During the December 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, shortly after co-host Mika Brzezinski remarked that the weather was “so cold” that "[i]t'll freeze your car door shut," co-host Joe Scarborough recounted, “I tried to turn the key, and it was -- it was locked.” Then, in response to Brzezinski's comment, “Oh, American car. That's the problem,” Scarborough declared: “The American car -- you know what? It's probably some Japanese engineer that made the key hold -- just sabotaged us. Kinda like blowing up things at Pearl Harbor.” Scarborough went on to say, “I'm an economic nationalist,” to which Brzezinski replied: “You are an economic patriot.” Scarborough and Brzezinski recently debuted a radio version of Morning Joe on WABC in New York.

Scarborough also asserted that "[w]e need to be economic nationalists" earlier in the show, while discussing a December 20 column by The New York Times' Bob Herbert.

From the December 22 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

BRZEZINSKI: “Hope Amid the Gloom.” This is Bob Herbert:

These elites, of course, were the geniuses who ruined the most powerful economy on earth. When Citigroup went into yet another swoon last month, the rush to rescue it was breathtaking. Posses don't come more elegant: the outgoing treasury secretary, Hank Paulson; the incoming treasury secretary (and president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York), Timothy Geithner; and former treasury secretary (not to mention Citigroup board member), Robert Rubin.

They materialized magnificently, armed with hundreds of billions in taxpayer bailout cash.

Leo Gerard, president of the steelworkers union, summed up the government's attitude nicely when he said, quote, “Washington will bail out those who shower before work, but not those who shower afterwards.”

SCARBOROUGH: And Tucker [Carlson, MSNBC political analyst] --

BRZEZINSKI: This bailout was small, comparatively, to that huge, pork-filled bailout that they came up with in the first place.

SCARBOROUGH: Tucker, I want to focus on this line that Mika read. And this is a great op-ed, Mika. “These elites, of course, were the geniuses who ruined the most powerful economy on earth.”

I think it's time that we step back and start listening to what people like Pat Buchanan had said. We need to be economic nationalists. We've been told you can't be an economic nationalist, you've got to open all the borders, free trade, do whatever it takes to get China to buy your money, to make cheap products. Get -- we're seeing this is short-sighted, but we always listen to the geniuses. “Oh, they're on Wall Street, they know best.” Isn't it time we step back and start using a little use common sense?

[...]

SCARBOROUGH: Welcome back to Morning Joe. It's the top of the hour. A beautiful shot of the White House.

BRZEZINSKI: Very nice morning here in Washington.

SCARBOROUGH: But don't let -- don't let the sun surprise you.

BRZEZINSKI: Why?

SCARBOROUGH: It's cold.

BRZEZINSKI: It is so cold.

SCARBOROUGH: It is very cold in Washington.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, it'll freeze your car door shut.

SCARBOROUGH: I stepped outside this morning. Eighteen -- it was 18 degrees outside. That ain't --

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, yeah. Couldn't get to work.

PAT BUCHANAN (MSNBC political analyst): The Tahoe wasn't in good shape, huh?

SCARBOROUGH: Tahoe --

BRZEZINSKI: Oh, American car.

SCARBOROUGH: -- I tried to turn the key, and it was -- it was locked.

BUCHANAN: It resisted.

BRZEZINSKI: That's the problem.

SCARBOROUGH: The American car -- you know what? It's probably some Japanese engineer that made the key hold -- just sabotaged us.

BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, that's what it was. Makes you feel better. It's OK.

SCARBOROUGH: Kinda like blowing up things at Pearl Harbor. Anyway.

BRZEZINSKI: We've got a lot going on. T. Boone Pickens is going to be here.

SCARBOROUGH: I'm with Buchanan. I'm an economic nationalist, Mika.

BRZEZINSKI: You are an economic patriot.

SCARBOROUGH: I don't care if you hate America or not.

BRZEZINKSI: I salute that.