Tom Delay: Charlie Crist Drove Florida "Into the Economic Toilet"

I think MSNBC takes a sick delight in putting the most ridiculous Republicans on their programs just to let them sprout all sorts of nonsense. So naturally, Tom DeLay, the disgraced former Republican house majority leader, stopped by Hardball with Chris Matthew last night to face off against former Democratic Congressman Harold Brown Jr.

After calling Obama's non-State of the Union "the most hypocritical and irresponsible speech I've ever witnessed," he gets into a debate about Obama's recovery efforts. Brown quickly brings up Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger's support of the stimulus.

Without missing a beat, DeLay retorts that the moderate duo are "two governors that are dead-wrong and have driven both their states into the economic toilet."

Hmmm, we're not suggesting Crist is an economic hero, but let's see -- he's been governor for not even two years and two months. We're not suggesting we're economic experts either, but we're pretty sure the seeds of Florida's economic downturn took root well before he was sworn in. Probably back when that Jeb Bush fellow had the job, not to mention the Republicans who control the legislature.

Then again, we're not as stupid as DeLay and aren't going to place the full blame for the economy on the shoulders of any one person, body, or party (though we will place the full blame for the state's budget crises on the Republicans in general).

Don't take anything DeLay says seriously. After all, he drove his career into the ethical toilet years ago.

Video after the jump. The Crist smackdown smarts at 6:38.