Disclaimer: Yes, Joe and Chris.  We know Jim was joking.

Money maven Jim Cramer is a self-described Democrat, one who idolized Lenin back in his Harvard days [Cramer's, not Lenin's] and was on the verge of tears over the downfall of his old college buddy Eliot Spitzer.  But one Dem not high on Cramer's list is Jimmy Carter, so much so that Cramer feigned dismay to be informed that—contrary to his [tongue-in-cheek] belief—the former president is still among the living.

The host of CNBC's "Mad Money," a guest on today's Morning Joe, was buoyant about the economy, saying the surge in oil prices is over and that happier, if not downright happy, days are ahead.  It was when he cautioned people about being sure not to exceed FDIC insurance limits on their bank deposits that Carter came up . . .

View video here.

JIM CRAMER: When these rules were set up, a hundred thousand dollars was a hundred thousand dollars. Now it's not as much, and there are a lot of people that have a hundred thousand dollars, and they should just be careful.

JOE SCARBOROUGH: So it was a hundred thousand dollars of pre-Carter dollars.

CRAMER: Indeed. Carter being, again, I always have to say the same thing, because I am a sweet guy, may he rest in peace, it's just not fair that --

SCARBOROUGH: He's still alive.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI: What are you?  What?

SCARBOROUGH: Jimmy Carter?  He's still alive.

As seen in the image, Cramer grabbed his head in mock despair at the news.

SCARBOROUGH: See, you're so deliriously happy that you don't even know which presidents --

BRZEZINSKI: What?? I'm scared.

SCARBOROUGH: Don't be scared, Mika.

CRAMER: So many good things happening. OK, scratch that from one of the good things that have happened.

SCARBOROUGH: Gerald Ford's gone.  Jimmy Carter's still with us.

CRAMER: I get confused, for heaven sake.  It was a bad era, I'd like to put it past me.

At the end of the segment, Joe hit Jim with a "dead or alive?" flash quiz.  Cramer correctly identified Arthur Schlesinger and Pat Paulsen as being gone, and Henry Kissinger alive.  Then it turned back to Carter.

SCARBOROUGH: Jimmy Carter: dead or alive?

BRZEZINSKI: OK, stop.  Don't listen to him.

CRAMER: Listen, man: I've visited, I've been at the gravesite.

SCARBOROUGH: OK, what drug are you taking?

CRAMER: No, Carter's around.  He's just doing everything that I can't stand in the world. Every single issue that he is on one side of, I am on the other side.  I can't stand Carter.  Is that OK?

Note: Speaking of Cramer's youthful affinity for Lenin, NB Managing Editor Ken Shepherd has noted a certain resemblance between the two.  Lenin and Cramer, not Ken, that is ;-)

—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.