Video file

Citation From the July 19, 2022, edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe

JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): But DeSantis is really great at baiting the left. He brings up this nonsensical issue, Mika, that — I say it's nonsensical because 5-year-olds? Nobody, I’ve never met a parent, Democrat, Republican, independent, that says, “I would love my 5-year-old or 6-year-old or 7-year-old to be taught that.” And then suddenly, out of that becomes this great reaction, this "Don’t Say Gay" slogan, making it sound like this is for all students. So DeSantis, he gets his issue, he gets the media he can attack. He gets some people on the left that he can attack.

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But it is not just this issue, Mika. It is other issues. It’s these cultural issues that are trapdoors for, I’ll say not just Democrats but a lot of people in the media who oversimplify an issue and play right into DeSantis’ hands.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): Yes. And at a time when we’re facing crises of actual existence, we’re talking about these issues. And here’s another one. By a 28-point margin, voters said transgender athletes should be banned from competing in girls sports. Most voters said they would be less likely to back candidates who want to prosecute teachers for instructing students on critical race theory and gender identity. Here we go again. Joining us now —

SCARBOROUGH: Well you say here we go again, I think there is a Pew poll, 82%, let’s go back to the last poll, then we'll get to Marc. But you go back to this last poll, again, this is just something people don’t talk much about on television. Maybe they’re afraid to. 82% of Americans according to a recent Pew Poll said they don’t think that a man who transitions post-puberty should be able to compete in girls’ sports or in women’s sports. Now, that’s a position 82% of Americans agree on. But again, it’s set up as a left versus right. And it pushes Democrats into a corner. Now, I understand, there are one in four Americans who think that should be allowed to happen. I understand there are one in four Americans if you look at these polls, that think that people in kindergarten should be taught sexuality. But, again —

BRZEZINSKI: What are we doing?

SCARBOROUGH: — DeSantis is great at setting this up so he gets to take on the media. He gets to take on the supposed left when it is only the most progressive wing of the Democratic Party. And suddenly, he’s the savior of the great, you know, the moral majority or whatever he’d want to call it. And it is just, DeSantis baits the left. And it’s why he has over 100 million dollars right now in his campaign.

BRZEZINSKI: It's amazing. Should we go to Marc Caputo now?