FLINT, MI — Most readers in an MLive poll sided with a left-leaning political pundit's theory that Paul Ryan and his campaign "bailed" on a Monday ABC12 interview and trashed the reporter because the GOP VP nominee committed two gaffes.

The results come less than 12 hours before Mitt Romney’s running mate faces Vice President Joe Biden in a nationally-televised debate at 9 p.m. today.

Ryan and his campaign, which visited Michigan earlier this week, trashed ABC12 reporter Terry Camp after an interview ended on a sour note.

After Camp asked a question linking crime prevention and tax cuts, Ryan responded, "That's your words, not mine," before ending the interview and taking off his microphone.

"That's kinda strange, trying to stuff words in people's mouths," Ryan said before leaving.

Later, the Ryan campaign issued a statement, critiquing Camp's last question as "weird."

"When you do nearly 200 interviews in a couple months, eventually you’re going to see a local reporter embarrass himself," the statement read.

On Wednesday, MSNBC talk show host Rachel Maddow on her primetime show defended Camp, giving him credit for "two big scoops."

Readers seem to agree with Maddow’s interpretation of the interview and its aftermath: That the "scoops" amounted to gaffes that led Ryan to end the interview and later attempt to discredit Camp.

In a Wednesday online poll, 362 of 664 votes cast — or 54.5 percent of the total — answered, "Rachel Maddow is right."

Another 195 votes — or 29.4 percent — answered, “MSNBC’s theory is wrong. Paul Ryan should have left the interview after that question.

Eighty-two votes — or 12.4 percent — were cast by readers who say Ryan didn’t leave the interview early: “The interview was running late when he left,” the answer reads.

The remaining share of votes were cast for “other.”

So which gaffes did most readers say led to the interview’s end?

Maddow said Camp's first "scoop" came when Ryan answered a question about how to alleviate crime.

"The best thing to help prevent violent crime in inner cities is to bring opportunities in the inner cities," Ryan responded, "to help people get out of poverty in the cities, to teach good discipline, good character."

Maddow said the reply was revealing.

"If I were the Romney-Ryan campaign," she said, "I too would probably try to trash the reporter who got my candidate to admit on camera that he thinks inner city poor people need to be taught good character, and that's what will get them out of poverty."

Maddow then points to the second Camp "scoop," when Ryan answers a gun control question.

"I don't even think President Obama is proposing more gun laws," Ryan responds. "We have good, strong gun laws."

Maddow said Ryan's assertion that Obama isn't seeking gun control laws doesn't coincide with the claims of some Republican-supporting groups — including the National Rifle Association — that warn voters that Obama is planning anti-gun legislation.

She suggested Ryan's camp bailed on the interview after realizing the candidate's flub:

"With those scoops, isn't it possible the Romney-Ryan campaign pulled the plug?"