Donna Brazile, Paul Begala Angrily Spar Over Dem Stereotypes

Apparently, way before this election began, Paul Begala got together with Lou Dobbs in heathen New York City, where they ate the Food Of The Working Class and pinned Barack Obama's electoral hopes on whether he could prove that he was able to accommodate dwarves with their insatiable need for marmalade. Or something. Begala may be drunk, or filling the performance-art vacuum left by his absence of pal James Carville. We don't know. But Begala did find a way to denigrate "Volvo drivin', NPR tote bag totin'" liberals, and claim Obama needed to "put the jam on the lower shelf where the little folk can reach it."

[WATCH.]

BEGALA: The challenge now for Barack, both the key to the primary and the general election for Barack will now be white, working class voters. At the very, very beginning, of this entire election season, Lou, you and I and a bunch of us all got together in New York and talked about what the election will be about and I said then and I say it again tonight. My advice to Barack Obama is put the jam on the lower shelf where the little folk can reach it. In other words, talk more about those blue collar, economic populist issues that John Edwards first raised and now Hillary Clinton is raising so effectively. If he can do that, he'll hold this wonderful base built but he needs to reach out now to the white working-class voters and means a different message than he generally talks about. He's got to stop with all the arguments for the Volvo drivin', NPR totebag totin' liberals, he needs to talk to middle class working people.

Of course, if Edwards' supporters are anything like Edwards' donors, the populist break for Obama has already begun. Begala and I may differ on whether Clinton's been "raising" these issues "so effectively," but that's only because I don't think duping blue-collar voters with a phony "gas tax holiday" amounts to "effective" populism.

Donna Brazile, however, wasn't having any of it, and minutes later took the opportunity to dress Begala down (and in front of her boo, Lou Dobbs, to boot!). Begala protested, "We can't win with eggheads and African-Americans." Brazile, on the other hand, seemed to think that unifying the entire Democratic base would be preferable to alienating and insulting large demographic cross-sections of it in order to make blue-collar voters feel sufficiently pandered to. "You've got a hearing problem," Brazile jeered, "I've drank more beers with Joe Sixpack and Jane Sixpack than most white Democrats." She also took issue with Begala's continually referring to the Democratic Party as "my party." "It's our party, Paul."

[WATCH.]

Comments

[jesthefaxman]

There is no bigger asswipe than Paul Begala. He is a less than zero type pol. Even though Rove is devlish, it was pure entertainment to watch, read and listen to him shred Begala in college...­pre-clinto­n era.

[LesserFool]

I'm glad Paul Begala and James Carville are back. It reminded me of the part of the Clinton years I did not like. Nevertheless, when all is said and done, I'd like to have them convincing their like-minded Democrats to back Obama. But, what I don't want for them to do is bring their ugliness into the Obama camp. That is something we (and by that I mean America) can do without.

[blaqntelligence]

And we can assure that it's not tolerated. Remember, this is our electiion.
By our vote we are showing that misbehavior (understatement of the year) has not brought us this far, was not condoned within Senator Obama's organization, and will not be part of government.
He can't do it alone.....­.

Obama 08

[MizLiz]

Good for Donna. Just listening to Paul's smarmy self-aggrandizing comments raised my blood pressure considerably. Could he have been m ore condescending? He almost sounded like Clinton, demeaning obama's South Carolina win as only as "black-vote" win that didn't really count in the scheme of things. Clinton was wrong then and Begala's wrong now.

[patmancando]

Donna is undeclared but obviously supporting Obama. Donna, the one who lost the race for Gore, is really a tower in the Democratic party

[Lori411]

Obama has a very diverse group of supporters. Obama has won PLENTY of MOSTLY WHITE States as well as not so white ones like Hawaii.

He has a very enthusiastic 82 year old white grandma that will be his running mate! Obama is about bringing people together which stands opposed to the likes of Rush Limbaugh with his "Barack the Magic Negro" parody. Which one of these stands for our America?

I think Americans are tired of fighting each other and want to also improve our standing in the eyes of the rest of the world. To some, it doesn't matter. However, some of us want America to be looked upon again as a leader in the world and get more return on our investment.

Obama is willing to include EVERY American in his coalition, not just the ones who are like him.

That is the America of our history, with Lady Liberty, not the divisive one being put together by those who are afraid of embracing all members of our society. Which of these is more like Jesus who spent his time among the disenfranchised of his day?

[mossy1]

Obama is about to take it home in my mostly-white working class state, Oregon. We received our mail-in ballots on Monday, and a lot of them are mailed out already. Yes, we can, and will!

[patmancando]

And you base that upon what?

[breakingthrough]

Thanks Oregon, my second favorite state of the union and a thoughtful, progressive mix of loyal Americans who do not have to be told how to think by the TV pundits, the pastors or the politicians. With your help, we can all join together to bring "reason" back to our policy making and perhaps along the way restore a little of the idealism that our great nation was built upon. I wish I could vote today, but "yes, I can and yes, I will."

[NURREDIN]

It's over! Take your racist a** back to Europe where you belong. It's a new day in a new world. If you don't like it, give back what you stole from the Native Americans and the Mexicans and move to Germany. The world isn't putting up with pointy hoods and the pointy headed people in them anymore. Viva Mexico Norte! Free Occupied Mexico!

[Alyscha]

its perfectly clear what Paul was trying to say and as a female african american i completely understand why donna got angry. Paul was trying to say "my party" , meaning the hillary camp, was the good ole democratics, white americans. Further, he implied that anyone outside of that demographic, meaning black, young, educated, was not really apart of the democratic party.

[scrawf]

Oh, please. The Obama supporters are doing this too. Read Kos, or the Washington Monthly comments. Hillary supporters are referred to very often as Republicans.

It's bad, and it's happening on both sides.

[Teadye]

Or white and educated. It's interesting to watch as the pundits try to pussyfoot around saying that the biggest base of support for Clinton is uneducated poor elderly white women. Sigh. I guess the educated middle class over-50 white women like me don't count. I've gotten this message from the Clinton camp since that guy started in on my shoes and my coffee (heaven forbid they should find out I drink tea!) No one's ever given me anything and it is especially galling to be insulted for working two jobs to stay in school and keeping my nose to the grind stone when I could have been down at the local bar tossing back whiskey.

[rh654]

Paul has a point - the Presidential election will largely be decided by voters who are: White, Non-College Educated, MiddleLower Middle Income, Blue Collar Workers - you know the same people that Bush convinced to vote for him twice (to those voters own demise).

Obama needs to move away from the large macro issues and discussions of "change" and start telling folks who live paycheck to paycheck, are watching their jobs go away, who don't "believe" that DC will necessarily make changes - he needs to tell these people what he will do for them in the short and medium term which is where many folks in this country live.

[bongogirl]

I believe that Obama has reached out to those so called Hillary supporters. I think that what people are discounting is that the Clintons have had a hold on that core group of Democrats ( including the Black voters in that category) for over a decade. The Clintons have courted "blue collar, noneducated , middle income folks for years and as a result, those people have emotional ties with them and they are familar with the Clintons as well. Now, that does not mean that they are not going to support Obama in November.

Obama is better able to personally identify with that group of people than McCain. I truly believe that in the end, the noneducated, middle class, blue collar workers ( Black, White, Asian and Hispanic) will support Obama. OBAMA '08!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!

[gloriasolideo]

Really, what bothers me is that BOTH Begala and Brazile (and a lot of you commenters here) seem to have a caricature of working class people in their mind. Seemingly, you think white working class people are shaped like Homer SImpson and belch after every beer. Brazile hasn't drunk more beers with Joe Sixpacks than anyone: and its an insult to have us believe so. Begala is just as bad: perhaps his convenient identification with working class people is only rivaled in crassness by Chris Mathew's schtick.

[eladora]

Jane Sixpack here and I am telling you I am for Obama. was all along , and CNN needs to get a grip on their poor pundits . Course now they have hired bush's wipers so it will be about as balanced as that other network . I am excited that we can go forward now in a positive direction for this country---got to go have a beer.

[bongogirl]

I like you Jane Sixpack. As Democrats we can not allow CNN, MSNBC, FOX , LIMBAUGH, HANNITY and other pundits define us as a party. We are the ones that decide who and what we are as a Party. OBAMA'08!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

[azcamp]

Donna has it right The Clinton campaign has been divisive and has produced racial tensions forgetting that black voters fit into every demographic. Hillary's assumption that black voters are supporting Barack because of his race is wrong. We are always going to support the candidate that we think is better for unity. We have been fighting to unify America for generations not divide it.

That's one reason why Obama supporters are more likely to be loyal to the Democratic Party in 2008 no matter which candidate wins. Black voters rallies behind John Kerry, Al Gore and off course Bill Clinton. These white men were not seen as polarizing along racial, economic or other lines. Women in the Democratic party have voted for men. The big tent party does not look like the Republican party. The country has to choose the candidate that can unify America after decades of division.

[mjc]

If you really believe that, you will have a rude awakening in the fall. Obama is indeed the black candidate. And do not know where you get the idea that racial divisiveness is something that Clinton has been fostering. For starters, check the Geraldine Ferraro comments. She merely stated the obvious that 90% of the black population in South Carolina voted for Obama and that basically he would not be where he was if he weren't black. That was before Obama had filched various solutions and ideas from Clinton, one of his ways of educating himself. Obama jumped all over Ferraro's comments. Saint that he is, in his talk with financial supporters in San Francisco, whined about the bitter whites in Penna. who "cling" to the guns and religion. You don't consider that racist?!!! While I agree that Obama probably now has the nomination, don't expect Hillary to just pick up her marbles and go home. We'll have four more years....o­f the same and black and white Americans will be the worst for it. It will be interesting to see if the young, new Democrats go to the polls to vote in November for Obama.

[Aywaller]

"While I agree that Obama probably now has the nomination, don't expect Hillary to just pick up her marbles and go home."

So are you saying that she and her supporters will sabotage Obama's campaign against McCain?

This is the point that Obama supporters have been making all along. She has no viable path to the nomination--even she seems to recognize that now. Now, the argument is that since she can't win, Obama won't win? That's not someone who cares about this country or the Democratic Party. azcamp has is right and Begalia and Clinton supporters had better recognize it.

[GV97]

I don't get this... that blacks votes for a black. Don't whites vote for a white?

Sen. Obama is the best of both of us.

Obama has won and the objective now is to beat he Republican candidate.

[samidean]

Hey mjc Hillary could not be anywhere without Billy Boy so just WTF is your point. The one thing I find so amusing is that all of you die hard Hillary supporters and Obama haters all sound exactly like. Do you get the Clinton daily talking points brief in return for your donation to her campaign? You are all beginning to sound as desperate and ridiculous as your candidate is sounding today.

WAKE UP, SMELL THE COFFEE AND GET OVER IT. YOUR CANDIDATE IS DONE. SHE HAS LOST, AND NOW YOU CAN EITHER MAKE UP YOUR MIND TO BE A TRUE DEMOCRAT AND SUPPORT OBAMA OR JOIN THE REPUBLCAN PARTY IF YOU ARE STUPID ENOUGH TO THINK THEY WILL EVER CARE ABOUT THE COMMON PEOPLE.

[Joeblue]

Is Donna still a mole for the Repukelicans? Just wondering.

[rh654]

You must be thinking of some other Donna because Brazile is about as far as one can get from a Republican "mole".

[Oldbuck]

Begala owes me and Donna Brazile a apolilage, me because I am a 66 year old white guy who support Obama and Donna because he brought up her support of Obama because of race. Until they either take him off of CNN I will not watch, I didn't watch it a lot to start with the only one I like was Jack Cafferty. CNN is backing the wrong horse and will lose again they lost with their stance on the war.

[AliHajiSheik]

She is good. I love listening to her talk.

[RRH]

I was disappointed with Donna Brazil attacking Paul Begala last night on CNN. I have always liked Brazil, but she seemed angry and frustrated not with just Begala, but with the republicans on the best political team on television. (Yeah, right)! Brazil was annoyed with Begala who referred to the Democratic party as "my party", and then Brazil called it "my party". I think we got a peak in the window of this uncommitted super delegate last night. She is an Obama supporter by actions and words. Begala, always a gentleman didn't push the envelope. Lanny Davis who is a Clinton supporter respectfully pointed out that neither candidate will have the 2025 delegates needed to clinch the nomination and that John King's use of his map board was wrong. I am proud of the loyal Clinton supporters as opposed to the disloyal traitors who defected.

[ebanks84]

You don't seem to understand. Ms. Brazil is a Hillary supporter and Begala is also. But the way he was talking like "his" party is what made Ms. Brazil angry because it's "her" party also is what she was trying to relate. And she would like to bring both sides together to make ONE party instead of a split between Hillary and Obama. That's all.

[ATLiberal]

Give me a break. Begala I can stomach. But Lanny Davis is the worst kind of hack. He constantly points out the most useless information to promote Clinton's cause and cherry picks polls that happen to favor his girl on a given day, only to desert them when they don't say what he wants the next day. The best thing about Obama's win will be that we get rid of these tired old Clinton machine hacks.

[byrdlegs]

I couldnt agree with you more AT. Lanny Davis is the scum of the earth and to watch and listen to him (and others) cry about the Florida/MIchigan votes last night made me want to HURL. That whole Clinton crew really needs to be curtailed on their air-time on the major networks. They are making fools of the Democratic Party and themselves. Sometimes you have to acknowledge defeat and go away quietly.

[PAposter]

....disloy­al traitors who defected?

You call supporting the candidate that is looking to unify our party and our country, defecting?

Have you heard the quote, "A foolish persistence is the hobgoblin of small minds" ? That's how I view anyone who continues to support a candidate from "our party" who is divisive and has no chance of winning the nomination. I would say it's time for the "Bill Clinton" loyalists to note the stark distinction between him and his wife.

[bajanyvie]

Just bc someone smiles when he is saying something idiotic doesn't make it less idiotic. Begala deserved to be berated. And funny, I always thought Brazile was a Hillary supporter. I guess if Obama people thinks she is for Hillary and Hillry people think she is for Obama then she must be one of a rare few - actually neutral in her commentary and her analysis.

[notthistime]

Brazile was a Hillary supporter until things got a little heated with the negative attacks. Still she did not take sides but stepped back a little.

[jah2008]

Hello? Brazille's number one priority has always been the Demoratic party, unlike the Clintons who only think about themselves. Brazille has always been pro-Clinton and would have supported Clinton if the Clinton camp toned down their negative attacks early on. Perhaps you never watched Brazille during the early primaries. She gushed when she talked about Clinton. Everything changed after South Carolina. Brazille's only criticism was the way the Clintons conducted the campaign by dividing the party, and she is still trying to unify the party while Begala was happily creating wedges between the voters.

Brazille gave Begala a good wooping in the ass. He deserved it.

[aquarharris688]

Come on guys! Donna Brazile has been objective and neutral during this entire campaign. You need to realize the reason that she got so angry. She felt offended that Paul Begala kept saying my party when she has fought for all Democrats andd she wanted him to accept the fact that this is OUR party. Paul Begala appeared that he wanted to divide the Democratic party amongst race and class.

This is not what the party should be about because we incorporate different classes and different ethnic groups and different ages. This is what the Democratic party consists of. IT"s time to join together as a Democratic party!

[ebanks84]

Absolutely correct!

[northeast73]

HEY DONNA!

It isnt just "blue collar"whites its ALL WHITES. Clinton wins white voters in EVERY age group. Even 18-29.

Obama is THE BLACK CANDIDATE.

Lets see if 95% of the black vote will win the General Election..­..just ask John Kerry.

[ebanks84]

HEY NORTHEAST73!

Let me speak for Donna, please! You are the biggest LIAR today and you know it. There's no need to say anymore. You and hellraiser need to get together and get drunk so you can drown yourself in misery and keep each other company.

WE ALL KNOW BETTER AND FEEL FOR YOU!

[northeast73]

How am I a LIAR......­Clinton wins white voters IN EVERY AGE GROUP. THAT IS A FACT.

The "youth vote" happens to include the LOPSIDED dominance of the black vote.

White voters 18-29 (the youth vote) have gone to CLINTON.

This whole thing now is all about not making blacks "angry" (or angrier I should say)

[AllaboutME]

You must really be hurting this morning...

I find it interesting that pundits keep talking about Obama's wins in terms of the "Black" vote. The implication being that Obama wins because Blacks are voting for him. Further, they talk about his "problem" with white, working class voters.

When you look at the demographics (most recent figures from the US Census Bureau) of Indiana and North Caroline, you have to question their take on the situation.

In Indiana, roughly 88% of the population is white; only 8.9% is black; the remainder of the population is a mix of various ethnic groups. Median household income is just over $43,000; only 19.4% have a college degree. Clearly, the vast majority of citizens in Indiana are white, working class citizens. Since Obama took 49% of the vote in Indiana, this means an awful lot of white, working class citizens voted for him.

In North Caroline, 74% of the population is white; 21.7% Black; the remainder of the population is a mix of various ethnic groups. The vast majority of the population only has a high school diploma (78.1%); the median household income is just above $40,000. Again, the vast majority of citizens in North Carolina are white, working class citizens. Obama won in North Carolina by a landslide. Since whites out number Blacks, this means the majority of white, working class citizens who went to the polls voted for Obama.

[TootsieII]

AllaboutME - Thank you for the breakdown. Let's see if all of the folks who feel that Obama is only getting votes from the Black population can open their minds enough to realize what you have written.

[northeast73]

35% of the vote in North Carolina was B L A C K.

If they were not such racists, and split their vote less lopsided, he would have lost.

[PAposter]

AllaboutME: Thank God, someone does their research, this is true in all the states that Senator Obama has won. Does anyone one think the "Black" vote got him through in Iowa or Utah? For anyone to think he is only winning Black votes is asinine. BTW, the Limbaugh votes that Hillary is earning now, goes back to Republicans in the Fall, Senator Obama's votes are real Democrats.

[BluzLady]

Finally! Someone who disputes Billary's "New Math Polls"! Billary's supporters suffer from "Pandermonium" and are more than welcome to gracefully c'mon over to the Obama Camp... it's a new day America! Come join us, HOPE is much better than the HYPE you have been fed.

Calif for Obama 2008/2012

[belief08]

It's split white and black because of the Clinton's and the media. When Clinton brought up the race comment in SC, the media ran with it and that's when the "division of voting" started. The media, the analyst, the pundits keep pointing out the race factor 24/7, they make it about race. Clinton again made a comment about race, thinking the microphone off. God only knows what they are saying on their stomps in small town areas.

If these people are "willing" to "accept" Obama's platform to help their lives and this country, then they will vote for him. If not, then they must be willing to continue to live hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck and that says a lot about their character.

People call into C-Span complaining about the amount of air time Obama is getting. Do they seriously think he wants that type of media coverage. Don't blame Obama, blame the Repug. white ring conservatives that want to bring Obama down. Blame the Clinton's for jumping on the band wagon to help them. The fact that they don't see that as the reason is beyond me. The anger those callers have because Obama is getting all this media coverage is just appalling.

This man is being condemned by the media and the Clinton's and all her supporters can do is call into C-Span and complain that Clinton isn't getting an equal amount of media coverage. How sad is that?