Posted on 03/05/2009 4:17:55 AM PST by TornadoAlley3
COOPER: Paul Begala joins us now, along with former Bush communications director Nicolle Wallace.
Paul, is this Politico accurate? Are you and other Democratic strategists, like your buddy James Carville, working with the White House to paint Republicans as the party of Rush Limbaugh?
PAUL BEGALA, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't have to.
First off, I don't work for the White House or any other politician, as you know. I live my life out loud. If I think something, I say it. And, fortunately, you and the other folks on CNN are good enough to give me a platform to do that.
But I -- this is one of those occasions where, you know, I mean, I try to be an honest analyst. And, of course, I'm also a committed partisan. In both roles, the statement is, I believe inarguably true, that Mr. Limbaugh is the leading, most powerful force in the Republican Party. I think it's an undeniable truth. Go ask Michael Steele.
COOPER: But -- but -- but you didn't answer the question. Are you working with James Carville, perhaps Rahm Emanuel, others in the White House, as part of a concerted effort to do this?
BEGALA: I -- I don't know what you mean by concerted effort.
(Excerpt) Read more at transcripts.cnn.com ...
“I — I don’t know what you mean by concerted effort.”
Clinton speak.
COOPER: But — but — but you didn’t answer the question. Are you working with James Carville, perhaps Rahm Emanuel, others in the White House, as part of a concerted effort to do this?
BEGALA: I — I don’t know what you mean by concerted effort.
____________________________________________________________
That’s an ‘affirmative’.
No doubt Rush-bo is enjoying the publicity.
Amazing how many democrats devoured his every word. I could hear them screaming all the way out to California.
You just can’t purchase advertising like he is getting for free!
I watched some of this last night. The forehead is a vile human being.
I have to admit..
I am surprised that Obama has so over-estimated his “popularity” and keeps making foolish and monumental mistakes....
Go for it BamBam— target Rush....you just energize us even more....
BEGALA: Street corners, at the dinner table. Wherever two or more were gathered, there, too, was my anti-Rush views. And they have been longstanding.
As I was saying a moment ago, on election night of ‘06, when Rush Limbaugh was then engaged in a big fight with Michael J. Fox, I suggested that one of the reasons Claire McCaskill won the Missouri Senate race two years ago was because, as I said then, it came down to a beloved American — a beloved actor, Michael J. Fox, against Limbaugh, who, at that time, I described as a — I think it was a gas bag — or a drug-addled gas bag, I think. That was it.
So, I have a lot of history of disliking Rush. And I don’t intend to stop now.
COOPER: So, Nicolle, I will bring you in, in a second, but I just want to try to get an answer on this.
You, allegedly, Paul, have daily phone calls with Rahm Emanuel, an old friend of yours, as well as James Carville. This is all what I have — I have read. It’s been reported. So, clearly, the light bulb goes off with you and Carville about Rush Limbaugh and his high negatives. Is that something you tell Rahm Emanuel? Because, all of a sudden, this weekend, Rahm Emanuel, out of the blue, unprompted, started talking about Rush Limbaugh.
BEGALA: Well, you would have to ask Rahm what prompts him to do again.
But, you know, we’re very close friends. But I don’t take orders from — I love Rahm. He’s dear friend of mine. I don’t take orders from him or anybody else. I don’t work for any politicians. I work for CNN. And — but I don’t take orders from anybody.
COOPER: But, clearly, clearly, if you’re talking to — if you’re talking to Rahm Emanuel every day on the phone, and this light bulb has gone off in your head and James Carville’s head, I find it hard to believe you didn’t say to Rahm Emanuel: Guess what? Look at these poll numbers.
BEGALA: Oh, I don’t know. I don’t keep careful notes of these things.
(LAUGHTER)
BEGALA: My view is, I keep private conversations private, Anderson.
COOPER: OK.
BEGALA: And that’s part of — of what I do to try to figure out what is going on in the world.
But, also, I mean, I — I talk to my friends about any number of things. But here’s the secret. I don’t like Rush Limbaugh. Here is the other secret. He is the most powerful person in the Republican Party today, bar none.
COOPER: Nicolle, what do you make of all this?
NICOLLE WALLACE, FORMER BUSH WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: There are two things wrong with this strategy. And, as you have noted, it is obviously a strategy.
One, this is a president who promised in his inaugural address an end to childish things. And it may be a smart political tactic, but, no doubt, it is childish and hypocritical for the chief of staff to a president who promised an end to childish things to go out and start a food fight with a talk radio host.
Now, here’s the second thing that is wrong with this strategy. Barack Obama relies very heavily on a villain. In the primary, it was Paul’s friend and former colleague Hillary Clinton who was his villain. and Barack Obama railed against her.
In the general election, surprisingly, it wasn’t John McCain, as much as it was George Bush that Barack Obama relied upon to give us something to fear and someone to blame and his promise that he would protect us and save us from that person.
Now, you know, they — they ran a poll, and they came up with a new villain. And it’s Rush Limbaugh. And I think the larger question is, why, as president, when his mission is to govern, not campaign, does he need to rely on fabricated villains?
COOPER: Paul?
BEGALA: Well, first off, I don’t know that he’s relying on anything. He’s trying to fix this country.
I — I will say — and I do have some friends and contacts in the White House — they have a lot bigger fish to fry, Nicolle. You need not worry. I don’t think they’re spending very much, if any, time worrying about Rush Limbaugh. That’s why God created me.
WALLACE: They sure talk about him a lot.
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: You know, the chief of staff on a Sunday show?
BEGALA: No, no, no. No, I do. I do, but I’m not busy trying to solve peace in the Middle East and fix the financial crisis, like they are.
WALLACE: Rahm Emanuel on a Sunday show.
COOPER: It’s interesting, though, Paul, because Robert Gibbs, the spokesperson for the president, has talked about Rush Limbaugh at the daily briefings.
And, in fact, today, he was asked about it. And he said, well, you know what? Maybe it’s counterproductive to do it.
But, based on what you have said and this Politico article says, he must not think it’s counterproductive. He must think, actually, it’s — it’s quite effective and therefore part of a strategy.
So, when he said today it’s counterproductive, was he being honest?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COOPER: Well, we will have the answer to that question next, as our conversation continues. Is Rush Limbaugh being targeted? Is it a left-wing conspiracy, as some are calling it? Will it backfire?
Also, tonight, budget, pork, and pigs, literally — President Obama promised to end earmarks. Soon, he will sign a budget with plenty of earmarks, including money to study pig odor. Does that smell right to you? You can decide for yourself. Some — some lawmakers say it is money well spent. We’re “Keeping Them Honest.”
And a surprise at the White House today for Sasha and Malia Obama, we will tell you all about that. And new developments in the strange case of the octuplets’ mom — 911 calls, reports of police visits. We will fill you in — tonight on 360.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Rush Limbaugh firing up conservatives this weekend. We’re talking about a new and striking twist in the war between him and the White House, namely that, not only is it a war the White House seems to welcome, given Limbaugh’s lightning rod status, but it is also a war that some top friends of the White House actually hoped for.
We heard from Paul Begala and Republican Nicolle Wallace before the break, the segment ending with a question: Was White House spokesman Robert Gibbs playing it kind of cute today when he said, making — when he said, making an issue of Limbaugh was counterproductive?
Here’s how Paul Begala answered.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEGALA: Oh, I think so. I don’t — that’s certainly his view. I can’t speak for — for Mr. Gibbs.
I — I do think people make a mistake if they try to take what I say and do and ascribe it to the White House.
COOPER: Do you think it’s counterproductive?
BEGALA: I did not support Mr. Obama in the primaries.
COOPER: You think — you don’t it’s counterproductive, though. You think it’s — it’s actually spot-on, A, accurate, and, B, effective.
BEGALA: Here’s — here is the difference: in response to a question.
You know, that was a journalist from “The Washington Times,” which is a — I read that paper, but it’s a conservative paper. And they asked a question about Limbaugh. Gibbs gives an answer about Limbaugh, and then they say, why are you talking about Limbaugh? It’s a little bit of a trap, if you ask me.
But I have the strong sense from my contacts in the White House that they have much bigger fish to fry. They would rather leave political commentators like me to mud-wrestle with political blowhards like Mr. Limbaugh, than — than themselves get involved in that. COOPER: Nicolle, clearly, Rush Limbaugh seems to be loving this. He wrote — he sent an e-mail to Politico, says: “The administration is enabling me. They’re expanding my profile, expanding my audience, and expanding my influence. An even larger number of people are now being exposed to the antidote to Obamaism, conservatism, as articulated by me.”
And now he’s challenged the president to — to a debate. Have, though, Nicolle, Democrats been effective in this boxing, I mean, Republicans into a corner...
WALLACE: Well, I — look, what...
COOPER: ... sort of damned if they criticize Rush Limbaugh, and, you know, I guess, criticized by some if they don’t?
WALLACE: Well, look, I don’t know what corner we’re in. I mean, we’re — we are out of control. We’re in the political wilderness. We’re regrouping.
I have likened it to the beginning of “American Idol,” where, you know, by the end of the season, hopefully, we will be able to make a cogent case to the American people.
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: But, in the beginning, there are a lot of performances that are a little rocky. So...
COOPER: You’re saying, like, the Republican Party is a bunch of bad singers right now?
(LAUGHTER)
WALLACE: Well, yes, but there’s always a star there in the midst.
But, you know, I think Republicans, you know, when they’re — when they’re speaking truthfully, we’re acutely aware of where we are.
Rush Limbaugh made a much larger point in his speech on Saturday night at CPAC. And he talked about how Republicans would be well- served to begin a philosophical debate about the role of government in people’s lives. And I read about this on The Daily Beast. And it enraged people on the left, because how dare you question the philosophy of punishing the prosperous among us and trying to redistribute the wealth in this country?
But I do think that — that — that some of Rush’s larger points will be heard by a far wider audience because the White House has so elevated him. And I think, at the end of the day, before we, as Republicans, stand before the voters, you know, for elections in two years and in four years, you know, we can only hope to regroup as effectively as the Democrats have between their losses in 2004 and their victory in 2008.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: It’s interesting, though, Paul. I mean, we have — I have been — you know, we have been talking about Rush Limbaugh last night on the program, I think the night before as well.
And a lot of viewers are saying; Look, enough. I’m sick of hearing about this guy. I don’t care about him. I don’t want to hear about him.
Clearly, he has a huge following among many people in the United States...
BEGALA: Right.
COOPER: ... probably of all political stripes. A lot of people just listen to him for entertainment, even if they don’t agree with him.
But is this a sideshow? I mean, is this an effective strategy? Is this something you think the Democrats should continue to be hammering at, identifying, linking the Republican Party to Rush Limbaugh? Or do you think it’s — it’s time to move on?
(CROSSTALK)
BEGALA: There’s about four questions.
Yes, it’s a sideshow, but, yes, it’s a very effective one, because it’s true. Look, this presidency is going to be judged by whether the economy is working and the world is in — is more secure and the American people are more secure.
Those are the things I’m quite sure — believe me — that President Obama is working on. So, you’re right. At base, this is a sideshow. What makes it so appealing is that Rush Limbaugh and I agree. I don’t want to hush Rush. I don’t want to bring back the so- called fairness doctrine. I don’t want to do anything that limits his First Amendment rights, because the more people hear them, the more they want to be Democrats.
(LAUGHTER)
BEGALA: So, he is driving converts to my side.
But, fundamentally, you’re right. Of course, this thing is going to be decided on the big things. It’s just that I don’t work on the big things anymore. Nicolle and I have worked in the White House. I know what the big things are.
I’m just now here just trying to state the obvious truth, that this guy is the most powerful force in the Republican Party. And, frankly, I think he’s a toxic asset for the Republicans.
COOPER: We will leave it there.
Paul Begala, fascinating. Nicolle Wallace, as well, thanks so much.
WALLACE: Thanks.
The poll that the Dems are touting—the one where Rush has such high negatives was commissioned by a “non-profit” group who has, as a member...............James Carville!
Who’d have thunk it?!!
Besdies, I can’t listen to Paul Begala—the TV lights reflecting off his immense forehead constantly blinds me.
The old Clinton machine is a filthy bunch.
I heard that the Dems had polling that showed attacking Rush really excites the Left. But I think they’ve made a huge miscalculation in making Rush the issue. Rush’s audience contains millions of people who tuned in one day to find out what all the fuss was about, and found they agreed with him. Lots of “moderate” democrats will start hearing the truth. I really don’t think this is what Rahm Emmanuel had in mind.
That’s why 0bama hired so many of them. They’re his kind of folks.
Wow. It must be great to be Rush Limbaugh right now.
He’s truly in the role of Dragon Slayer.
Clinton speak, indeed. I was kind of shocked he didn’t say “Depends on what the definition of are is”
The bottom line being, CNN is paying this guy to do this.
And he refused to 'fess up to the one salient fact: He is a tool for Emanuel and Carville, and he's a tool on CNN's nickel.
And Stephanopoulos is doing the same thing at ABC. Credit to Anderson Cooper for trying to put it out there, but he basically needed a one-penny spike to nail Begala's head to a post and beat an answer out of him.
Who's the woman? Never heard of her, and she is no way enough brawler to take on a monumental sleazebag like Paul Begala. They should have invited Ann Coulter instead, if we're going to do "color commentary". She'll give them all the color they can stand, brightly illuminated by Begala going up in a sheet of flame.
Ever notice how much he resembles Harvard Law jefe Larry Tribe?
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