Joe Scarborough Destroys Michael Steele in a Healthcare Debate

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:12 pm

To See President Biden's 5 Best Jokes At The White House Correspondents Dinner visit The Daily.

Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough will never be mistaken for an Obama apologist, but when RNC Chairman Michael Steele tried to discuss the exploding cost of healthcare with him by using the standard GOP talking points Scarborough lit into him. Once again, Steele managed to embarrass himself on national television.

Here is the video courtesy of Think Progress:

Things went downhill when Donny Deutsch asked Steele for one thing that he would do to lower healthcare costs. Steele said,” I’ll give you three, 1) “You’ve got portability,” 2) “Let’s create co-ops,” and 3) “Let’s make it so that the people who aren’t employed or have an employer at the time can deduct their health care if they’re not getting it through their employer.” But Steele wasn’t done. “I’ll give you an extra one: let’s do tort reform!”

Scarborough replied, “Mr. Chairman, I agree with you on all four points, but you can add up all those four points and none of them are going to take care of the overriding issue” – exploding health care costs. Those four issues will not cut costs.” Steele tried to dodge Scarborough’s question, so Scarborough kept asking it again and again.

Scarborough brought up the possibility of an 87 year old who needs hip replacement surgery who is terminal. Steele said that people should be able to get whatever they want without rationing heathcare. Scarborough said, “Then are you saying then if you are 87 you want it and you get it, and that the government pays for it or insurance companies pay for it, which means we all pay for it.”

Scarborough kept hitting Steele hard, “So we continue spending 25% of our healthcare costs in the final year of life instead of taking care of preventive measures on the front end of life that will drive down healthcare costs in the long run?” Steele said that is part of the discussion. They both agreed that the legislation can’t be done in two weeks, and it is politically reckless to do it in two weeks. Scarborough told Steele, “Just saying no and not having a long term approach is politically reckless.”

Steele is fine as long as he sticks to talking points, but as he admitted yesterday at the National Press Club, he doesn’t do policy, which speaks volumes about the state of the GOP. Joe Scarborough clearly knows more about the healthcare issue than Michael Steele, and he seemed exasperated by the fact that his party is being “led” by a policy moron.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association