Actually, it's that they are being lazy

No, I don't actually believe that Chris Matthews is "not very smart" or that Joe Scarborough is "dumb". It's more that they are being lazy. It's as if they make no effort whatsoever to understand the arguments that conservatives are making. (And for Joe Scarborough, that is quite a feat since he is a self described conservative).

Speaking of being lazy, this dispute between Paul Krugman and Paul Ryan has been entertaining. Paul Ryan commenting on Paul Krugman:

“I realize he’s a columnist and not a journalist, yet he could have easily tried to have verified his claims with a phone call or an email. Instead he went with his confusion and chose to impugn motives, which strikes me as a very intellectually lazy exercise or style.”