“‘This is the worst field.’ …This is the weakest field they’ve seen, by far-Not even a close second"

[kpete]

MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” yesterday in which Joe Scarborough passed along assessments of the Republican presidential field from veteran political journalists.


Folks who’ve been covering politics for 40 years told Scarborough, “‘This is the worst field.’ …This is the weakest field they’ve seen, by far. Not even a close second.” Mike Barnicle added, “It used to be up here, there was a libertarian candidate, Lyndon LaRouche and you’d cover him for comic relief…. Now you can cover almost the entire Republican field for comic relief.”

More Plus Video:
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/morning-joe/45924600#null

[yardwork]

1. This is the result of decades of Republican catering to the far-right extremists.

Now they've created a monster they can't control.

[lillypaddle]

2. So, I don't understand

why all I keep hearing is that it will be a close race for Obama. Doesn't make sense.

[zipplewrath]

3. The economy

Those predictions are based upon an assumption that the economy will be functionally as it is now, with unemployment above 8%. Currently, with the obvious caveat of the European debt crisis, we are on an arch that COULD dip below that by June (no guarantee, alot of variables, it's a weak recovery as it is, europe could kill it all, etc.) There are ALOT of good small numbers out there, but NO ONE, including the administration wants to presume that it will continue. So you hear alot of political discussions based upon minimal improvement.

The GOP is going to have nothing to run on by June if the economy doesn't tank.

[barbtries]

4. and yet if it does tank,

it will be because the republicans have steadfastly refused any remedies offered by the obama administration. but i guess that just gets too complicated for most voters.

[zipplewrath]

12. As much as I agree with you

The blue dogs and their ilk have as much, or more, to do with the problem. Some of Obama's own choices, and his failure to accomplish much on the home mortgage situation are as big a contributor to the current status as anything.

And really the single biggest risk right now is the European Debt Crisis.

[starroute]

6. Because most Americans aren't paying that much attention

All they know is that the economy isn't improving fast enough and they blame the guy in charge.

It's not that it's ever been that different, either. I just had a flashback to the 1956 election, when I was 9, and we had a school assignment to draw a political cartoon. I drew two men, one of whom asks the other, "What do you think of (such-and-such a candidate)?" The other man, who's listening to the World Series on a portable radio, answers, "I don't know. Which team is he on?"

Same as it ever was.

[ronnie624]

10. The MSM wants a 'horserace'. It's more exciting.

It attracts viewers and it serves the purpose of distracting from more complex issues that the owners of the MSM (the1%) would prefer we didn't discuss.

[Dr. Strange]

5. Am I the only one who thought this was going to be a thread about the BCS "championship"?

[randome]

7. Man, are you strange, Dr.

[MrCoffee]

8. Geaux Tig....nevermind

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. And yet the corporate media is attempting to convince us daily

that Romney is "electable", that he is "besting" Obama and that Obama is basically doomed.

[Javaman]

11. 40 years? how old is he? nt

[EC]

13. So they'll vote for a less than competant

candidate for PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES just because he's a repub, not because he's qualified to help the nation?