Entries from Feb 2016
Mike Barnicle on the importance of personal connections in politics

Republican presidential candidate and Ohio Governor John Kasich joins the panel on Morning Joe and, surprisingly, tries to recruit Mike Barnicle to his team in an effort to restore bipartisan politics. Watch the conversation here between Mike and Governor Kasich on the importance of personal connections in politics. Only on MSNBC.

Mike Barnicle on Apple’s public decision to fight the FBI’s request

“This is clearly a big public relations bonanza for Apple—customers are concerned about privacy,” says Mike Barnicle of Apple’s public decision to fight the FBI’s request to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists, labeling it as a “troubling precedent.” Watch the report and the reaction of the MSNBC Morning Joe panel.

Mike Barnicle talks about working-class frustrations

“Anytime you are in the middle of an economy in a country as rich, vast and diverse as this and the biggest pay raise that a lot of people have enjoyed over the past two or three years is the reduction in gas prices—that’s a recipe for real trouble,” says Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle referencing working-class frustrations that have led to a rise in support for outsiders this election year. Listen to Mike’s observations and the conversation on the negative, long-lasting effects of previous trade agreements here.

“He uses the words ‘waste, ‘fraud,’ ‘corruption...

Commenting on video of MSNBC’s recent Town Hall interview with leading Republican candidate Donald Trump, Mike says of the clip: “There is so much going on in that clip… that gets right to the heart of Trump’s strength across the board. He uses the words ‘waste,’ ‘fraud,’ ‘corruption’ and they all resonate with the American public. In the crowd shots, you saw men and women roughly between the ages of 48 and 55–that means 20 years ago NAFTA may have taken their jobs–and now they’re looking at another trade agreement on the horizon that might take more jobs.” Watch the conversation here.

Mike Barnicle highlights the basic differences between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush

In a live broadcast from South Carolina, Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle highlights the basic differences between Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Jeb Bush in their reaction to South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s endorsement of Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). Listen to Mike’s comments here and the conversation on Trump’s dismissiveness and former Florida Governor Bush’s “humane” disappointment. On MSNBC.

Mike Barnicle and Mark Halperin analyze the latest presidential polls

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle and Mark Halperin analyze the latest presidential polls, including a national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll that places Republican Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) slightly ahead of Donald Trump. “The most interesting aspect of these polls is that all of them, when they rank the candidates, portend in the future the breakup of a political party. You can see the establishment wing of the Republican Party sliding away,” suggests Mike of the larger picture revealed by the polls. Listen in on the conversation here.

Mike Barnicle on Donald Trump’s overconfident campaign

Following MSNBC’s Town Hall interview with Donald Trump in South Carolina, Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle talks about a key strengths of the first-time Republican presidential candidate. “This guy is a first time entrant into the theater of politics and the level of certainty that he provides in every answer, no matter how many times he is interrupted, is astonishing given where he came from,” says Mike of Trump’s overconfident campaign. Watch the discussion on the leading Republican candidate here.

Author and innovation expert Alec Ross talks with Mike Barnicle

Author and innovation expert Alec Ross joins Morning Joe to talk with Mike Barnicle about his new book “The Industries of the Future,” which explores the global advances emerging in the next 10 years. “Will this mean that there will be cities where these groupings bring in a new industrialization era? Who will work in these places?,” asks Mike of the new industries on the rise. Watch the full segment here and listen to Ross’s insights on genomics and other key industries and what they mean for the working and middle classes in America.

The New York Times’ Mark Leibovich talks with Morning Joe’s Mike Bar...

The New York Times’ Mark Leibovich talks with Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle about what makes some political candidates more resistant to harsh judgments than others, in other words: the underlying differences between Republican presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). “Talking about definitions of shame for politicians reminds me of the cultural impact of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s great essay ‘Defining Deviancy Down’ in that what shocks the American public is now so much less,” says Mike.Watch the conversation here on political branding and narrative and the “Teflon” it provides certain candidates. On MSNBC.

Mike Barnicle on the rift between Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz

Ahead of South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary, The Washington Post’s Robert Costa joins MSNBC’s Morning Joe and talks with Mike Barnicle about the rift between candidates Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). “Given the nature of the show—and it is a show wherever Donald Trump appears—and the interest of increasing the attention paid to the show, how palpable is the anger between Trump and Cruz?,” asks Mike. Listen to the conversation and Costa’s observations here.

Mike Barnicle talks about Donald Trump’s ongoing populist appeal

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham discuss Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s ongoing populist appeal. “[The Trump campaign] is literally unstoppable. I’ve never encountered anything like it in my life covering politics… It’s all-consuming…,” says Mike in reaction to crowd footage of the latest Trump rally in South Carolina. Listen in on the conversation on the Republican frontrunner here.

Mike Barnicle on the inevitable rise of anti-establishment politics

“Out there, where people live real lives, they know what the establishment has given them: 15 years of war, that only one percent of the population fights, and, in 2008, an economic collapse that took away they’re 401ks, homes and jobs,” says Mike Barnicle of the inevitable rise of anti-establishment politics. Watch the Morning Joe conversation here, featuring NBC News’ Tom Brokaw only on MSNBC.

New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas talks with Mike Barnicle

New York Times columnist Anand Giridharadas joins Morning Joe and talks with Mike Barnicle about political disruptions this election year. “We have two competing tracks in this country—a cultural track and a political track—and they’re both going in different directions. People in the cultural track, focusing on ideas, progress and success, look at the political system and say, ‘huh, they’re going off the edge and we’re heading towards the future,’” says Mike of the underlying contrast in America more visible now in the rise of the latest anti-establishment politics. Watch the conversation between Mike and Giridharadas on MSNBC.

The “white-knuckled” Democratic presidential race in Nevada

The Washington Post’s Anne Gearan talks with Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle about the “white-knuckled” Democratic presidential race in Nevada between Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders. “You hear anecdotally that there is beginning to be increasingly bitter infighting in the Clinton campaign. How can this happen again?,” asks Mike of the deja vu in Clinton’s campaign. Watch the discussion here and listen to Gearan share her insights on MSNBC.

Mike Barnicle talks wtih MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki and the Washington Post’s Anne G...

On Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle, MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki and the Washington Post’s Anne Gearan discuss leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s decision to criticize former President George W. Bush and the impact of the Iraq War on 2016. “There are very few states that have paid a larger price than South Carolina with its huge military installations and constant redeployments to Iraq over 15 years of war,” says Mike. Listen in on the conversation here.

“Trump is in the lead of every news story about yesterday’s Bush appearanc...

Continuing the conversation on the feud between Republication presidential candidate Donald Trump and the Bush family, Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle highlights the unintended result of Republican candidate Jeb Bush bringing his brother, former President George W. Bush, on the campaign trail in South Carolina: “Trump is in the lead of every news story about yesterday’s Bush appearances.” Listen to Mike’s comments on the Bush strategy here. On MSNBC.

“Look at the reality…he’s gonna roll through this nomination.”

“Look at the reality… he’s gonna roll through this nomination. His anger on TV works for him. Everything works for him,” says Mike Barnicle of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s current chances for the Republican nomination following a rise in the polls after a less-than-stellar performance in the last debate. Listen in on the Morning Joe conversation on Trump’s perceived strength with voters here. On MSNBC.

Mike Barnicle on Donald Trump’s attacks on former President George W. Bush

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Mike Barnicle and the panel discuss Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent, poll-defying attacks on former President George W. Bush. “If you listen to him, it’s tone rather than content that throws people off. The content of what he says is actually accurate, in the sense that he talks about all the warnings that the Bush administration had prior to September 11. He’s playing in another league. He’s playing a different game than the rest of them,” says Mike of Trump’s lone criticisms of President Bush as a response against fellow presidential candidate Jeb Bush. Watch the conversation here.

“It’s fear, fear, fear that most of the Republican candidates are ta...

As Donald Trump continues to lead among Republican presidential candidates, Morning Joe’s Mike Barnicle highlights more of the politics to come from the competing Republican campaign of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX): “You’re going to see more emphasis on fear…. You’ve got fear of what’s going to happen in the Supreme Court, fear of President Barack Obama’s administration taking care of the security of this country, and fear of Obamacare itself. It’s fear, fear, fear that most of the Republican candidates are talking about.” Listen in on the conversation here. On MSNBC.

Hillary Clinton’s struggles invoking feminism to court female voters

“The victimization aspect that Hillary Clinton always speaks to—which is legitimate in some sense—goes right over [young women’s] heads, which leads to her biggest issue: connectivity,” says Mike Barnicle of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her struggles invoking feminism to court female voters. Watch the discussion on Clinton here. On MSNBC’s Morning Joe.