Wednesday, July 30

MSNBC television host and former Republican congressman Joe Scarborough advised graduates of the Graduate School of Political Management on Saturday afternoon to be humble while pursuing their professional goals.

Scarborough, also a former attorney and editor of The Florida Sun, cited his own experiences as models for others at the school’s graduation ceremony in the Marvin Center.

“Dream big, but dream smart,” Scarborough said.

The Florida native, who hosts “Morning Joe” weekdays on MSNBC, emphasized his unlikely yet triumphant run for Congress. In 1994, Scarborough became the first Republican elected in his Florida district since the late 1800s.

“And they ended up hanging that guy,” Scarborough joked.

Once on Capitol Hill, Scarborough said he realized many of his presumptions about Washington were incorrect. He found that some of his best friends were liberal Democrats and that President Bill Clinton was not as evil as he previously thought.

“Question your initial assumptions,” Scarborough said, quoting Robert Kennedy. “You don’t have all the answers.”

Scarborough warned the graduates that politics is a blood sport and advised them to wake up earlier, go to sleep later, work harder and care more than their opponents.

Before the ceremony, the 45-year-old newscaster said he was excited to speak at the event because the GSPM is so unique.

“They are not training people for professorship,” he said. “They are training people to change the world.”

GSPM Dean Christopher Arterton said the University chose Scarborough partly because the school alternates between Democratic and Republican speakers every year. He added Scarborough was an ideal choice because his multifaceted career has made him “a real public leader.”

Jack Fleming, a graduate attending the ceremony, said he enjoyed Scarborough’s graduation ceremony address.

“I loved him,” Fleming said. “He was much better than my undergraduate graduation ceremony speaker.”