Joe Lieberman (Insurance-CT)

By GottaLaff

Lizz Winstead (co-creator of The Daily Show) has posted some hilarious tweets on Twitter about Lieberman. Last night, she was on a roll:

• Joe Lieberman is planning on dressing as Joe Lieberman for Halloween. #RetireJoeLieberman

• BREAKING: LIeberman to host new show on Fox called Mourning Joe

• BREAKING: Joe Lieberman to support the Cop Out option #RetireJoeLieberman

• BREAKING: Joe Lieberman to be on the new reality show. "Sleeping with the Enemy"

• After all Liebernan has done for Republicans, they should move from calling themselves the GOP to the more accurate JOP

Now Paul Begala has come out with a good one-liner of his own:

Paul Begala: "It's journalistic shorthand to note a politician's party identification and state after his or her name. For example: Jane Doe (D-NY). And so Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman is identified as (I-CT). But the 'I' does not stand for Independent. It stands for Insurance Industry."

(click on red button)

Video- Real Time with Bill Maher: Paul Begala Schools Meghan McCain

I know we like Meghan here, but this was too sweet.

Paul Begala Warns Democrats on Health Care

Good, I hope they listen.

Paul Begala has circulated a point-by-point rebuttal of GOP consultant Frank Luntz's widely read strategy memo on health care.

According to Politico, Begala argues that Luntz "aims to confuse voters about which party wants reform. He warns Democrats that they risk seeing their message co-opted and a health overhaul die this year unless they aggressively confront Luntz's tactics."

Writes Begala: "Because they know they cannot win the argument honestly, Republicans are resorting to mendacity. Democrats must not let them get away with it."

VIDEO: Ari in "Fleischerland" v. Paul Begala on torture

By GottaLaff

CNN's Anderson Cooper Hosts: Democrat Paul Begala & Republican Ari Fleischer Bitching At Each Other, Over Torture, Investigations, etc etc - 05/14/09

Ari in Fleischerland: "You just want to go after George Bush and call it non-partisan"

AC 360- Paul Begala bests Ari Fleischer on torture

Transcript here.

Got 0 Plans

By GottaLaff

Paul Begala has a way with words:

"The Republicans are like an arsonist who complains that the fire department is wasting water... Unless and until they do offer an alternative, they really have no right to whine about the president. For now at least, GOP stands for Got 0 Plans."

-- Paul Begala, on CNN, on the Republican criticisms of President Obama's budget.

Zero.

VIDEO FLASHBACK: If you liked Jon Stewart v. Jim Cramer, you'll love Jon on Crossfire

By GottaLaff

I was glued to the set when this first aired. I'd never seen Jon Stewart like this, and developed a whole new appreciation of him. After his evisceration of Cramer, my appreciation grew (I didn't think that was even possible).

Stewart not just some well-informed, hilarious comic. He's a top notch, independent-minded, tough interviewer.

Tucker Carlson, Jim Cramer... Who's next?



A flashback to October 15, 2004, the day that Jon Stewart destroyed Crossfire.

Paul Begala on CNBC's Santelli: "Every circus needs a clown."

Begala certainly can deliver the zinger when need be. heh. Vid via Think Progress.

Top GOP Strategist: It's Over, Obama Will Win In Landslide

Heh indeedy as the boys say. Via Jed.

VIDEO-- Begala: "McCain tied to ultra-right wing racist group"

By GottaLaff

So IWRC* Palin wants to play rough? Okey dokey then:


Via DKos' Tirge Caps:

In 1981 John McCain sat on the board of the US Council for World Freedom, an ultra right wing group founded by Arizona Congressman and Iran Contra figure Maj. General John K. Singlaub...

Begala: It was affiliated with the World Anti-Communist league, the parent organization, which ADL [Anti-Defamation League] said has increasingly become a gathering place, the forum, the point of contact for extremist racists and anti-Semites.

[...] John McCain was raised in an atmosphere of privilege, of wealth and of power and influence. This ultra-right wing group, IMO, is just the kind of organization his jokes would play over well with.

From The Coors Connection by Russ Bellant:

When the Reagan Administration began organizing the Nicaraguan Contras in 1981, allied bu nominally private groups were formed to build support for the Contra plans.

One of those groups, formed shortly after the frst Reagan inauguration, was the US Council for World Freedom, headed by Mjor General John Singlaub. The USCWF quickly became the US branch of the World Anti-Communist League. The USCWF began building support for the Reagan policy of aiding not only the Ncaraguan Contras but RENAMO and UNITA in southern Africa and rightist Islamic fundamentalists in Afghanistan. Singlaub informed CIA director William Casey and NSC staff of his actions and operated with ther consent if not under their direct influence.

One of the early USCWF financial backers was Joe Coors, according to two former USCWF treasurers. Coors shared Reagan's enthusiasm for the Contras despite early indications of the unsavory background of certain COntra leaders and reliable reports of COntra acts of brutality. The Contras were originally known as the 15th of September Legion. Their earliest training came fmor Argentinian military intelligence, which ran death squads in that country and sponsored a Latin American conference of death squad leaders in 1980. That death squad network was also the Latin American branch on WACL. In 1982, Argentinian intelligence worked with Moon's Unification Church and fugitive Nazi Klaus Barbie to establish a Nazi-style state in Bolivia.

Honestly, if they try to hang Ayers around Obama, McCain, true or not, has a history of associating with ultra-right wing racists and paranoid fascist freaks.

Begala: "We ought to have at least agreed upon facts"

Transcript via Cesca-

PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Because the press won't do its job, John. I criticized Barack Obama when he hasn't been tough enough. Barack's job is to run against John McCain, right. Don't shoot the monkey when you can shoot for the organ grinder. His job is not to focus on number two but number one. But it is the media's job when a politician flat out lies like she's doing on this bridge to nowhere so call her on it. Or this matter of earmarks where she's attacking Barack Obama for having earmarks, when she was the mayor of little Wasilla, Alaska, 6,000 people, she hired a lobbyist who was connected to Jack Abramoff, who is a criminal and they brought home $27 million in earmarks. She carried so much pork home she got trichinosis. But we in the media are letting her tell lies about her record.

Malveaux: Obama's position changed. Begala, Richardson: Wrong

By GottaLaff

On Obama's Iraq policy:

Paul Begala: He's going to withdraw the combat troops. I'd tell him to never engage in hypotheticals. The journalists were trying. He avoided the "gotchas", and contrasted with McCain. He stuck to his policy.

Suzanne Malveaux: How's this different from Bush?

Bill Richardson: He's been consistent, out in 16 months. Safely and securely as possible. When you go to Iraq, you listen to commanders. The guy has been entirely consistent, and I don't know why there's such a fuss. Refinement means he'll get the facts, but his basic 16 month position is the same.

Suzanne: What are refinements? Slowing the pace of withdrawal? That seems that you're not gonna withdraw at the pace he said.

Bill: There are combat and non-combat troops. Combat troops out in 16 months, but there are logistical issues that he can pick up, but the basic policy is unchanged. Maybe a peacekeeping force, dialog with Iran, regional proposals, diplomatic issues.

Paul Begala: GOP fundraisers are "dirtbags". So there.

By GottaLaff

Children! Am I going to have to turn this blog around?

Republicans are saying Democratic strategist Paul Begala went “over the line” when, in a fundraising appeal, he called the attendees of a GOP fundraiser “dirtbags.”

"La-a-a-afff-f-f-fy! Make him stop!" Oh, come on, Repubbies, get a thicker skin.

Begala, who worked for Bill Clinton in the White House, discussed the annual Republican President’s Dinner in an e-mail to supporters that seeks to raise funds for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

“You should have seen the joint: wall to wall fat-cats. The limos were lined up around the block. If you’d stood in the middle of the ballroom and yelled, ‘Hey dirtbag!’ a thousand necks would have snapped around,” Begala wrote.

The strategist also referred to the GOP as the “Grand Oil Party.”

::stifling major laughter:: Um, Pauly? Pauly honey? ::way too calmly:: Stop that. ... Please. ::stifling more giggles, even more calmly:: You know how ::yawn:: angry... that ::stretch:: makes me.

“You would think that, after years of loyally serving Bill Clinton, that Paul Begala would be able to identify a real dirtbag when he saw one,” said National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Ken Spain.

::filing nails:: Ooooo, way to zing Paul, Kenny. ::expressionless:: Wow. What a snappy comeback. Ahem, Pauly, snookums? Your turn.

“The Bush Republicans questioned the courage of a hero like Max Cleland. They besmirched the war heroism of John Kerry. They smeared Bill Clinton, savaged Hillary, attacked Sen. Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and Howard Dean,” he said. “But when I call their fat-cat funders 'dirtbags,' they cry like babies. They are wimpy, whiny wussies.”

Three words: Neener. Nanner. Neener.

He added, “They are going to take their beating and like it, because this Democrat believes in fighting back.”

Doug Thornell, a spokesman for the DCCC, said, “It is understandable that House Republicans would be embarrassed about their lavish celebration of George Bush’s record of high gas prices and their coziness to Big Oil special interests, but facts are facts. Clearly, the truth hurts.”

Demmies are sponges and Repubbies are glue. Whatever the Repubbies say bounces off Dems and sticks on to you.

Time-outs for everyone. And no 527s for a week.