As MSNBC's election night coverage continued into the night, Tuesday, it began to get sloppy. While Tom Brokaw was discussing Mitch McConnell's win in Kentucky, a loud ringing began. "Could that be me," the 74-year-old wondered? "No, it's not," assured Rachel Maddow. [MP3 audio here.]
Brokaw admitted, "No, I'm afraid it is, unfortunately." As he pulled the phone out, Maddow conceded, "I thought you were on fire." The former NBC Nightly News anchor then tried to play the whole thing off as a joke.
Answering the phone, he quickly announced, "Yes, I will remember to bring home the milk. Don't worry about it. And I'll feed the dog in the morning. Just sleep in. It's going to be okay." The veteran journalist then hung up.
Brokaw turned back to his co-hosts and apologized, "I'm sorry about that."
Earlier in the night, a cranky Andrea Mitchell slammed the GOP's "scary," "non-factual" ads.
At another point, Chris Matthews blurted, "Can I sound a bit Marxist here?"
A transcript of the exchange:
11/4/14
8:46
TOM BROKAW: [Brokaw's phone starts ringing.] There have been a lot of Republican senators who have hope that Mitch McConnell – Could that be me?
RACHEL MADDOW: No, it's not you. It's something ambient.
BROKAW: No, I'm afraid it is, unfortunately. The alarm goes off. And there you are.
MADDOW: I thought you were on fire.
[Brokaw answers the phone.]
BROKAW [Trying to play it off as a joke]: Yes, I will remember to bring home the milk. Don't worry about it. And I'll feed the dog in the morning. Just sleep in. It's going to be okay. I'm sorry about that.
