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

[Fleisch]

Wow--it only took that to make him walk off? Too bad it doesn't happen more often. Just think what would happen if he were asked "tough" questions like "If you love America so much, why aren't you wearing a flag pin?"

[jwsub28]

Who listens to that guy anyways, not me. Have a cup of Morning Joe! Give me a break. My head or stomach could not bare to listen to the bullshit he pours in the morning. I don't know why MSNBC has his show on the air, its completely useless. Keith Olbermann is the only one lately that I can stomach!

While I am at it Race to the White House is another show that is stupid and not worth watching. David Gregory is one of those exclusive journalist that laughs at Cheney's jokes at their white house parties for the press. Anyone that can laugh at something that comes out of Cheney's disgusting snarling mouth is not right in my book.

Put Rachel Maddow on her own show, she is the only intelligent one in the bunch.

[adept2u]

I love Rachel Maddow she has got to be the most informed and insightful commentator I have ever seen on TV and her radio show is even better. Right on! Joe is a talking head who couldn't hold a candle to Rachel with two hands. He is an idiot. You could take his brains and shove them up a gnats bum and it would be like a BB in a boxcar.

[BowlingForRevenge]

He's not a political analyst he's one of the original Cheerleaders for Cheney.

Give me a freakin' break...he acted as though the Lynn Cheney/ Darth Vadar "JOKE" was real and not written by a paid speech writer /comic. Course that's how the whole Bush administration has built their credibility....mention it once in a conversation or speech and it becomes a quotable Bush Fact.

[TruthResearcher]

Good Riddance. He adds nothing to the show and as many have already said, he has no respect for a woman who stands up to him. Go Rachel!!!

[Rosiestar]

You know what gets me? Rachel was fighting off a cold and has been hopping around from one show to another and then has her own radio show when all this happened. YET, she still maintained her cool AND she rationalized that Joe has just been working too hard. Yeah right. He's a bully and that's all there is to it.

I second the comment that MSNBC needs some diversity training. They also need to stop hiring these guys that bully women around. Chris Matthews always comes to mind when I think of that. I liked Dan Abrams at first but he's getting to be as pompous as the rest of 'em. I'm not sure about Tucker and Russert (or any of the rest of them) because the few times I tuned in, they annoyed me.
I'd say Keith Olberman is the only one I've seen give Rachel the respect she deserves.

Yep... Joe took his ball and went home. Too bad he doesn't have 2 balls. Maybe he could have stayed around and acted like a man instead of being a big crybaby.

With ABC having a Enquirer Debate and MSNBC catering to these bullying guys, I'm thinking that television needs to be revolutionized. Hey, how about we all watch new shows on the internet? Personally, I like Crooks and Liars and goleft.tv

[ZekeBundren]

The two lessons of diversity training are how to cover one's own butt and how to deal with losers.

Joe has already showed his butt, but more important Rachel Maddow is a winner. Her colleagues don't need no steenking diversity badges.

The frat boys at MSNBC including Scarborough, Matthews, Gregory, Carlson and Abrams are pretty hard to take seriously as real men and not one of their players except Olbermann (as noted above) is in Maddow's world of intellectual possibilities- or accurate political analysis.

Instead of diversity training, folks should write to MSNBC asking that more big brained women are featured more of the time.

[evekendall]

Did you ever notice that every single one of the MSNBC prime time shows is hosted by a white male?

[tizzyfit]

And your point is?????????????????????????????????????

[Fulcanelli]

Joe says... "I don't engage in Crossfire-type debates and certainly I don't want to talk about what people do in bathrooms."

Wait... Back up the tape.

Joe says... "I don't engage in Crossfire-type debates and certainly I don't want to talk about what people do in bathrooms when I'm not the host and I can't shut somebody on the Left's microphone off when they say something true that makes my skin crawl and embarrasses me."

Fixed.

Wingnut pundits... They're all the same. Pu#*&es. On his best day, he couldn't hold a blowtorch to Rachel Maddow in a one-on-one debate on anything. Period.

I'd like to see her peel his skin off one layer at a time in a no holds barred debate on his relentless, non-stop shilling for Bush and his war a few years back, it was nauseating then and still makes me through up in my mouth a little when I think of it.

He was wrong about every single bloody thing he used to harp on constantly, and what does he get? A new show in the morning for all the housewives to grok his handsomeness...

And people wonder why this country's going to hell in a hand basket everywhere you look.

[evekendall]

"He was wrong about every single bloody thing he used to harp on constantly, and what does he get? A new show in the morning. . ." Amen to that. Go figure.

As to the rest of your comment: ". . . for all the housewives to grok his handsomeness..." This part I have to disagree with. He is not handsome to me. He reminds me of a stupid jock I went to high school with who was always preening himself in front of the mirror, but who everyone else thought was a complete jerk.

[Ozy]

He does not engage in crossfire type debates because he is unable to.
They would wipe the floor with his pea brain!

[FZliveson]

My wife left me and the 3-kids 12 years ago
Today, as I watch Rachel so deftly and spunkily deal with
the people and issues, I wish I were a lesbian.

[partyofone]

Scarborough wasn't on DavidGregory's show on Friday, but there is some rotation of "the panel". Did Gregory say anything?

All of television journalism looks terrible these days. Arrongant, rude, no substance, pandering to the Jerry Springer element of society.

[Grlcajun]

Rachel Maddow is a reasoned mature voice..if this voice were male, Joe would go about his intimidation process and just talk louder..

Don't do Crossfire.....

He does not know how to treat an intelligent female...MSNBC should start a diversity training program on race and gender...it would be a good investment

kg

[zona9]

There is nothing reasoned or mature about trying to draw absurd comparisons to the toe tapping pol. Rachel is silly and shrill. Joe routinely smacks down her idiocy. Anyone who watches the show knows this. Clearly, you do not. Joe doesn't 'talk louder', ever. But, you are right-he does know how to treat an intelligent woman-Maddow just is not one of them.

I really do love all these hilariously ignorant comments, though. And, how so many here, typical Huffpo maniacs, just smear and judge without knowing a single fact. They are so hilariously intolerant of any voice that isn't in lock step with their own. Joe is extremely reasonable and level headed but he will put the smack down on someone he feels is misrepresenting facts or not making their case-but he never does it by yelling or other such hysterics. Maddow, on the other hand, is always interrupting and talking over the other guests-which makes her complaining her so rich and why, I'm sure, Joe found it more than annoying. Maddow is shrill and rude on a regular basis but dare to interrupt her and she gets all self righteous. Hypocrite.

[LewisWalsh]

I have questions about Scarborough that I'm having difficulty getting answered. You seem to know a great deal about him. Can you tell us about the intern that died in his office, the cause of her death and about his campaigning for Bush while collecting a salary as a journalist?

[MsInformed]

I have watched David Gregory's new show since "Tucker" tanked and Scarborough has made quite a habit of rudely interrupting Rachel Maddow to clip off the cogent point she is about to make. (a classic right wing TV tactic) When I saw this episode I was glad to see how she withstood his attempt to cut in and pre-empted his predictable derision. He doesn't seem to break-in nearly as much while males are talking. She had to get in his face to make him "play nice".
He is a Republican tool in the guise of a reasonable person.

[Nopes]

Rachel Maddow is doing a good job... :)
Scarborough behaves like a bully and that's OK to him... But when she stands up to him, he whines... That's really pathetic.

[bratzilla]

I watched this what a little weasel, he cant debate diplomatically he has to talk over and bully people. If I don't get my way I'm taking my ball home. How can any American respect this little child? Talk about a cry baby...........wha............wha............. I didnt get my way I'm gonna throw a fit!!!!!!!!!!

[Zentomato]

Who the heck wrote this article? I watched this live as it happened and then again a few more times with the video provided here. The writer of this artcile states that, " 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......" She cut him off? WTF thats not what I saw. Besides that is Joe's modus operandi to cut people off. He does it all the time with Mika on his morning Joe show. Joe is an arrogant, ignorant, ill manned butinsky. MSNB would do well to get rid of him.

[bratzilla]

I watched this too. He cut her off and kept talking over her once she told him to let her complete her point. He threw a hissy fit. You need to watch it again Bozo.

[godlessclif]

Joe Scarborough was well behaved. Rachel did cut him off and change the subject to gay bathroom sex from Reverend Wright. I think Joe was right to walk out.

. What does Larry Craig's wide stance have to do with extreme religion? I was a non sequitur bombshell

[rpetrokubi]

It's people like you that let GW Bush get away doing anything he likes and then saying he did the opposite.

[KOBISKING]

He totally cut her off. I was getting frustrated because he totally took over the entire show as if he was the facilitator. I wondered throughout why Rachel would not fire back? I now realize that she was ill. It was good to see her finally respond to a Repuclinton like a Repuclinton.

[MsInformed]

She was talking about the gay guy in Florida, not the one in Idaho. I know it's hard to keep the closeted Republicans straight. (Ha-ha, I made a funny!) They should issue a playbook.

[rpetrokubi]

"She cut him off?" You are delusional.

[BarbGayS]

Unless someone posted this idea and I missed it - I've just had a delightful idea. Let's have Rachel Maddow be the questioner for all the debates between McShame and Dem Nom _ read obama.
Oh my would relevance rule. Our Rachel is a wondrous and intelligent voice for this young generation.

[realpolitic]

Since reporters have so readily adopted GOP talking points as the criteria for any debate, Democratic candidates should bypass the networks entirely and sponsor their own debate. All networks can be invited. The debate can be for say, an hour and a half. Hillary can speak on any topic for ten minutes then Obama can challenge her. They do not need someone to feed them questions. Somehow Lincoln and Douglas got by in their debates without moderators. Eliminate the middle man and take the debates directly to the people.