Is 'Morning Joe' sexist?

Mika Brzezinski — co-anchor of "Morning Joe" on the "purportedly liberal" MSNBC — is an accomplished journalist, says Eliza Gray in The New Republic, while show namesake Joe Scarborough is best known as a former congressman. So why does Scarborough so dominate the morning news show, and why does Brzezinski submit to his "nauseating," patronizing, anti-feminist sexism? Can you imagine Scarborough saying to Diane Sawyer: "Don't make me backhand you"? Here's an excerpt:

One Monday morning in November, according to the admittedly rough transcript provided by the Federal News Service, "Morning Joe" anchor Joe Scarborough spoke 3,213 words; his co-anchor Mika Brzezinski spoke just 644....

On one level, the disparity is not surprising. Scarborough is the show's headliner; it makes sense that he would speak more than his co-host. The show is not called "Morning Mika."...

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But if Brzezinski is the true second pillar of the show, why is she so quiet? Maybe the better question is, why is Scarborough so loud? And why does MSNBC, supposedly leading the liberal charge against conservative cable news, stand for such a dispiriting and old-fashioned gender dynamic? Anyone for a little sexism with their morning joe?

Read the entire article in The New Republic.