Joe Scarborough Walks Off MSNBC's "Race To The White House" After Exchange With Rachel Maddow

Update from MSNBC spokesman Jeremy Gaines to Huffington Post:
"Joe didn't walk off. He chose not to participate in the final couple of minutes of the discussion because he felt the conversation didn't fit his role as a political analyst."

Previously:
Did Joe Scarborough walk out of David Gregory's show "Race to the White House" Thursday night on MSNBC? It seems that way by the video below. Joe was a panelist on the show along with Air America's Rachel Maddow, CNBC's John Harwood and former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.

The panel was discussing the effect of Sen. Obama's personal and professional relationships on his campaign when Rachel and Joe disagreed. Joe started to challenge Rachel's argument that relationships only become an issue when a political opponent makes them an issue, but she cut him off, "Let me make my point and then you can dismiss me." She then finished with an example of a McCain campaign co-chair in Florida's bathroom activities.

After a commercial break, Joe prefaced his rebuttal to Rachel's point by saying "I don't engage in Crossfire-type debates and certainly I don't want to talk about what people do in bathrooms." When he finished speaking, and after David Gregory had shut Joe vs. Rachel down, John Harrow came on camera. Then, viewers can hear Joe taking off his microphone (2:47 into the below video). When the panel picture came back, no Joe.

Watch Rachel and Joe make their points, hear Joe unplug, and then (after a jump) see the panel after Joe has gone:

Pictures of before and after:

Comments

[LightningJoe]

Maddow rules! She's among quite a few new liberal voices who simply won't let themselves be shat upon by the usual suspects. It's no wonder that the likes of Scarborough have a hard time with opponents who won't lie still and let themselves be walked on, but Maddow gets it, that the name of the game is stomp and intimidate and override, in the few seconds you get on the tube. She doesn't see any reason to let them get away with it, and neither do I.

(Scarborough does so, "do Crossfire!")

P.S: This is the same way to think about trolls on-line, who are just in it to stomp, intimidate, and override the reasoned voices, and make them go away. The thing to remember, is that they have no reason on their side, just emotion and vehemence, that they are forced to try to pass off as sense, to impress the easily-swayed. If reasoned voices simply DO NOT GIVE UP, trolls eventually give themselves away as the principle-free ideologues they are.

No reason to be rude, with right on your side, but NEVER let a troll have the last word.

----
(sxxzztsst!) -- This is your brain, on television...

[lady49]

I soooooo... agree with you...
2points-
Rachael is a Rhoades scholar- Joe is not.
Rachael does her research and presents a fair assessment of the issues-Joe does not
Rachael has the skill of debate and can talk intelligently about any issue- Joe cannot!

I was watching that show, the author got it wrong..Rachael waited for Joe to dispense his nonsense, then after she started giving her views, JOE interrputed her. (typical right winged tactic to disrupt an important point being made)..
When Rachel stood up to him in her comments, he ran way like a little girl!
GO RACHAEL YOU ROCK!!!!

[Cory508]

I tend to watch Morning Joe in the a.m. since not much else is on, i really feel that fundamentally Joe has gender issue's, i hate the way he exercise's his authority over Mica on his show. He seriously has power issue's and Rachel's not the first women to rightfully check him.

Oh... and of course to state the obvious, he's constantly being condescendingly transparent with his Machiavellian republican interest serving rhetoric.

[Maddy08]

Joe S., along with the bigoted Pat B., are going after Obama again this morning. The media has gone too far in trying to influence the public with their bias. I agree with you all that Rachel Maddow should have a morning show up against Joe S. At least she poses both points of view.

The other thing I wanted to say is that I think the negativity against Obama by those in the media who, for one reason or another dislike him, is going to come back and bite them in the backside.

[Strider54]

Poor little Joe should be forced to wear a t-shirt when on MSMNC that says "DOESN'T PLAY WELL WITH OTHER PEOPLE!"

[Toerag]

Rachel Maddow is AWESOME!
The MSNBC technical crew did a great job on that too. It was just a matter of seconds between the screen with Joe and the screen without. Kudos to both Rachel and the msnbc tech. folks behind the glass!

[Jedi007]

Rachel Maddow is a class act. She didn't mean anything other than not wishing to be stepped on. I never miss her radio show and I hope NBC sees a future "Keith". She is that good. Go Girl! I kinda like Joe as a reasonable conservative voice and I hope he sees his way through this and cleans up the mess. Obama needs to consider Rachel for Press Secretary. (Rachel gasps....)

[Rocky4356]

The wimp is back with pat buchanan -guess he needs pat if he gets into a fight

[marrig]

Oh dear, I just tuned in and Joe's back. How much of a hint does he need?

[obamanation31]

WTG Rachel. Love you grrrrl!

[nativeeyes]

Gov Rendell and Farrakhan connection is real

So you want the kitchen sinks HILLARY!! YOU GOT IT!


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/21/ed-rendell-clinton-surrog_n_97784.html



In April 1997, Ed Rendell -- then the mayor of Philadelphia and currently the governor of Pennsylvania and a major Clinton surrogate -- delivered a passion-filled speech lauding the work of Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

"I would like to thank the Nation of Islam here in Philadelphia," Rendell said to the crowd, as Farrakhan looked on approvingly. "To thank you for what you stand for and what you stand for all the good it does to so many people in Philadelphia. And if there is anybody out here... who doesn't know, this is a faith that has as its principles, the family. This is a faith that doesn't just talk about family values, it lives family values. This is a faith where men respect their women and children and they manifest that faith by staying in the home with them. This is a faith that doesn't just talk about being against drugs but is out there every single day and night fighting against drugs. This is a faith that just doesn't talk about the value of education, it imbues in their children and schools that education is the way to opportunity."

[adrianfrsj]

Rachel Maddow covered for Keith Olbermann on Countdown recently. One can only hope she gets more TV gigs. She's very well informed and quite charming. Joe probably did the right thing walking away, as she would have slapped him around if it had continued. I for one would not want to see a grown man cry on TV.

[GravitonX]

Scarborough acts so tough then gets pwned by a girl. This is too funny for words.

[americanwomaninpa]

he showed that he has Class and she does not.

[djonan]

Could you explain why you feel she does not have class? I'm intrigued... Thanks!

[maria1253]

Joe Scarborough Guilty of Murdering His Former Aide? Medical Examiner Fired Over False Autopsy Report

http://www.truthalliance.net/Archive/tabid/67/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/583/Default.aspx

[lvogt]

"Joe didn't walk off. He chose not to participate in the final couple of minutes of the discussion because he felt the conversation didn't fit his role as a political analyst."

Really? Did it sound like Joe was uncomfortable interrupting Rachel to make his point?
That is one weak explanation.

[TrueThis]

The way he has acted on his morning show.........yea the jerk walked off because he's a diva and the films shows how the others laughed when he left. Normally the anchorman would say ahead of thime if that person had to leave.....but no you can hear how dramatically he acted when he left but I didn't see him on their the following day. I'll be glad when we have our next president so his rating can go down, I rather have Imus then this chauvanist ork.

[hmmmmm]

Walking off = "He chose not to participate in the final couple of minutes of the discussion . . ."

[Opus007]

I like the 3 hour morning show on MSNBC. It just needs a lttle tweaking.
1) Get rid of Joe, of course.
2) Get rid of that nitwit Willie Geist
3) I thnk Mika has to go too. Since she is a doormant for that idiot Joe too.

[shnopsie18]

Willie Geist really serves no positive purpose on MSNBC. Perhaps it's his assignment rather than his choice.

Mika is so busy trying to be a sex kitten and making sure her gloss is still glossy that she loses her credibility as a news anchor.

Joe has come a long way from the ultra conservative he was when I first became aware of him. Just when I was ready to give up on his show, he became more of a centrist and his feet touched the floor after being so enamored with Barack Obama's speaking abilities. This senator is only as good as the information his staff has put on his teleprompter.

Rachel Maddow has great credentials with her education. Joe Scarborough adds experience as a past Congressman from Florida. Both of these people have their place and if the higher ups would find more interesting people than Mika and Willie, this show would be ready to fly.

[liberaltarian67]

I watched that episode, and excuse me for commenting on something that doesn't directly pertain to the subject at hand, but I found it to be interesting.

The context of the argument was that Maddow was attacking McCain's values because one of the people running his state campaigns was once involved in a bathroom sex incident. Quite a farcry from
donating $25,000 to Reverend Jeremiah "G$%D&%^ America" Wright. (These issues don't matter do me, but they do to middle america, and to say they wont resonate as maddow was, is pure ignorance)

As an Obama supporter, (I think its pretty evident Maddow is as well) it looks pretty pathetic when that is your comeback to someone pointing out an accurate observation that McCain has been in the public eye for decades, opposed to Obama who has only recently been under the microscope. That which Hillary's camp and the Republicans have been able to find isn't so flattering. We shouldn't dismiss it as hypocrisy like Maddow does if we want Mr. Obama to be in the White House come January. Its a problem, Acknowledge it, dont cling to something so pathetic.

Joe was completely right, (not a pun) and it scares me.

[lvogt]

"Maddow was attacking McCain's values" - I disaggree.

She was accurately pointing out how the press doesn't publicly scrutinize McCain equally and pointed to things which, if they were Democrats, would be looped on TV 24/7.

[TrueThis]

It's no way in hell you're a Obama supporter.

[hmmmmm]

Joe's point is true, but irrelevant to the discussion of why Obama has to explain Wright, but McCain doesn't have to explain Hagee, Parsley, or the Fla co-chair.

[djonan]

So nobody thats been around the block gets to be "vetted" ?? All past deeds stay in the past? I'm sure McCain's 1st wife would have something to say about that.