Do prospective MSNBC hosts have to fail a civics test in order to be hired?
Consider The Cycle’s Toure Neblett who on Thursday made the case that gerrymandering impacts Senate races (video follows with transcript and commentary):
TOURE NEBLETT, host: Democrats remain extremely supportive of the ACA, and especially Gallup showing young folks are extremely supportive of the ACA. So that is still a message that will work to Democratic audiences. Talk about immigration, I mean, we could definitely message against immigration and what Republicans have done to hurt the country and not passing reform on that. But let's stay on the ACA.
Let's just look at members who are supporting this Landrieu bill, right. Mary Landrieu from a red state. Senator Kay Hagan from a red state. Joe Manchin from a red state. Senator Pryor from a red state. Senator Mark Begich from a red state. Do you notice anything? We see red state Democrats who are dealing with the challenge of living and governing in a gerrymandered world where sometimes they have to deal with what the folks on the right - very low support from the Republican side for this – what the folks on the right want.
Wow! So Neblett thinks states are gerrymandered to impact Senate races? And he’s actually a co-host on a political talk show?
For the record, HBO’s Bill Maher made the same mistake in March, and you know how limited his knowledge of civics is.
But Neblett wasn’t done making a fool of himself:
NEBLETT: The only two sort of outliers are Merkley from Oregon – which is a state with a lot of red, a lot of rural areas, and he’s up for reelection next year.
Huh? Was Neblett making the case that Oregon – one of the bluest of blue states in the union! – is kind of red because it has some rural areas? Really?
But there’s more:
NEBLETT: And then Dianne Feinstein who other folks like Jimmy Williams and Steve Kornacki who understand this much better, Sen. Feinstein sometimes just goes to the right and just, you know, bucks her party from time to time. So she’s sort of an outlier in this situation.
Really? Certainly when it comes to foreign policy issues, Feinstein is considered somewhat moderate. But that’s not the case when it comes to social issues.
But there’s still more:
ABBY HUNTSMAN, CO-HOST: So you’re saying the Democrats aren't all feeling concerned about ObamaCare controlling the narrative come election?
NEBLETT: I don't see blue state Democrats, a Barbara Boxer, a Elizabeth Warren, et cetera, Chuck Schumer, saying, we're concerned about what this is going to do in our state. I'm seeing red state Democrats who are concerned about what it's going to do to them in a state where folks are saying, “We already don't like ObamaCare.”
I guess Neblett wasn’t aware that blue state Democrat Barbara Boxer is from the same blue state as Dianne Feinstein.
Something else Neblett likely was unaware of is that Boxer and Feinstein aren’t up for re-election until 2016. As such, neither of them is likely worried about how this issue is going to play three years from now.
Phil Griffin must be so proud of his choice to hire this guy. Weren't there any liberals around with more knowledge of the subject matter?
Or is that actually the problem given how virtually none of the hosts on MSNBC appears truly informed about anything?
Hmmm.
(HT Twitchy)
