A New Breed of Refined, Mind-to-Mouth Politicians

The Brian Lehrer Show | Jan 11, 2016

Jamelle Bouie, chief political correspondent for Slate, discusses the latest in the 2016 presidential campaign, plus previews the president's State of the Union address.

But first, he addresses the most recent comments from Maine Governor Paul LePage, who he calls "the proto-Trump."

"I think Paul LePage might actually point to a different breed of candidate," says Bouie. "I would not be surprised if we begin to see more politicians...whose chief appeal is they’ll say whatever’s on their mind and they’ll also take an ax, like LePage has, to what we’d describe as welfare."

Bouie weighs in on recent rumors that Michael Bloomberg is considering entering the 2016 presidential race. He calls Bloomberg "the definition of a factional candidate" in that he's an elite, business-type conservative who's liberal on social issues.

Bouie goes on to explain why he thinks it may be good for Hillary Clinton to be dropping in recent polls, explaining, "These tough contests make everyone better, from candidates to their staffs to activists."

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