You have to love the law of unintended consequences. When statehouse Republicans gerrymandered heavily Republican congressional districts, they simply enabled the GOP fringe -- which is why you have so many congress critters who are scared sh*tless to oppose Trump or his extreme policies. Ha, ha!

Here's the Morning Joe crew, laughing after watching Republican gubernatorial candidates Jeff Johnson and Tim Pawlenty fall over themselves over which is the more fervent Trump supporter:

"Watching that shows the line everyone is walking. Scott Walker is doing it in Wisconsin as well, tiptoeing between not crossing the Republican president of their party but also not going along with some of the rhetoric coming from the White House," Mike Allen said.

"Poor T-Paw, he was not looking like someone with a strong, clear message. We saw Pawlenty said this is the year to be the establishment candidate and be the, quote, clear favorite. it's a tough place to be,"

Scarborough called it "pathetic."

"I saw two guys, you know, 'did you vote for him? Would you lick him in the face if it was three inches from you? Because I was three inches from him and I tried to lick him in the face.' It was pathetic. One guy called him a jackass. The other guy, oh my God, was offended by the Access Hollywood tape. Can you imagine that?"

He said the Republican primary contests are becoming "even more stupid by the day."

"I mean, down in Florida I get -- my God, you've got a guy that is reading bedtime stories to his children about building the wall, has a baby in a 'Make America Great Again onesie and we laugh about it today, but there will be a category 4 or category 5 storm that comes across the I-4 corridor and guess what, we'll have a governor that will not know what to do if he gets elected based on cute 30-second commercials and being the guy that proves that he's the biggest suckup to Trump."

Well, Joe, you built that. Just sayin'.