Begala: Calling GOP Donors "Dirtbags" Is An Insult To Dirtbags

Paul Begala wants to apologize for a recent email he sent to Democratic donors in which he called Republican fundraisers "fat-cats", "wimpy, whiny wussies", and "dirtbags."

"I think it was wrong for me to call those fat cat lobbyists dirtbags," said the longtime Clinton confidante. "It is an insult to bags for dirt around the world."

Begalla recently sent an email to supporters of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in which he belittled a gathering of Republican financiers as "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 letter drew howls of protest from the National Republican Congressional Committee, which responded by referencing Bill Clinton as "a real dirtbag," while running a fundraising pitch of its own. Senator John Cornyn, too, sought to capitalize on the remark, sending a letter to backers paraphrasing Begala's words and writing: "Ouch, that really, really hurts coming from such a stand up guy."

Begala, reached by phone, took a sort of perverse political pride in the reaction he'd engendered. Not wanting the war of words to end, the Democratic strategist offered up several colloquialisms -- "a hit dog barks," being one -- to explain the fallout. After which, he continued to weigh the merits between dirt and the Republican financiers

"A bag of dirt will have the occasional fecal matter, but generally dirt is good," he said. "I'm a gardener and I grow tomatoes. I love dirt. I should have said oil bag [when talking about GOP donors], or a chemical bag or toxic bag. After all life grows out of dirt."

Read Begala's remarks, Ken Spain, a spokesman for the NRCC, couldn't suppress a hearty giggle and promised to get back with a reaction. Shortly later, he did, offering a personalized zinger of his own.

"Paul Begala's use of words like 'dirtbag' and 'oilbag' truly exemplify why he is considered to be such a gifted and talented communicator," wrote Spain. "One only needs to look at his contributions to the literary world with books like "Buck Up, Suck Up, and Come Back when You Foul Up" to understand why Senator Hillary Clinton's nails-on-a-chalkboard message was such an immense success this primary season."

Comments

[Indepatriot]

I'd say colostomy bag but their invaluable to those who need them. Keep it up Begala!

[mexamerican]

shitbags.

[thundermummy]

Let's not insult shitbags everywhere shall we?

[unity08]

So what next. Poo poo head and meanies! Come on, this is juvenile. I dont find it amusing and its great ammo for the republicans. Use you grown up voice Paul.

[chitown8]

How about the the Larry Craigism " Your a dirty notty boy. A dirt nasty notty boy"

[ProudNeoCon]

so much for bringing the country together..­. LOL...

[indypete]

The republican party is the cream of the country... rich, thick and full of clots.

[indypete]

I've posted this gag before and I'll keep posting it till I get an LOL....

Did you hear that scientists are now using republicans instead of lab rats? There are some things a rat just won't do.

[Marichu]

Have you stopped to think the reason you haven't gotten the response you want is simply because people want to see you post that joke as often as possible.

[indypete]

Of course.... how could I have been so obtuse! Now, where's my LOL... Is there a liberal in the house?

[Agent420]

LOL

[coba]

i agree can anyone say william clayton

http://sensico.wordpress.com/

[loax]

Sometimes I love what Paul Begala has to say. On this one, LOL

[angelbravo]

Maybe we should just call them Unamerican and Disloyal like they tried so hard to claim we were in 2002 and 2004. Most of the country now knows they painted a big lie about us. Its time to hold them accountable.

[kvet]

Well,,,,at least he didnt call them,,,,,,,S**t Bags.....l­ol

[jhalvers]

I agree. After all the horrible, disgusting (see: swiftboating, capitalizing on 9/11 to sweep congress) things Republicans did they deserve to get punched in the mouth--rhetorically speaking.

[Msohio]

Time to fight back. The GOP has no ideas or solutions. All they have done is to create devastating problems to pass on for generations. Tell me something good about Bush/Chene­y/Lieberma­n/Graham or McCain. Not to become critical of the spouses, but Cindy McCain is starting to look embarrassingly cheap. (Hair too blonde, dress cut too low, and too much makeup).
But, she has always been proud of her country.

[Gary47]

Give him the microphone and turn up the volume. Yes!

[tinarm]

Woohoo, yeah Begala, now hear this McCains campaign just stated that Obama should cut Sec. Clark loose and get rid of him. Hey, McCain kiss our a**es. Clark is an honorable heroic man who makes you look like the biggest woosey on the face of the earth. The McLame camp is full of babies, let's take up a donation and send the bottles with Clark and Webb's faces on them. Tell they cry and suck on it for a while.

[rwe]

Barry has had just such a festive week of hope and change, of tolerance and dignity , of patriotism of unificatio­n......The Republicans can now thank Webb and Clark and Begala , and barack himself who threw out the fist racial pitch with his not so thinly veiled premeptive attack.., We hav his staff who don't want muslims or too many blacks to appear.FIS­A , where Olbermann spews a 10 minute babble of rationalizaton ..... And then of course with gas prices doubling since the Dems took over in 2006 Barack is against using our own resources .

[ChristiB]

at least one Dem still has some cajones. Republicans have taken this country down the shi**er. Let's say it like it is. Dems are always too nice - that's what loses elections.

[harriscrl3]

Anyone who insult the GOP and the Rethugs is Friend of Mine.

Carol

[Jezreel]

I know that's right.

[ProfessorDuh]

Bravo.