'A terrible mistake': Morning Joe warns Republicans they 'lose on this fight every time'

As the Republican Party tries to blame Democrats for as the U.S. enters its eighth day of a government shutdown, MSNBC's "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough excoriated the party, saying they "made a terrible mistake."

"We showed polls earlier, a growing number of Americans — Washington Post — 47 percent say this is the Republicans' fault. I think 30, 31 percent say it's Democrats'," Scarborough said.

Scarborough referenced Tuesday’s flight delays at Hollywood Burbank (BUR) and Nashville International (BNA) airports due to air traffic control staffing shortages, and a leaked memo that suggested the government is going to deny furloughed federal workers back pay.

"If we’re talking about the government shutdown and s—— falling apart out there, and the FAA not working and people not getting paid, and the president saying, 'Oh, we're not going to even pay federal workers back pay.'"

"I don't know if he has an image of pot smoking hippies [who] stumble out of their communes and go work, you know," Scarborough continued. "But those would be the work of the VA, right? Those are the people that help our vets. Those are the people that help."

"This is bad news," Scarborough said.

"And I know, because those Republicans, when we shut s—— down, and I will tell you, you'll be shocked who comes out of the woodwork and say ‘Hey, Congressman, I'd like to go to the VA. My son who served, you know, he needs to go to the and he can't now because of you. Would you like to do your job?’"

Pointing to polls blaming Republicans for the shutdown, Scarborough leaned into the health care issue on which the Democrats (and some Republicans including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are standing.

"Democrats win on health care every time. So if you're losing the debate, if sh—— falling apart in Washington, D.C., if planes are getting backed up across America, if vets can't get the service, they try to change the subject," he said.

"But you don't want to talk about health care because this is all about health care, and Republicans are going to lose on that fight every time."