Are you an asshole from Vermont? Am I? Apparently, Howard Dean is. At least that is what Paul Begala told Kossack scottforamerica today.
Today as I was making the rounds meeting the new Senators at their respective open house swearing-in ceremonies, I ran into Paul Begala. I was making my way into the new Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey’s celebration at the Hyatt in downtown D.C. when I spotted Begala, the former Clinton aide. I was going to just politely greet him and shake his hand, but I had an attack of conscience. After all that Begala and Carville have done to undermine Gov. Dean’s efforts at the DNC, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “I hope you will support the 50-state strategy,” I told him, expecting the shrug off or a “nice to meet you too,” but that isn’t what Begala had in mind.
“That depends what you mean by 50 state strategy he said.” I responded by telling him that I meant the plan for Democrats to compete everywhere and for every office in the country. That I don’t support he said, “we should start with principles and values.” “Sure, we should compete everywhere” he muttered, “but that’s not the right strategy.” He continued that after working for over 30 campaigns this cycle, not a single one of those campaigns was helped by the 50-state strategy. He challenged me to name examples where the 50-state strategy helped us win in 2006. I proceeded to cite wins in Kentucky and Indiana, along with progress in Nebraska and Kansas as evidence of the plan’s short term success.
“Look,” he said, “When we started there were only about 15 competitive races, but Rahm made the field over 35 by the end and that had nothing to do with the 50-state strategy.” I told him we never would have had so many competitive districts if not for the DNC investing staffers and resources into those states early on and expanding the playing field. “So you have people out there, what are they doing there though?” he questioned. ” I told him they were building a long term infrastructure for the Democratic Party, and we had people all over America knocking on doors and spreading the Democratic message. “So what do they say when they knock on the doors then?” he asked me. I told him they had a succinct 6 point plan for a “new direction” that they were discussing, a cohesive message that we haven’t had in the past. “Anyway,” Begala continued… “I don’t need some a**hole from Vermont telling me what to do.”
After that our conversation was interrupted and I walked away, but I couldn’t leave before stopping by one more time. “He brought a lot of new people into this Party, ” I told Begala as I passed by. He didn’t reply, so I said it again, “Paul I know your view on him, but he brought a lot of new people into this Party.” “Excellent, excellent,” he said. Shortly after that I left the ballroom.
Even though I am from New Jersey and live in Pennsylvania, I am now convinced that I am just an asshole from Vermont. And I never even supported Howard Dean.
I think most of you are assholes from Vermont too. And I think Paul Begala is an asshole from Texas.
and all the rest see the tectonic shift in the Democratic Party…and know that their foundations are flimsy at best.
They’re seeing their power diminish, and it scares the crap out of them.
That’s what this is — the infighting that Democrats seem to specialize in and that the MSM laps up.
Memo to Begala et al — get over your bad selves…
I know I am… Since I actually lived in Vermont for a couple of years when I first moved to the states. lol
Can I be an asshole from Vermont???
If it means believing that people that don’t have access to millions of dollars to contribute to political campaigns still have a role to play in democracy…count me in.
Paul Begala has been a blinkered asshole for a long time. THIS is why you have to be willing to stay away from the party, to bleed assholes like him of their access to power and money.
Support ONLY candidates who share your values. Support them, only them, or else you allow Begala, that Cajun moron he runs with, and that hack Rahm to continue to suck the dollars and life out of what SHOULD be the party of the left.
Where is Begala from? I’d have said, “Better an asshole from Vermont than an asshole from [his home town].”
I earned the right to be called a Vermont asshole too, after spending six months there working on Dean’s campaign.
wiki.
Oh darn. Well I certainly won’t call anyone from New Jersey an Asshole. Of course, I don’t usually call ANYONE an asshole unless they really deserve it. Dean may be many things, but asshole is not one of them!
I’m waiting for La Monde to declare ‘We’re all assholes from Vermont now.”
My mom was born in North Jersey…and she definitely had her assholic days. (We did not discuss politics or sexuality to keep the peace — I think the only things that kept me in the will were my choice of spouse and the fact that I was the only one of the four kids who was still active in a church…)
and that’s hysterical – coming in second to a fictional character. I love it!!
something he has in common with Al Gore (kind of).
Oh wait, they meant Begala lost to a fictional character not to someone with fictional character.
Eyebeam was in its heyday when I lived in Texas. If I’d had the chance I would have voted for Hank too. He was pretty cool in spite of the fact that he didn’t actually exist.
All my contributions to Democrats go to the DNC, and to no other dem organization. Begala just convinced me to stay the course on my political contributions. Thanks Paul.
I prefer to donate to candidates of my choice. Preferably ones that buy me drinks. But the DNC is a way better choice that giving money to Schumer and Emanuel. They are not from my party.
I don’t have a lot of money to spend on political candidates and causes these days, so what little I have goes two places — the EFF and the DNC. I figure the 50 State Strategy is worth it — and I’d bet dollars to donuts that Begala and his ilk are never going to see a dime of that money.
The candidates in my neck of the woods can fend for themselves quite well. This way I’m hoping to help some worthy souls who otherwise would still be sitting at their kitchen tables going “Why, if I was in Congress I’d . . . “
Individual candidates are a different story. I do that too when I can. But what we need now is a political structure throughout the country, year in and year out. Only the DNC is doing that.
but if that’s what it takes to take my country back, that’s what I’ll be.
I am part of the Vermont booty too!!!
Speaking of worthless Democrats:
If it’s so fucking hard to “see” these things, you hack, then say “NO, I WON’T SUPPORT AN ESCALATION THAT SENDS MORE TROOPS TO DIE FOR LIES AND OIL.” Not going to happen, because he’s a Republicrat, as we all could, ummmm, SHOULD have been able to see.
Nope, won’t do any harm to vote for HIM. Gonna be a REAL change! YissireeBOB.
can we all agree to give them a “race name”? I suggest Pucker People.
What’s the matter with Begala, did his ego swallow too many watermelon seeds?
To me, the most telling part of your commentary about Begala asking…”So what do they say when they knock on the doors then?”
To me, one of my biggest beefs with the Democratic Party, especially obvious over the past 10 years or so, both nationally and here locally (a county in upstate New York) is the party’s inability to understand the importance of real organization. This notion that has seeped into the mindset of some Democrats that “…well..we don’t really have to worry too much about doing anything until closer to the election”…had been devastating to the Democratic Party. If fostered some kind of lackadaisical approach to elections that was…deadly. In this area, even John Kerry’s folks kept saying things like…”wait..it’s too early…wait until…Labor Day,”
or whatever….the Democratic Party became complacent. That is what led to its problems. And the fact that people like Begala are unwilling to acknowledge that…and that they continue…even to this day to belittle the notion of trying to work constantly to try to build an “infrastructure” of support on an ongoing basis…is almost mind-boggling, to me.
The next most telling part about your diary was how Begala’s ego was so overpowering of his ability to reason that the only thing he could come up with was that…Dean was an (expletive deleted). That’s his response?
Howard Dean was and still is right in his assessment that Democrats ceded too much ground to the Republicans in recent elections. His “50-state strategy” was a direct response to this lackadaisical approach to elections by Democrats (which also relied on the notion of….”well, lets not worry too much…the local union folks will come in here an do all of the organizing we need done when it gets closer to the election” mentality. How a major national Democratic operative cannot see the importance of organizing in a more sophisticated way on an ongoing basis…is beyond me.
Mr. Begala…you have shown me by your comments that you are just another…oversized ego-maniac from Texas. And…we have too many of those folks running around ruinging things for this country. We don’t need the likes of you ruining our party as well.