Ted Cruz and Joe Scarborough Butt Heads on Twitter Over Pence Story

Before I dive into the story the headline promises, let me set the stage, starting with Jimmy Kimmel apologizing for a misleading clip he shared:

it would appear that @vp was joking about carrying empty boxes for a staged publicity stunt. The full video reveals that he was carrying full boxes for a staged publicity stunt. My apologies. I know how dearly this administration values truth. https://t.co/hI9cO4lxcX

— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) May 8, 2020

In the video of Vice President Pence delivering personal protective equipment to a medical center, the driver informs him that certain boxes are empty. Pence jokes, “Can I carry the empty ones? Just for the cameras?” The driver laughs, and everyone has a great time making the world a safer place.

Except for the part that the above clip was edited:

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement, “As several journalists have noted, the deceptively edited video is obviously a lie. After delivering full boxes, Vice President Pence made a joke about carrying empty boxes for the cameras, but the edited video cuts out the laughter and the VP closing the van doors.”

In response, Kimmel “apologized” for the blatant lie (but not for his hack job as a late-night “comedian”) and dismissed as a “publicity stunt” the fact that Pence was delivering PPE to medical professionals who ACTUALLY NEED IT just because Pence, who doesn’t need a mask or gloves, wasn’t wearing a mask or gloves.

But it wasn’t just Kimmel who was fooled by the deceptive clip: Actual journalists out there were so desperate for it to be true that they shared the video with no due diligence.

In a since-deleted tweet, Joe Scarborough of “Morning Joe” fame (I use that word loosely because who the hell is Joe Scarborough and what is “Morning Joe”?) circulated the video on Twitter, evidently believing its narrative. Enter Hero of the People Ted Cruz:

Hmm. When you’re on the defensive for being dishonest & corrupt, perhaps best not to forward fraudulent stories from Jimmy Kimmel (that he’s admitted were false)? You are claiming to be a journalist, after all…. https://t.co/tYsgKJGxpR

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 8, 2020

All valid points. Ted: 1.

Scarborough retaliated:

Ted, when I make a mistake I admit it. You remain mired in shame because you kowtow to a man who called your wife ugly and said your daddy assassinated JFK. Me messing up a tweet or two will never erase the shame you carry every day of your life. https://t.co/eJa4qWzqA2

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 8, 2020

I award 0 points for this weird, off-topic butthurt rant. I’ll dig into the content (what little there is) in a minute.

Score update: Ted 1, Joe 0.

Ted’s move.

Joe, you chased after Trump for 2 years like a teenage girl throwing her panties at the latest boy band; now you pretend to be this indignant paragon of virtue outraged at everything he says & does. All to get invited to DC cocktail parties & thrill the 13 people watching MSNBC. https://t.co/XG9P0Bwrbp

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 8, 2020

I’m awarding one point for “like a teenage girl throwing her panties at the latest boy band” and one for “the 13 people watching MSNBC.” TWO POINTS.

Joe was evidently so triggered by this response, it took him 3 tweets to respond:

Ted, Trump called your wife ugly and said your dad killed JFK. The difference between you and me is the closer Trump got to power, the more I criticized him. The closer Trump got to power, the more you sold your soul to him. You even sold out your own father’s name for Trump. https://t.co/jx83IE6JQ4

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 8, 2020

PS. I don’t do cocktail parties. I went to University of Alabama and University of Florida. You’re a Harvard and Princeton boy who spends your life around lobbyists and billionaires. You can cut out the man-of-the-people BS. Nobody believes anything you say.

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) May 8, 2020

Side note before scoring to point out how much I love that all their responses begin with the other’s first name. It’s like passive-aggressive work memos and I’m a fan.

Scarborough’s response is lame sauce for the following reasons:

1. He restated the same insults from his first response (and went for a third shot with the whole “Trump said Papa Cruz killed JFK.”). Lazy. Booooooo.
2. The whole “opposite reactions to Trump as he rose to power” thing is predicated on the assumption that it was a bad thing. That will always be subjective to an extent, but there’s a lot of objective data suggesting that Trump’s presidency has actually been pretty fab.
3. That middle tweet is embarrassing in that it is completely emblematic of leftists arguing. Substance? 0. Arguable points? Nada. Assumption that they SMACKED DOWN the opponent and OWNED THOSE REPUBLICAN N00BS? So overwhelming I can’t breathe. (P.S. Sorry for the 2010 slang, I got called a noob multiple times yesterday and I’m still loling about it.)
4. I’m genuinely shocked that MSNBC hired Joe without Ivy League cred. I actually am going to give him partial credit for this, but I’m taking away partial credit because it’s a dumb P.S. and since he “doesn’t do” cocktail parties I have to assume he only drinks sh*tty craft IPAs.

I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Score update: Ted 3, Joe 0.

Cruz has yet to respond to Joe’s latest thread, which may be for the best overall. Can we all go back to doing our jobs now, please?