CNBC's Melissa Francis had enough of Joe Scarborough's derision of Occupy Wall Street, and alleged that his dismissive comments were worsening the situation on Monday's "Morning Joe."
Scarborough began the segment with Francis, who was down at the New York Stock Exchange shortly before the opening bell, in a mocking tone. He noted that Francis "has yet to be dragged into the streets kicking and screaming." Francis said that Occupy Wall Street was impossible to ignore, between "a maze of fences" and "security everywhere" around the stock exchange, and the protests in Europe.
“Are people nervous down there?” Scarborough wanted to know. “When they are holding their martinis — are their top hats and their monocles, does ascot askew? How nervous are they down there?”
“See, it’s sarcasm like this that is fueling this rally right now," Francis told him, pointing her finger accusingly at Scarborough much to co-host Mika Brzezinski's approval. Brzezinski nodded and thanked Francis, who continued, "You are the problem, Joe. You are. It’s comments like that that is making this whole thing a whole lot worse. We have respected it from the beginning, I tell you. The place is in lockdown outside. I don’t know if you’ve been down here, if you deign to come down to our neck of the woods."
Francis made fun of him for staying in his "ivory tower studio" and hiding his own martinis "in a coffee cup so nobody knows what you're really drinking."
Unshaken by her criticism, Scarborough continued, “So what you’re telling me is, I think when they get nervous, they're having to burn a lot $100 bills. Is that what you’re telling me?”
“I got nothing. I don’t know what to tell you. You’re the one that makes the big bucks,” Francis answered. Her ribbing even prompted Scarborough to declare that he would "maybe" head down to the protests the next day.