Former President Obama’s 2012 campaign manager made no bones Friday about his opinion on public pollsters: He hates them. A lot.

Jim Messina prompted nervous laughter from MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough when he casually joked that public pollsters should be executed. The comment came as a panel talked about the political landscape leading into the 2018 midterm elections.

“The generic ballots don’t matter until August of the election year, that’s what history teaches us,” Mr. Messina said, Mediaite reported. “What you care more about is passionate intensity. When I ran President Obama’s campaign, the number I looked at everyday was intensity. Are my voters more motivated than Republican voters? … That intensity is what we want to watch. Don’t go generic. It’s going to jump all over the place. Joe, you know how I feel about public polls. I think all public pollsters should be shot.”

The “Morning Joe” host offered awkward laughter in response while a fellow panelist deadpanned, “radical suggestion.”

Mr. Messina said recent electoral performances by Democrats in Missouri, New Jersey and Virginia indicate that intensity levels are in their favor.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.