Pundits are usually villainized as an entity of people who largely have no idea what they’re talking out. They appear on TV all the time and yet they’re viewed as puffs of air who are wasting our time.
Until now.
This morning alone, at least two lawmakers hailed “pundits” as the ones to approach to figure out what on Earth happened in House Maj. Leader Eric Cantor‘s (R-Va.) failure of a primary race.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) held a strangely angry, abrupt press conference this morning in which he basically answered nothing. In fact, he blamed Cantor’s loss on President Obama. And then he directed reporters to let the apparently now exalted pundits to figure out what happened there.
“I’ll let the political pundits figure out what happened in that election,” he said. “Every election is different. … Americans are being squeezed by Obama’s policies.” When pushed further, he later added… “I’m not going to analyze that race down there.”
Earlier, on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown with Chuck Todd, Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) was asked what he makes of Cantor’s loss. “Well, Eric’s a dear friend and I appreciate his leadership. He was instrumental in my campaign and others …I’m going to get the folks in Virginia and the political pundits unpack that.” You’d have thought this was an absurd question by the way lawmakers like Rigell are not answering it. “Again I’ll have to let those political pundits figure it out, he said, smiling broadly as Todd tried a variety of direct approaches to coax him into responding.
Pundits, enjoy the sainthood while it lasts.