President Obama's 9 Worst Surrogates

With allies like these, who needs Republicans?

1. Former Rep. Harold Ford

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“I would not have backed off the comments if I were Mayor Booker...The substance of his comments on Meet the Press, I agree with the core of it. I would not have backed them out … private equity’s not a bad thing. As a matter of fact, private equity is a good thing in many, many instances.” — Morning Joe, May 21, 2012.

2. Newark Mayor Cory Booker

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"This kind of stuff is nauseating to me on both sides. It's nauseating to the American public. Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity. Stop attacking Jeremiah Wright. This stuff has got to stop."

"I'm not about to sit here and indict private equity...If you look at the totality of Bain Capital's record, they've done a lot to support businesses — to grow businesses. And this to me, I'm very uncomfortable." — Meet The Press, May 20, 2012.

3. Sen. Jim Webb

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“The manner in which the health-care-reform issue was put in front of the Congress — the way that the issue was dealt with by the White House — cost Obama a lot of credibility as a leader." — Bloomberg, April 18, 2012.

4. Sen. Jon Tester

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"In an interview at the Missoulian on Friday, the first-term senator from Big Sandy said Obama didn’t stay focused enough on stimulating jobs and the economy after the financial meltdown of 2008." — Missoulian, May 12, 2012.

5. Sen. Mark Pryor

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"Pryor, who endorsed Hillary Clinton for president during the 2008 presidential elections, said he would be "not very active" in the 2012 elections, including in terms of campaigning for Obama." — The Hill, April 10, 2012.

6. Sen. Joe Manchin

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"A man in prison in Texas got 4 out of 10 votes in West Virginia's Democratic presidential primary. The inmate, Keith Judd, is serving time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, Texas, for making threats at the University of New Mexico in 1999. Obama received 59 percent of the vote to Judd's 41 percent...Manchin refused afterward to say whether he voted for Obama." — Associated Press, May 9, 2012.

7. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin

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"As Governor, I know that I must work hard every day to earn the trust and the votes of my constituents. Neither President Obama nor Governor Romney has earned my vote at this point." — Business Insider, May 3, 2012.

8. Former Advisor Steven Rattner

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“I think the ad is unfair…Bain Capital’s responsibility was not to create 100,000 jobs…I don’t think there’s anything Bain Capital did that they need to be embarrassed about.” — Morning Joe, May 14, 2012

9. Vice President Joe Biden

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"I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction-- beyond that." — Meet The Press, May 6, 2012.

With Rebecca Elliott