grocery bills and take care of their loved ones, it is likely they support extremism.

Lincoln and the US Postal Service brought this example of bias to your attention.

For the entire transcript click on “expand”.

MSNBC’s Morning Joe

06/03/2022

Eastern, 7:11:04

JONATHAN LEMIRE: The president also said last night, quote, “this is not about taking away anyone’s guns.” But at yesterday’s Judiciary Committee hearing for new gun legislation, the top Republican on the committee, Jim Jordan, claimed the Democrats are trying to do just that.

REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OH (IN CLIP). No one wishes another tragedy. This is not something we want to see again. This is why it’s so regrettable that Democrats have rushed today to pass a markup, which seems more like political theatre than an actual attempt to improve the public safety or find solutions. [Transition] This bill just another democratic attack on the Second Amendment. This is only the beginning.

LEMIRE:  There was another moment later in the hearing when Republican Congressman Greg Steube who was appearing virtually from his home in Florida showed off guns and magazine clips he claimed would be banned.

REP. GREG STEUBE(R-FL), (IN CLIP). I am holding a Sig Sauer P-226. It comes with a 21-round magazine. The ban would apply to this gun. [Transition] Here’s a Sig Sauer 320, it takes a 20-round magazine. [Transition] Here’s a gun I carry every single day to protect myself, my family, my wife, my home. This gun is the XL Sig Sauer P-365. Includes a 15-round magazine.

This is a 7-round magazine. It would not be legal under the bill. It won’t fit. This gun should be prohibited.

REP. SHEILA JACKSON LEE: It is my hope that the gun will not be loaded.

REP.STEUBE – I am at home. With my guns, I’m free to do what I please.

LEMIRE: Yeah as you’re hearing it there, as the Congressman waved around those guns, Democrats expressed concern about his safety.

Joe tweeted about that moment, saying this, quote, “This is the Republican Party of 2022. Freaks, extremists and conspiracy theorists. They don’t belong anywhere conservative, no matter what you want to call them. They stopped being that a long time ago.”

Donny, Donny, it’s my turn to give you the floor. I would love to hear your reactions to Joe’s tweet. What about that spectacle from the Republican Congressman?

DONNY DEUTSCH – What is wrong with this group of people?

MIKE BARNICLE

DEUTSCH:  What is wrong with these people? This is theater of absurdity. He said, “I can do anything I want to with my guns.” This is the marching cry.

What I still don’t understand, from a political point of view, you’ve charted on the show many, many times, I don’t have to restate the statistics about what 90 percent of the people want as far as universal background checks and 80 percent want the red flag laws. We all have heard of them. Do the Republicans realize that it is now a new moment and that there is no bugaboo politically? Are there any Republicans who will act boldly? John — is that not it?

And also, before I throw it back to you, just one thing that Biden did last night, and I agree with everybody, I thought he was super strong, and I’ve been very critical of him sometimes not having his mojo and I thought he was pitch-perfect, is celebrating gun owners. This is part of my strategy. To make it more clear, I think gun owners should be speaking out for the gun laws that need reform.

Let’s return to my original question. But, let’s return to my question.

JOHN HEILEMANN:  Well, it’s hard to know. Look Donny, where the action is for these Republicans is not in — they would lose nothing by being in favor of gun measures that 90 percent of the American people are in favor of, in a general election. However, this is not the place where action takes place in American politics. It happens within your own party in a primaries.

DEUTCH – Even Republicans.

HEILEMANN – There are many Republicans who don’t want to go against the NRA. They want the money from the NRA and they make sure that the NRA doesn’t fund a primary opponent against them so they act in this spirit of political cowardice. And you know, Congressman Steube is obviously an ass, and you know, I’ll agree with everything Joe said but the thing I think of when I see a performance like that, is what an opportunity for Democrats.

Claire, I have a question. Like, you know, I don’t want to turn everything back on the Democratic Party, many of who are on the right place in these gun regulations, and God knows they should go further than some of these very modest proposals like universal background checks or red flag laws.

You can’t help but notice a Florida congressman acting like a complete idiot on TV, carrying these weapons and doing other things that make it seem like he doesn’t know how to use them.

You think, “How can he?” With those images that characterize the Republican Party (not the main stream, but the majority of it? Why isn’t the Democratic Party able take these images, those positions, or those statements and use them to turn the tide against the Republican Party effectively?

It seems so obvious that Democrats will win this election. Because it’s not just that Republicans are on the wrong side of 85 percent of the American people on most of these things, but they go and make utter asses of themselves on television like Congressman Steube did yesterday.

CLAIRE MCCASKILL:  Well, I think, and you know Donny might want to speak on this too, I think the essence of the midterm elections is going to be two different narratives. Is it your intention to defeat extremism? Are you willing to combat the fact that Republicans from all over the country, including my own, now say that if you are raped you must continue to carry the fetus of your rapist to term. You cannot end a pregnancy if you have been raped.

Then you do this. The extreme idea of removing a magazine which can kill 30 children in a matter if three or less minutes is acceptable. He’s proud to have a 30-round magazine and wants everyone to see it. This is extremism.

The other side of the coin is progress. This is what I want to keep in mind. There are a lot Americans who are too focused on pain at home and at work right now that they will not look at extremism because it isn’t important for their financial future.

This is November’s challenge. If the Democrats are disciplined, and keep their message against extremism consistent with it, they can win many districts where everyone thinks that they have little chance.

…

7:24:39 a.m.

DEUTSCH Wrap it up and tie it to MAGA madmen. Talk points include that the Republicans would like to prevent a 14-yearold girl being raped at her uncle’s home from getting an abortion. However, they want an 18 year old to be able to continue buying automatic weapons and other weapons of war. This is what the Republicans are trying to do to our democracy.

Joe says that this is impossible. We can’t allow the crazy MAGA maniacs to take over. The fear of mad MAGA maniacs must be more important than fearing an additional 50 cents per loaf. And that dichotomy that Clare laid out is where it is. But you got to wrap it with the emotion of fear of crazy.

LEMIRE:  Well that’s the messaging we are starting to hear from the White House. Despite the fact that the President continues to try to work across the aisle on some issues and give Mitch McConnell the benefit of doubt, which is more than most of his staff wish him to do, we’ve heard him speak about ultra MAGA, extrem MAGA, trying paint them as the extreme party on these issues. I think we are going to have those attacks ramped up—

DEUTSCH: Think beyond the extreme. Ultra can be used to mean a positive adjective. Make it crazy—

[Crosstalk]

HEILEMANN: Crazy, MAGA, maniac

DEUTSCH: Yeah, that’s it, you got to go that hard.