Outrageous: Joe Scarborough Declares War on Bill Moyers, Calls Him "Glenn Beck's Soulmate"

Posted by Bob Fertik, Democrats.com at 10:45 AM on September 21, 2009.

On September 20, Joe Scarborough declared war on Bill Moyers. (All of these tweets were written by Scarborough, some addressed directly to @individuals).

Sun 6pm

I just saw the one of the most unintentionally funny interviews in the history of mankind!! Bill Moyers interviewing the NYTs Sam Tannehaus.

Moyers--who frantically predicted the rise of a theocratic state over the past 8 years--suddenly concerned about GOP's apocalyptic thinking.

The Frantic Bill Moyers: "For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington."

When challenged, Scarborough went ballistic.

@probert06 I saw the damn interview. The Bush GOP lost me as well but I sure as hell don't need to be lectured by Bill Moyers.

@probert06 Moyers has always foamed at the mouth the second his party got voted out of power. Glenn Beck, meet Bill Moyers. Your soul mate.

Monday 6 am:

@whisper1111 Moyers a real journalist? That may be the funniest thing I've heard since Will Farrell showed up in "Wedding Crashers."

@adrianinflorida Who thinks Beck is real journalism? He's just as biased on the Right as Moyers is on the Left. Just preaching to the choir.

@Karoli Dear Disgusted Christian, instead of being as reckless as Moyers, look up the definition of "theocracy." Good Lord. The shrillness.

@rfbarnes They are both blinded by ideology. Moyers plays to the hard Left and Beck to the hard Right. Neither are objective. Not close.

@billieraven You have to ask if Glenn Beck is real journalism? Poor thing. He is not. Not even close. Reminds me of Bill Moyers.

@schwanderer Hollywood gave Moyers 30 Emmys? That proves he's not biased on the Left! Please. He's frantic when his party is out of power.

Bill Moyers is as biased as any talking head in TV Land. Anyone who doesn't see that is far left of center politically. It is not debatable.

But at least on Morning Joe, we don't accuse Democrats of being racists (Beck) or Republicans of launching theocracies (Moyers).

Of course, comparing Moyers and Beck is despicable. In a brilliant career in journalism, Bill Moyers has won countless awards:

Recipient of the 2006 Lifetime Emmy Award, "Bill Moyers has devoted his lifetime to the exploration of the major issues and ideas of our time and our country, giving television viewers an informed perspective on political and societal concerns," according to the official announcement, which also noted, "the scope of and quality of his broadcasts have been honored time and again. It is fitting that the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honor him with our highest honor – the Lifetime Achievement Award."

He has received well over thirty Emmys and virtually every other major television-journalism prize, including a gold baton from the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, a lifetime Peabody Award, and a George Polk Career Award (his third George Polk Award) for contributions to journalistic integrity and investigative reporting. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been the recipient of numerous honorary degrees, including a doctorate from the American Film Institute.

How many awards has Glenn Beck won? The 2008 Marconi Award for Network Syndicated Personality. In the four years of the award, the previous winners were Sean Hannity, Bob & Tom, and Rush Limbaugh. Now there's a distinguished award!

Joe Scarborough's contempt for Bill Moyers is itself contemptible, and he needs to be called out. Of course it's hard to argue with Scarborough because he blocks the Twitter accounts of anyone who challenges him. But if enough of us challenge him, he may have to respond. And let's also demand to know if his colleagues and guests agree. Post your exchanges in the comments below.

And what do Scarborough's guests think?

Tagged as: bill moyers, joe scarborough