Joe Scarborough

Joe Scarborough
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 1st district
In office
January 3, 1995 – September 5, 2001
Preceded by Earl Hutto
Succeeded by Jeff Miller
Personal details
Born Charles Joseph Scarborough
(1963-04-09) April 9, 1963
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political party Independent (from 2017)
Other political
affiliations		 Republican (until 2017)
Spouse(s) Melanie Hinton (m. 1986–99)
Susan Waren (m. 2001–13)
Domestic partner Mika Brzezinski (engaged 2017)
Children 4
Education University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (BA)
University of Florida (JD)

Charles Joseph Scarborough (/ˈskɑːrˌbɔːroʊ/; born April 9, 1963) is an American cable news and talk radio host. He is currently the co-host of Morning Joe on MSNBC, and previously hosted Scarborough Country on the same channel. Scarborough was previously a lawyer and a politician, and served in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 as a Republican from the 1st district of Florida.

Scarborough is also a visiting fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.[1] He was named in the 2011 Time 100 as one of the most influential people in the world.[2]

Early life

Charles Joseph Scarborough was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Mary Joanna (née Clark) and George Francis Scarborough, a businessman; he has two siblings.[3] Scarborough graduated from Pensacola Catholic High School in Pensacola, Florida. He earned a B.A. from the University of Alabama in 1985 and a J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1990.[4] During this time he wrote music and produced CDs with his band, Dixon Mills,[5] and taught high school.

Scarborough was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991,[4] and practiced law in Pensacola.[6]

Scarborough's most high-profile case was briefly representing Michael F. Griffin,[7][8][9] the killer of doctor David Gunn, in 1993. He made several court appearances representing Griffin, before removing himself from the case,[10] later saying: "There was no way in hell I could sit in at a civil trial, let alone a capital trial", referring to the prospect of prosecutors seeking the death penalty against Griffin.[11] Scarborough assisted Griffin in choosing other counsel from the many who offered their services, however, and helped shield the family from the media exposure, pro bono.[12]

Scarborough's political profile was also raised when he assisted with a petition drive, in late 1993, opposing a proposed 65-percent increase in the City of Pensacola's property taxes.[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Scarborough in 1994

In 1994, Scarborough won the Republican Party primary for Florida's 1st congressional district. The seat had come open when eight-term Democratic incumbent Earl Hutto announced his retirement. In the general election Scarborough defeated the Democratic candidate, Pensacola attorney Vince "Vinnie" Whibbs Jr., with 61 percent of the vote, becoming the first Republican to represent this part of Florida since the Reconstruction Era. Whibbs was the son of former Pensacola mayor Vince Whibbs. The district had not supported a Democratic candidate for U.S. president since 1960. However, Democratic candidates had continued to hold most local offices well into the 1990s. Scarborough's win, however, coincided with a massive Republican wave that swept through the Florida Panhandle. Republicans swept nearly all of the region's seats in the state legislature, and have held them ever since.

Proving just how Republican this district was, Scarborough was reelected with 72 percent of the vote in 1996. In 1998 and 2000, he only faced write-in candidates as opposition.[13][14]

Tenure

He received a 95 percent lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union.[15] He signed the Contract with America. Scarborough served on the Armed Services, Judiciary, Government Reform, and Education committees. In 1998, he was named Chairman of the Civil Service Committee.

Scarborough was one of a group of about 40 freshmen Republican legislators who dubbed themselves the "New Federalists" after The Federalist Papers. Scarborough was elected Political Director of the incoming legislators. The New Federalists called for sweeping cuts in the U.S. government, including plans to "privatize, localize, consolidate, [or] eliminate"[16] the Departments of Commerce, Education, Energy and Housing and Urban Development. Gingrich tapped Scarborough to head a Republican task force on education, and Scarborough declared, "Our goal is to get as much money, power and authority out of Washington and get as much money, power and authority into the classroom as possible."[6] Rep. John Kasich (R-Ohio), then Chairman of the House Budget Committee, adopted Scarborough's language eliminating the federal Department of Education in the 1996 House Budget Resolution.[17] The budget passed the House by a vote of 238–193.[18]

Scarborough supported a number of anti-abortion positions while in Congress, including the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, that made it a crime to harm a fetus during the commission of other crimes.[19][20]

Scarborough sponsored a bill to force the U.S. to withdraw from the United Nations after a four-year transition[16] and voted to make the Corporation for Public Broadcasting self-sufficient[21] by eliminating federal funding. He also voted for the "Medicare Preservation act of 1995,"[22] which cut the projected growth of Medicare by $270 billion over ten years, and against the "Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996,"[23] which raised the minimum wage to $5.15. Scarborough had a conservative voting record on economic, social, and foreign policy issues, but was seen as moderate on environmental issues and human rights causes, including supporting the closure of the School of the Americas and defending accused terrorist Lori Berenson.[6][24]

While in Congress, Scarborough received a number of awards, including the "Friend of the Taxpayer Award" from Americans for Tax Reform; the "Guardian of Small Business Award" from the National Federation of Independent Business; the "Spirit of Enterprise Award" from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the "Taxpayer's Hero Award" from the Citizens Against Government Waste; and the "Guardian of Seniors' Rights Award" from the 60 Plus Association.


Committee memberships

Electoral history

Florida's 1st congressional district: Results 1994–2000[29]
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
1994 Vince Whibbs 70,416 38% Joe Scarborough 112,974 62%
1996 Kevin Beck 66,495 27% Joe Scarborough 175,946 73%
1998 Tom Wells (write-in) 663 0% Joe Scarborough 140,525 100%
2000 Unopposed N/A 0% Joe Scarborough 226,473 100%

Resignation

Scarborough announced his intent to resign to spend more time with his children five months into his fourth term in Congress. "The realization has come home to me that they're at a critical stage of their lives and I would rather be judged at the end of my life as a father than as a congressman," Scarborough said.[30] A special election was held to replace him.

Post-Congressional politics

After leaving Congress, he joined the Levin Papantonio Law Firm as an environmental lawyer,[31] headed by the controversial and prominent trial lawyer Fred Levin.[32] He practiced law with the firm Beggs and Lane,[33] the oldest firm in Florida. He was appointed to the President's Council on the 21st Century Workforce in 2002.[34]

In August 2005, Scarborough confirmed reports that he had been asked to consider a challenge to U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris for the Republican nomination to challenge Senator Bill Nelson's reelection bid. However, he announced later that month that he was renewing his contract with NBC.[35]

In early 2009, Scarborough confirmed reports that he had been approached by Florida Republicans who wanted him to run for the Senate seat vacated by Republican Mel Martinez. Scarborough said he was not likely to run as he believes he can have more influence over public policy as the host of Morning Joe than as a U.S. Senator. However, he has not ruled out a political career in the future.[36]

Since the spring of 2015, there has been speculation that Scarborough would run for Governor of Connecticut in 2018. On Morning Joe, Scarborough attacked Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy for anti-business policies that led General Electric to move its headquarters from Fairfield, Connecticut to Boston. Scarborough followed this up with an op-ed in the state's largest newspaper, the Hartford Courant, criticizing the business climate in the Nutmeg State.[37]

On July 11, 2017, Scarborough announced on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that he was leaving the Republican party to become an independent.[38]

Media career

Scarborough

Scarborough is the co-host of MSNBC's Morning Joe, which features interviews with top newsmakers and politicians and analysis of the day's biggest stories. Previously, he hosted Scarborough Country, a primetime news show. He and Mika Brzezinski also briefly hosted a syndicated talk radio show called the Joe Scarborough Show on ABC Radio Network.

While still serving in Congress, Scarborough founded the free weekly Pensacola-area newspaper The Florida Sun in 1999. The paper later merged in 2001 and is now known as the "Independent News."[39]

In April 2003, he embarked upon a television career with the launch of Scarborough Country on MSNBC, until he began hosting Morning Joe full-time.

Scarborough became a strong public advocate for the war against Iraq, calling anyone who questioned its legality: "These leftist stooges for anti-American causes are always given a free pass. Isn't it time to make them stand up and be counted for their views?"[40]

Scarborough briefly hosted a three-hour radio show in 2005.

In an op-ed for The Washington Post in August 2016, Scarborough argued that the Republican Party must "dump Donald Trump" as their presidential candidate. Drawing attention to Trump's remarks about Hillary Clinton and the Second Amendment, Scarborough wrote: "A bloody line has been crossed that cannot be ignored. At long last, Donald Trump has left the Republican Party few options but to act decisively and get this political train wreck off the tracks before something terrible happens."[41]

In June 2017, Scarborough and Brzezinski were the targets of the President of the United States Donald Trump's tweets, in which, in response to their coverage of his administration, he referred to him as "Psycho Joe" and called her "low I.Q. Crazy Mika", while asserting that she was "bleeding badly from a face-lift" when he previously encountered her at Mar-a-Lago.[42][43][44] The hosts responded with an op-ed in the Washington Post, in which they described White House officials telling them that the president would kill a pending National Enquirer article if they apologized to Trump for their coverage of him[45].  The president's tweets received criticism from numerous Republican lawmakers, including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Senators John Mccain, Susan Collins, Ben Sasse, Lindsey Graham, and Lisa Murkowski.[46]

Morning Joe

Scarborough on Morning Joe with co-host (and current fiancé) Mika Brzezinski

In May 2007, Scarborough became one of the rotating hosts auditioning for the slot vacated by Imus in the Morning on MSNBC. Scarborough, with his morning show, won the slot permanently in July 2007.

Morning Joe is a weekday MSNBC morning news and talk show, airing from 6:00am to 9:00am Eastern Time. It features Joe Scarborough providing both enterprise reporting and discussion on the news of the day in a panel format with co-hosts Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist. The show features in-depth discussions that help drive the day’s political conversation.

In 2007, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined Willie, Mika, MSNBC president Phil Griffin and Joe to cut the ribbon on the new set of Morning Joe at 30 Rock.[47]

Morning Joe has covered presidential elections and conventions. In 2015, Morning Joe interviewed then Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Joe abruptly ended the interview but resumed it after commercial break.[48] During the 2016 election, Joe criticized the Democratic National Committee for trying to protect Hillary Clinton and ensure she received the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, calling the DNC “rigged” against voters.[49] 2017 marks the program’s 10th year on air.

According to Nielsen Ratings in 2016, Morning Joe delivered MSNBC’s biggest total viewer and demo audiences in the time period ever and beat third-place CNN in both categories. This marks Morning Joe’s seventh straight year topping CNN in total viewers.[50] Scarborough also is a regular guest on NBC news programs, MSNBC news programs, and has appeared on Meet the Press numerous times. In April 2012, Scarborough guest hosted Meet the Press.[51]

Radio

On December 8, 2008, Scarborough and Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski began hosting a two-hour late-morning radio show on WABC (770 AM) in New York City, replacing 12-year veteran host John Gambling.[52][53][54] As of April 26, 2010, the radio show has been put on "hiatus" to redevelop its format into a new three-hour show.[55]

Books

Scarborough released his first book, Rome Wasn’t Burnt in a Day: the Real Deal on how Politicians, Bureaucrats, and other Washington Barbarians are Bankrupting America,[56] on October 4, 2005.

In his second book, The Last Best Hope,[57] released on June 9, 2009, Scarborough outlined a plan to help guide conservatives back to a political majority after their defeats in the 2006 midterm elections and the 2008 Presidential election.

On November 12, 2013, Scarborough released his third book, The Right Path: From Ike to Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics – and Can Again.[58]

Music

Scarborough released his debut EP, Mystified, on June 23, 2017. A music video for the title track of the new wave-inspired EP was also released on the same day.[59] Scarborough plans to release a new EP every month for the next four years.[60]

Personal life

In 1986, Scarborough married Melanie Hinton. They have two sons[61] and divorced in 1999. While interviewing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in June 2005, Scarborough expressed concerns about the possibility that one of his sons may have suffered vaccine damage (See Thiomersal controversy). Scarborough said "My son, born in 1991, has a slight form of autism called Asperger's. When I was practicing law and also when I was in Congress, parents would constantly come to me and they would bring me videotapes of their children, and they were all around the age of my son or younger. So, something happened in 1989."[62]

In October 2001, Scarborough married his second wife, Susan Waren, a former aide to Florida Governor Jeb Bush and a former congressional committee staffer. Their daughter was born in August 2003; their son was born in May 2008. Scarborough and Waren were divorced in January 2013.[63]

Scarborough currently resides in New Canaan, Connecticut, an affluent suburb of New York City.[64] In early 2017 during a trip to Antibes, France, he became engaged to his co-host Mika Brzezinski.[65]

References

  1. ↑ Gavel, Doug. "MSNBC’S Morning Joe Hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Join Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics as Fellows". Harvard Kennedy School. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ "The 2011 TIME 100". TIME. April 21, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ MILLER, JEFF (May 10, 2011). "RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF GEORGE FRANCIS SCARBOROUGH". Congressional Record Online. Government Publishing Office. p. E840. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Scarborough, Charles Joseph". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 18, 2006.
  5. ↑ Liner notes Dixon Mills CD 1992 SRS records Inc.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Michael Barone, Richard E. Cohen, The Almanac of American Politics, National Journal Press, 2002, pages 374–76.
  7. ↑ 2 abortion crusaders meet - and 1 is dead, Chicago Tribune, March 19, 1993
  8. ↑ William Booth (March 11, 1993). "Doctor Killed During Abortion Protest". The Washington Post. p. A01.
  9. ↑ Kushner, Harvey (2003). Encyclopedia of Terrorism. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan: SAGE Publications. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-7619-2408-1. Retrieved February 14, 2010. In 1993 ... Griffin became the first activist to murder an abortion provider, ushering in a new level of terrorism in the abortion wars.
  10. ↑ Berke, Richard L. "The 1994 Campaign: The South", "The New York Times, October 24, 1994.
  11. ↑ Barrett, Wayne." "Bruise Brother" The Village Voice, April 1, 2008.
  12. ↑ Griffin, Laura. "Area lawyer hired in clinic killing", St. Petersburg Times, April 13, 1993; Kaczor, Bill "Abortion an Unmentionable Issue in District Hit by Anti-Abortion Violence", Associated Press, November 2, 1994
  13. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=7729
  14. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=381
  15. ↑ 2000 U.S. House Ratings Archived June 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  16. 1 2 Shoop, Tom (May 1, 1995). "Not Dead Yet (5/1/95) – www.GovernmentExecutive.com". Govexec.com. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Is the GOP Budget Revolution Lost?". CATO. July 25, 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Congressional Budget Resolutions: Historical Information" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. January 29, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Bill Summary & Status – 106th Congress (1999 – 2000) – H.R.2436 – All Congressional Actions – THOMAS (Library of Congress)". Thomas.loc.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  20. ↑ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 465" (XML). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  21. ↑ http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=104_cong_bills&docid=f:h2979ih.txt.pdf (pdf)
  22. ↑ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 731" (XML). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  23. ↑ "FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 398" (XML). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  24. ↑ Mary McGrory (July 1, 2001). "Captive Parents". Washington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  25. ↑ Designating Majority Membership on Certain Standing Committees of the House (House of Representatives – January 4, 1995)
  26. ↑ Election of Majority Members to Certain Standing Committees of the House (House of Representatives – January 7, 1997); Election of Majority Members to Certain Standing Committees of the House (House of Representatives – January 9, 1997); Election of Majority Members to Certain Standing Committees of the House (House of Representatives – January 21, 1997)
  27. ↑ Election of Majority Members to Certain Standing Committees of the House – (House of Representatives – January 6, 1999); Election of Majority Members to Certain Standing Committees of the House – (House of Representatives – March 11, 1999)
  28. ↑ Election of Members to Certain Standing Committees of the House – (House of Representatives – January 6, 2001)
  29. ↑ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  30. ↑ Kaczor, Bill "U.S. Rep Scarborough to resign", "The Florida Times-Union", May 21, 2001.
  31. ↑ "Scarborough Country". NBC News. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Levin Papantonio". Levin Papantonio. Levin Papantonio. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  33. ↑ Charles Joseph Scarborough Archived October 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  34. ↑ "Members Of President's Council on the 21st Century Workforce Announced Council To Provide Information, Advice To The President On 21st Century Workforce Issues 03/21/2002]". Dol.gov. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  35. ↑ "'Scarborough Country' for March 9 – Morning Joe – MSNBC.com". MSNBC. October 3, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  36. ↑ Jeremy Wallace (February 9, 2009). "Morning Joe or Sen. Joe". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  37. ↑ Vigdor, Neil (June 16, 2015). "Scarborough ponders return to politics after MSNBC - Connecticut Post". Ctpost.com. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  38. ↑ Cummings, William (11 July 2017). "'Morning Joe' Scarborough is leaving the Republican Party". USA Today.
  39. ↑ "Independent News". Pensapedia. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  40. ↑ Pareene, Alex. "MSNBC selectively remembers the Iraq War". Salon. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  41. ↑ Scarborough, Joe (August 9, 2016). "The GOP must dump Trump". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  42. ↑ Dale, Daniel (June 29, 2017). "'Bleeding badly from a face-lift': Donald Trump just tweeted sexist insults at a female TV host". Toronto Star.
  43. ↑ Donald J. Trump [@realDonaldTrump] (June 29, 2017). "I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came.." (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 29, 2017 – via Twitter.
  44. ↑ Donald J. Trump [@realDonaldTrump] (June 29, 2017). "...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 29, 2017 – via Twitter.
  45. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-not-well/2017/06/30/97759ee0-5d0f-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html?tid=a_inl
  46. ↑ http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/politics/lawmakers-react-trump-tweet-joe-scarborough-mika-brzezinski-morning-joe/index.html
  47. ↑ "Morning Joe celebrating its fifth birthday". MSNBC.com. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Joe Scarborough cuts off Trump: 'You can’t just talk'". Playbook. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  49. ↑ "Morning Joe Panel Says DNC Rigging Primary for Hillary Clinton". Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  50. ↑ "MSNBC DELIVERS MOST-WATCHED YEAR EVER". NBC Media Village. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
  51. ↑ "MTP Guest Hosts for Sunday April 1". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  52. ↑ "Joe Scarborough & Mika Brzezinski Begin Radio Show Monday". TV Newser. December 5, 2008.
  53. ↑ Stelter, Brian (December 5, 2008). "TV Decoder: 'Morning Joe' Hosts Add Radio to Routine". The New York Times.
  54. ↑ "Tom Brokaw is Joe & Mika's First Radio Guest". TV Newser. December 8, 2008.
  55. ↑ Hinckley, David (April 26, 2010). "Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski take 'brief hiatus' from radio show to develop new program". Daily News. New York.
  56. ↑ "Rome wasn't burnt in a day". NBC News. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  57. ↑ Gillespie, Nick (July 12, 2009). "Book Review – 'The Last Best Hope – Restoring Conservatism and ...". New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  58. ↑ "Joe Scarborough’s on ‘The Right Path’". Daily Caller. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  59. ↑ Ernst, Douglas (June 23, 2017). "Joe Scarborough releases ‘Mystified’ music video: ‘TrumpWorld Culture on the Skids’". Washington Times. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  60. ↑ O'Neal, Sean (June 20, 2017). "MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough finally dropping his debut EP". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  61. ↑ "CNN 1998 Election Biography". Cnn.com. April 9, 1963. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  62. ↑ "A coverup for a cause of Autism? – Morning Joe – MSNBC.com". MSNBC. June 22, 2005. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  63. ↑ "Joe Scarborough and Susan Waren divorce in January 2013". tmz.com. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  64. ↑ "Joe Scarborough speaks at New Canaan Republicans’ dinner". Ncadvertiser.com. April 12, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  65. ↑ Firozi, Paulina (May 4, 2017). "'Morning Joe' co-hosts Scarborough and Brzezinski are engaged". TheHill. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Earl Hutto		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Florida's 1st congressional district
1995–2001 		Succeeded by
Jeff Miller
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