Scarborough Dismisses Feuds with Rush, Beck and Hannity: 'I'm A Uniter, Not a Divider'

Scarborough Dismisses Feuds with Rush, Beck and Hannity: 'I'm A Uniter, Not a Divider'

On Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File” on Tuesday night, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough made a rare appearance on his competitor’s network.

Scarborough was promoting his new book, “The Right Path” and took questioning from “Kelly File” host Megyn Kellly, which included a parting jab at Scarborough’s lower-than-FNC ratings.

Partial transcript as follows:

KELLY: Let me ask you this … I don’t know that it’s so much your criticism of people like Christine O’Donnell. But you don’t get along with Hannity. You don’t get along with Rush. You criticize Glenn Beck.

SCARBOROUGH: I love Hannity.

KELLY: So how can you be a true conservative if you’re at war with so many conservative icons?

SCARBOROUGH: Well first of all, I’m not at war. As you know, I’m a uniter not a divider. Rush and I get along well.

KELLY: I don’t know that. I don’t know you at all.

SCARBOROUGH: Well, I’m just making this up as I go along. No, Rush and I get along well And Glenn Beck and I have talked a good bit. Sean, you have to talk to Sean. I don’t know about Sean. But I can tell you, the most important thing is that we move forward with conservative ideas. There’s no doubt I’ve upset a lot of people because I was against the Republican establishment. When I left congress we had a balanced budget. Eight years later, nine years later Republicans kept their mouths shut. They saluted because they were in power at the White House … the fact of the matter is we doubled the national debt, we took $155-billion surplus.

KELLY: You’re talking policy. I’m talking about perception. You’re talk about policy. I’m giving you the opportunity because I get the email from our viewers – ‘We don’t want to hear from him. He’s a faux conservative. He’s a RINO.

SCARBOROUGH: You keep saying that. I don’t hear that. I’ve been to New Hampshire. I’ve been South Carolina.

KELLY: I’m not saying you are or aren’t.

SCARBOROUGH:  I’m telling you — you look at my record and that’s the great thing about being on TV, being in congress, I’ve been consistent. I’ve been a small government conservative for a very long time. And the fact is, if people don’t like me because I was critical of the Republican establishment when there was a Republican in the White House that’s fine. Here’s the deal. I’m conservative when Republicans are in the White House, I’m conservative when Democrats are in the White House.

KELLY: Are you going to be in the White House? Do you want to be in the White House?

SCARBOROUGH: No. I’m happy where I am right here. This is a great studio.

KELLY: Isn’t this nice?

SCARBOROUGH: This is fantastic.

KELLY: It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

SCARBOROUGH: You know, the thing is, again –

KELLY: There is still a blonde woman on the set interrupting you at every turn.

SCARBOROUGH: I swear to god. Whether 6:00 in the morning or it’s 9:00 at night. Come on. Help me out here.

KELLY: Only if you snap your fingers at me you would have eight fingers instead of 10.

SCARBOROUGH: Boy, you did your research. You take my low point over the past five years.

KELLY: Come on, you didn’t think I would give you a complete pass when you came over here did you?

SCARBOROUGH: No.

KELLY: That’s the fun of having you.

SCARBOROUGH: That is the great thing about being here. Boom, boom. So, I’ll be ready for Mika tomorrow morning. Again, the bottom line is — the most important thing is if people are upset they can be. I went after Newt Gingrich when Newt stopped being conservative.

KELLY: You sound like a politician. You sound like you’re going to run —

SCARBOROUGH: No.

KELLY: You bring it back to policy. You say, ‘I’ll make my point to the American people’ … I went somewhere else —

SCARBOROUGH: You sure did.

KELLY: I got to go. This is the book: “The Right Path” by Joe Scarborough. And he wants everybody to buy it. And we have so many viewers here on the Fox News Channel.

SCARBOROUGH: You do – it is amazing. That’s why I came here. Thank you, Roger. I love you Roger. Thank you Bill Shine.

KELLY: You are paying homage to the right men.

SCARBOROUGH: I got to tell you —

KELLY: It’s over between us. You got your own show. I got other guests. You talk about it tomorrow morning. Thanks for being here. You want to see more of Joe, you can join his four viewers and see him tomorrow morning. No, just kidding.

SCARBOROUGH: You sure are having a great time here. You really are.

KELLY: Make it five. I got to go. I got to go.

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor

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