So . . . is MSNBC wildly overstating the chances of Chris Daggett as part of their usual instincts to help out a Democrat, or just conducing political analysis while under the influence of hallucinogens?

But a break here (say a big endorsement from a well known/respected politician) or a break there (some sort of disastrous new scandal hitting either Corzine or Christie) and the floodgates could open. Daggett’s VERY close to being seen as a credible alternative in political terms. Bottom line: there’s too much volatility in the political landscape both in Jersey and nationally NOT to take Daggett VERY seriously as someone who could actually win this thing. Stranger things have happened, isn’t that right Governor Ventura? Governor Schwarzenegger?

Uh, the circumstances between Minnesota in 1998 and New Jersey in 2009 are pretty darn different. Minnesota’s unemployment rate in 1998, the year Jesse Ventura was elected, was 2.5 percent. (New Jersey’s is 9.8 percent, as of last month.) It’s much easier to take a chance on an unlikely third-party candidate when life is good, the economy is going well, and the nation as a whole is enjoying peace and prosperity.

And when you see political parallels between Chris Daggett and one of the world’s most famous movie stars, who was running as a candidate of a major party, I think it’s time to put the keyboard down, take a deep breath, take a walk, and clear one’s head, if possible.

Either way, the Republican Governors Association recognizes that Chris Daggett is complicating Christie’s task by splitting the anti-incumbent vote, and is putting up an ad pointing out that he’s not really that much of a change from the current governor: