Politics

Scarborough plays the sexism card on Newt Gingrich

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has had almost everything thrown at him since becoming a front-runner for the GOP nomination. And now he can add accusations of sexism to that list.

On Friday’s “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, host Joe Scarborough said that he perceived an exceptionally harsh tone from Gingrich when he addressed Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann in Thursday night’s Fox News debate.

“You know – did you notice something, too, Michael [Steele], about Bachmann and I think Bachmann’s getting tired of it,” Scarborough said. “Newt Gingrich when he attacks Michele Bachmann sort of speaks in a different tone and is far more condescending to Michele Bachmann than he is to the men on the stage. And she is starting – she’s actually starting to push back on the fact. It’s something we noticed a couple of debates ago. But I think Michele Bachmann’s about had enough of him being condescending to her.”

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele, now a MSNBC contributor, agreed with Scarborough and praised Bachmann for pushing back.

“I think it’s the irritation that really came through there at several key moments where, you know, they were going back and forth and she just took the stance,” Steele said. “Look, I am a serious contender for this office just like you are. And the only thing I could write was, ‘you go girl.’ I tweeted that out. I mean she was just – she hit it in a way that made it very clear. You’re not going to get away with pushing back on me to make me look less than capable or less than worthy to being on the stage.”

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“She did,” Scarborough added. “I thought she did very well. And I think she scored a lot of points by basically saying Newt was being condescending to her as a woman.”

Later in that same program, Scarborough mentioned his observation to Huffington Post editor Arianna Huffington.

“Arianna [Huffington] and I were talking about it before, I think in part, part of the reason why Michele Bachmann leaned in on him the way she did is because he keeps talking down to her,” Scarborough said.

Huffington noted that and Gingrich’s post-debate remarks about Bachmann to Fox News host Sean Hannity.

“First of all, during the debate, he did not address her by her name. He kept referring to her as ‘she,’ ‘she said,’” Huffington explained. “And then right after, he was being interviewed by Sean Hannity, and he said you didn’t really go after each other. Romney didn’t go after you – and he said, you know, there’s kind of a comradery among us with the exception of Michele Bachmann.”

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