Sean Hannity and Media Research Center head Brent Bozell on Thursday night went on the offensive against MSNBC “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, the former Florida Republican congressman who in recent years has drifted to the left on key issues like gun control.
“Let’s just get your reaction, because we have Joe back in his congressman days — now he’s doing the liberal ‘Morning Joe’ show and he’s the NBC version of what a, quote, ‘conservative’ is,” Hannity said. “What do you make of that?”
“Well, I think that there are two issues going on here,” Bozell replied. “One is if you take that position, close your eyes — that is Chris Matthews. That’s Al Sharpton. That is the most radical of the radical left position that the NRA is going on and hoping people would die so they can make money off of it. That’s the kind of Occupy Wall Street language that you hear out there. I mean, it is radical kook stuff. That is Joe Scarborough in his own words. But the second thing is that it is a complete reversal of what Joe Scarborough made himself famous on, and it is a complete reversal on what he still maintains he is, which is a Republican in good standing.”
Hannity then argued that Scarborough, who recently said the Republican Party is headed toward extinction, had a much different take on gun issues back in 1994, when he was a candidate for the House of Representatives. Specifically, Hannity cited a Daily Caller story highlighting questionnaires Scarborough had filled out demonstrating his once-seemingly indefatigable support for gun rights.
HANNITY: He would argue that “I changed after Newtown.” I would argue that he wants to be loved by the establishment, and Joe Scarborough is no conservative as he’s portrayed.
BOZELL: Yeah, but look, Sean — you can change your mind. That’s perfectly fine. But if you listen to the words in that last clip you showed, that was a personal attack. That was Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Harry Reid. That was bomb-throwing of the worst rhetorical kind and personal insults. Now, he’s aiming them against people who supported exactly what he supported. You can have a difference of opinion, but you don’t have to go radical left. He’s gone radical left. Fine, but Joe, please my buddy, never call yourself a conservative again.
HANNITY: He’s going to because — and he impugns the character of everyone else. He said about CPAC [that] it is only about anger and hate.