MSNBC's Scarborough Shouts Over Report On Early Voting Problems in Florida
Written by Adam Shah
Published
Joe Scarborough repeatedly shouted over Morning Joe co-host Mika Brezinksi's attempt to discuss reports of early voting problems in Florida, a result of voting restrictions enacted by the Republican-dominated state government.
Recent changes in Florida's voting laws led to long lines and confusion the weekend before Election Day, with some voters waiting up to seven hours and others being turned away from the polls just days before their last chance to vote. Circumstances were so difficult for South Florida voters that the Atlantic Wire ran a story on Monday morning titled, “Voting Is Already a Mess in Florida.”
In response to these reports, Brzezinski said “We've been talking about the impact of early voting in this race. There are some issues with early voting in Florida over the weekend when the Miami-Dade elections department closed its doors with hundreds of people still lined up outside. The center was shut down for an hour until officials were given permission to extend in-person absentee voting. Democrats have now filed a federal lawsuit to force the state's Republican-controlled government to extend early voting hours in South Florida.”
Scarborough dismissed the story as an attempt to say: “Republicans bad. Rick Scott bad. Voting suppression.” As Brzezinski and the Morning Joe guests continued to discuss the early voting issues in Florida, Scarborough repeatedly interrupted, yelling “Benghazi, Benghazi, Benghazi,” making it nearly impossible for anyone to get a word in edgewise.