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MSNBC Host: I Agree That Obama Is a ‘Lousy Manager’…and Tea Party-Backed Candidates Are Destroying GOP

Jan. 21, 2013 11:10am Becket Adams

During a broader discussion on President Barack Obama’s second term and the challenges faced by both Democrats and Republicans, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough went after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for his recent comments regarding the Sandy Hook tragedy and the president for being what even the New York Times calls a notoriously “lousy manager.”

Scarborough explained that by saying things like President Obama “exploited” the Sandy Hook “within minutes,” Tea Party-endorsed candidates like Sen. Cruz are actually hurting the GOP brand:

Next, the MSNBC host cited the following passage from a recent New York Times article: “[The president and his team] would benefit, as they begin the second term, by acknowledging that many of the biggest problems facing the administration flow directly from the man at the top. Mr. Obama is a lousy manager.”

“As chief executive he gets a C — and then only if graded on a curve that takes into account his predecessor’s managerial weaknesses,” the article adds.

Claiming that he has been waiting four years to hear someone say this, Scarborough delved deeper into an examination of President Obama’s managerial skills (or lack thereof).

“This is the worst-kept secret in Washington,” Scarborough said. “Every Democratic senator has complained about how he never calls them, he never reaches out. [...] We’ve heard it for four years. We’ve heard people that have been inside the White House running the White House saying it’s been a dysfunctional place.”

MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle chimed in, explaining that the president is “emotionally isolated” and “reclusive” in nature.

And although Scarborough had some criticism for Sen. Cruz and other Tea Party types, he ultimately wanted to focus on the president’s ability to lead and manage.

“You have to get out of your comfort zone,” he said. “That is something that this president has not done, but I’m really optimistic he’s going to do it this time because his legacy depends on it.”

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(H/T: Mediaite). Featured images courtesy Getty Images.

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Comments (51)

sweetieboat
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 9:42pm
Why do conservatives allow the media to put the Tea Party up against the Republican party? If you have a elitist GOP there is an issue, but with the ordinary person the Republican party and the Tea Party go together as part of their political activity
If the Republican Party has a problem it is because, we the Conservatives listen to this kind of bull S*t.
If they say it enough and we repeat it, it seems to become truth. Stop it! We are the conservative Republican party with an activist arm called the Tea Party all others are elitists and have one foot in democrat the party; like Colon Powell. I do not call Colon Powell a Republican.

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Larry E
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 6:18pm
So Joe Scarborough is a moron. This is news. At least none of his compatriots at PMSNBC will show him up.

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TotallyNotATroll
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:31pm
The only big mistake the Tea party has been making, is letting it be controlled by the Republicans.

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- jwpowers41
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 4:10pm
  akin and angle and odonnell were big tea party mistakes I think the rinos had a hand in that
  we need to pick electable candidates for the congress and senate in 2014 and take control and tell obummer to sit down and STFU t
  
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Memegalt
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:57pm
Must demonize the Tea Party at all costs. Tea Party is the only real threat to them…republicans aren’t that is for sure. The more I listen to Ron Paul , the more I am like , where have I been? I loved his farewell address and have heard him speak recently…he is right on!!

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- lillymckim
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 2:40pm
  The Tea Party “conservatives” were responsible for the 2010 shellacking and the Republicans regaining the house and they want them GONE.
  Scared to death they will rise up and take the Senate too.
  
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- Xylliab_of_the_Znarghh
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:14pm
  The Republican Party wanted the Tea Party gone because it had served its purpose after 2010, and it is gone. When was the last time you heard about a Tea Party organization holding a major event? How many Tea Party candidates won elections in 2012 other than those who just held on to seats they won in 2010 by dropping the Tea Party rhetoric? The Tea Party stopped being a threat the moment mainstream Republicans dropped them and left them to their own rudimentary organizational abilities.
  
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Heismakingmeolder
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:36pm
No kidding stupid. It’s because his real agenda would be scary even to most Democrats! And Republicans who are scared to tell the truth for fear that their liberal friends will call them names are worse than useless.

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steveh931
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:54pm
God, Family, Country, Inalienable Rights, Freedom, Liberty, and No Taxation without proper representation according to the U.S. Constitution as Ratified, I’m such a terrible person. No, I’m an American.

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- naughtycal
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 3:04pm
  Exactly, The Federal reserve owned government is scared to death about an actual grassrooted invasion of the corrupted system they have build to bilk the tax payers out of trillion through federal cronyistic capitalism. It was just the military industrial complex but it now has it’s hands in our pockets on every fascet of our lives. It’s to the point where I don’t believe we can save our nation at the polling booth anymore.
  
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toledofan
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:20pm
The tea party is what? It doesn’t have a leader, it’s just a group of concerned citizens who think Washington has gone mad and I guess the entire narrative is that, if you disagree with anyone on the left you must be the problem. I guess at the end of the day, if the so called tea party wasn’t a road block for the left, they would ignore it but their continued assault just shows how affraid of the AMerican people they are. It’s the same with saying it’s time to dismember the Republican Party, they say go for the throat, cut them to pieces, but, the party will survive and as thing start to go south the party that will end up witht he short stick will be the Democrats.

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- sillyfreshness
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:51pm
  None of Obams’s shortcoming were brought out by the “chosen people” Juden controlled Marxist Media. During the debates, not one mention was made about Obama not attending his daily security briefings. Instead they were focused on if Romney was out of line criticizing the Libya embassy attack. Another example of how Judens can control this country without you even realizing it.
  
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ThoreauHD
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:14pm
Apparently these people have no comprehension of reality. WASHINGTON DC DOESN’T ALLOW YOU TO CARRY ARMS. THEY IGNORED THE SUPREME COURT.

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CarolinaGirl
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:08pm
One word…..one place…..google it…….LIBERIA.

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tonypro
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:01pm
“”and Tea Party-Backed Candidates Are Destroying GOP”"

My guess is the whole purpose of this is to demonize the Tea Party.

Oh, but wait, the left wouldn’t do that would they, I mean after all we’re already on the national terrorist list.

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Skinner
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:53am
TP better OUST Rubio Cruz and Labrador, they have the WORST Immigration policy!! AMNESTY!!!

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:05pm
  People have no idea what REFORM looks like. That is the Strategy of the Tea Party People. To REFORM the GOP. REFORM looks an awful lot like people getting ousted! Amen to that!
  
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Skinner
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:48am
Cruz is trying the hard line approach, but this issue isnt the right one, little kids died, it might happen again to one of your kids soon too, it will hurt the GOP, but the TP dont care, its about staying office for your own self-serving agenda.

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- Clownzilla
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:58am
  That is what conservatives are trying to get across. It WON’T happen to my kids if we allow teachers to carry guns in school. Saying that conservatives don’t care is just plain wrong.
  
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- RDavis49
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:16pm
  Those little kids who died are a direct result of “gun free zones” being safe for the video game assassins and mentally deranged losers to get in and kill, as has been the case in all the mass shootings. These gun free zones came about as a result of the GOP getting into bed with the liberals, against the wishes of the MAJORITY of the American public, on supressing our second amendment rights and not even caring to enforce the laws already on the books. The GOP has been infiltrated by the liberal socialist left and they’re called RINO’s. The GOP is on their death bed not because of the TEA party, but because of their own poor judgements, choices and failure to listen to the will of “The People” in dealing with the elitest socialist democrats. Too many conservative American citizens no longer looks at a candidates political voting record in electing their representation (if that’s what you want to call it) into this country’s government. Instead they base their support on one or two little things they identify with a candidate on, and that’s silly …. or they just vote for and elect the same old do nothing people who have always sit silently back and allowed the intellectual and moral decay of our country.
  
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Clownzilla
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:46am
They talk like destroying the GOP “brand” is a bad thing. The GOP brand has been losing it’s conservative roots for decades and it’s about time people are starting to realize that. God bless Ted Cruz and other Tea Party members and what they are trying to do (as long as they stay true to their words and beliefs).

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shorelineliz
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:45am
“Emotionally Isolated and Reclusive.” That is because he is looking in His Magic Mirror all day long and asking it, “Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall, Who is the Fairest of them all?” Is it me? Huh? Is it? Say It’s Me! Come on! Say it! Say it is me! D@Mit! Say it’s me! Come on! Say it now! It’s me, right? Is it really, really me? You know it’s me! I swear to Allah I will cut your head off if you don’t say it is me! Come on! Hurry up! Say it’s me! Pretty please? With humous and baba ganoush on it? Please? I will give you some baklava? Please. Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Please? To: Secret Service: Destroy this Magic MIrror and Get Me Another One That Does My Bidding Instantly! Sulk. Sulk. Sulk. While he waits for new Magic Mirror he checks his hairdo in hand mirror. Primping. Primping. Primping.

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Exidor
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:43am
Obammy gets an F in being a man.

Arrogant, temper tantrum throwing, thin skinned, narcissitic, ignorant, unexperienced, dope smoking, uneducated, unethical, pampered, lazy, corrupt punk,

He’s not my President.

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:48am
  Could not have said it better myself. My sentiments exactly!
  
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- RDavis49
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:51am
  I’ve never seen such an accruate description of Hussein Obama’s personality makeup before….. very well done.
  
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- NHwinter
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:41pm
  Where were these criticism before the elections ?? You stupid progressive propaganda hacks for Obama were silent before the elections. Now we are really marching toward our doom.
  
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- msjoe43
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:59pm
  When you’re the most powerful man in the world and don’t get your way, what do you do?
  Answer would be: throw a temper tantrum.
  
  He’s a man child — (Man Child – A person that is physically an adult, but mentally/emotionally immature) — who throws a temper tantrums. Dislikes the word: NO! to his Wants.
  
  —
  
  A temper tantrum is a sudden, unplanned display of anger. It is not just an act to get attention. During a temper tantrum, children often cry, yell, and swing their arms and legs. Temper tantrums usually last 30 seconds to 2 minutes and are most intense at the start.
  
  Temper tantrums are most common in children ages 1 to 4 years. But anyone can have a temper tantrum even an adult.
  
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RDavis49
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:42am
Let’s look at this thing in a different light and place the blame for the destruction of the GOP in proper perspective and where it belongs …… The TEA party candidates (Patriots) are simply exposing the trickery and treasonist conduct of many of the RINO GOP elected officials. The destruction of the Republican Party began long ago, by their own hand, when they started caving in to, agreeing with, and voting along with, or remaining silent on, the liberal socialist on issues they knew full good and well the “MAJORITY” of conservatives, constitutional (TRUE) Americans told them they did not want them to do…. i.e., Obamacare. This is why the middle of the road GOP elected officials need to be replaced, they cannot be trusted to uphold their oath of office to support and defend the constitution of the United States of America, just like their liberal socialist democrat buddies. No, the GOP is allowing itself to be dismantled from within by it’s own RINO members… i.e…. John McCain.

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:57am
  The TEA PARTY (Taxed Enough Already) are a Group of Former Democrats, Republicans and Independents. They are a coalition of people who have had enough of the Spending up in Washington. They don’t care WHO is doing the spending. They look at Democratic or Republican spending. They look at Democratic or Republican taxation. They don’t give a flying flip about political parties anymore. They want the unlawful taxation and spending to stop. So, what they do is challenge whoever in Congress is coming up for re election. They will target JOhn Boehner in Ohio. They will target Harry Reid. They will target any Independent candidate in Vermont or New Hampshire. They don’t care one iota about either/or. Whoever will run on a platform of No More Taxation coupled with No More Spending and Axing the Spending already in place they will put into power. They are concerned about these matters and no more. They have no allegiance to any party because they recognize both parties are not fiscally responsible. I think they are America’s best bet for getting rid of a majority of Congress and replacing it with people who actually CARE about these matters. The US Congress is out of control. Everybody knows it. Hence the 11 percent approval rate which is dropping every day. Washington, DC is in a bubble. It’s a sinister town. It needs a Clorox Bleach bath and everybody knows it! As dirty and corrupt as it gets. I don’t know if these people will succeed. So much filth.
  
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riseandshine
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:40am
Think inside the box.

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environmentalandawake
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:38am
Want to know how you’ve done the “Right Thing?” It’s when an MSNBC Host cuts down the very organization you just joined a couple of days ago. Tea Anyone?

@Ranger that’s because the commie/fascists feel threatened…..

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- RDavis49
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:43am
  Bullseye !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:46am
  I love TEA. Pour me a big cup please? Thanks. :-)
  
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- Jenny Lind
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:17pm
  They are really scared of the tea party- it’s the first, non party group to stand up and say enough, so they continualy try to make us look like white trash, racist, religous, gun nuts. It won’t work, more are starting to realise every day that we are right, the government is doing us no favors and in fact is a greedy corrupt batch of crooks, with a big scoup of marxists, (the kind that want wealth for themseves on the workers backs). I think the tea party will be the party to challange the democrats and repubs will be a lonety third party before to long.
  
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ktywck
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:33am
Hard to comment after the nasties that were just posted. Scarborough used to be alot more conservative . . . wonder what weirded him out – besides his paycheck from msnbc?

Ted Cruz has strong Tea Party ties . . .they got him elected, but failed to oust the king. Ineffective power.

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 12:03pm
  Let’s Not count the TEA Party out just now shall we? They just got started. I have my money on these people. They just need to keep kicking **** and taking names. Washington DC is a cesspool. Have you ever had a really big mess to clean up? How long did it take you? Hours? Well these TEA PARTY people need to be given time. The GOP is full of people right now who think they need to CAVE on social and fiscal issues just to survive. They just raised the debt ceiling three months? To pay the Government’s Bills? Bah! They just raised it to keep THEIR paychecks coming to the tune of 169,000 each! Greedy you know whats! Well, I say, FIRE THEM ALL in the next rounds of elections and this is what the TEA PARTY does best is target these elections and just keep replacing members of congress over and over by district after district. It is a brilliant strategy and TEA PARTY PEOPLE just keep it up! You have my support. If anything the TEA PARTY people are CLeaning House! Let the GOP be completely replaced by TEA PARTY People and let all the OLD FARTS in Congress REtire already! Term Limits! End these big FAT bloated salaries and benefits. Members of Congress need to make the average American salary which is $40,000. Unconscionable to be paid or live above the people you serve! Greedy BSTRDS! Emphasis on TURDS!
  
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term limits for congress
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:28am
It is the dim congressman who do not know how to reach out to prez kardashian. Meet him on the golf course, air force one, hawaii, or the basketball court. And, they better come with a big bag of choom.

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RANGER1965
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:27am
When a Democrat attacks a conservative he is a paragon of truth, an inspiration, even courageous.

When a Republican attacks a liberal he is “not helpful”, “dissapointing,” “Not helping the GOP brand”

It’s surreal how the GOP eats it’s own children. They’ve become an Autoimmune disorder, they attack themselves to the point that no one wants to be a part of them. They never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

The GOP needs to go, since the Tea Party couldn’t take them over, a 3rd party is the only way.

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- Welcome Black Carter
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 1:06pm
  I hope you are not thinking of “Joe” as a Republican…
  He’s not really even in the RINO category. More of an under-cover liberal.
  
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RIGS
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:21am
OH WOW!!!!!!! We should be so thrilled, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

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Gonzo
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:18am
“As chief executive he gets a C” Yes but, in the land of mediocrity that America has become, a C is good enough to get you reelected by all the D and F voters.

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- WillG
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:42am
  Well stated.
  
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TruthSeekingTexan
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:17am
So…Truth “hurts” the GOP? Seems appropo… That’s why I’m Independent…

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- shorelineliz
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:46am
  The dude is a textbook narcissist. He also looks like a lady.
  
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Cavallo
Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:13am
Oh? Is Bathouse Barry not giving his Dem buddies the proper reach around?

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- biohazard23
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:22am
  Nor a cigarette after the deed is done.
  
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- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:27am
  Apparently not.
  
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- biohazard23
  Posted on January 21, 2013 at 11:55am
  Good morning, RJ! Hockey is back – woo hoo!! I’ll be turning on the Lightning game at 12:30. That’s going to be the only TV I watch today. Well, except for Disney Junior after Little Man wakes up from his nap. Jake and the Neverland Pirates is always more interesting than anything pertaining to the regime.
  
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