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

[ProfessorDuh]

Let's face it, by 2008, people who are still Republicans are vermin.

[ProudNeoCon]

So 30% of US is vermin?

[ProfessorDuh]

Torture. Invasion. Permanent secret imprisonment,. Mass murder. Staggering national debt. All applauded with full-throated Republican cheers. I'd say 30 percent is lowballing it.

[rosal]

Yes

[ynp7]

So you're predicting a Democratic landslide in November, too? Hopefully you're taking the first steps down the road back to reality.

[fightorleave2]

Vermin is a terrible choice of word due to its historical connotations and associations with genocide. Notably, Pakistan's military often refers to its enemies as vermin. I believe India's military does the same. This is not said in defense of the use of the word but rather to reiterate how dehumanizing the word is. While I would not say the Bush supporters, roughly 25% of America (i.e. the deadenders), are not vermin, I would say they are definitely the problem. They believe in distorted versions of freedom and liberty, excessive militarism, fascism and tyranny, and strained versions of Christianity. It is too bad they control much of the wealth in this country. If only there was someone running for office who would take their wealth, and thereby their power, and return the power to the people, to restore the promise that all Americans are equal, and, possibly most important, that people matter more than corporations, that war is not the answer, that the US military is a problem, that Bush and all his cronies need to bear responsibility for the last 8 years and making them pull out their check books is a good place to start - starting with those faces we see on Faux Noise, in the White House, and anyone with an R after their name. In fact, it should also include all the generals who did not stop them and all their operatives. They all should be made to pay for their crimes and excesses.

[zendem1]

Begalla-----Why is it spelled like this in the third graph? Huffpost editors are as useless as the mods. Perhaps more so.

[jsinclair]

Is name calling the best Begala's got to offer?

Maybe we can find some Democratic consultants in my local middle school.

Republicans who might vote Democratic are really going to be impressed to have their family and friends referred to by a Dem spokesman as "dirtbags" (or worse).

Begala is an idiot and should join his has-been buddy and his loathsome wife in Louisiana.

[yabu]

LOL.. Give it up you whining sissy. Wingers have been name-calling for decades and you don't have a problem with that. Your party's donors are dirtbags. Spineless elitist pigs. And you know that.

[tweed7t]

chicken hawks come to mind. But then Cheney had better things to do. And brave McCain would be washing dishes right now if it wasnt for his legacy appointment at Annapolis. Lets see, 5 planes in the drink. Amazing.

[moderate1]

A liberal calling someone else elitist. Classic.

"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."

Best line in the entire thing. Funny and true.

[Kim445588]

They already know they are dirt bags.

[Boboday555]

Is it now a crime to tell the truth in GOP run America?

Yup...

[BaileyWo]

Test this one:

Is real

[beerguy]

So much for new politics. Obama new slogan: Slicker than Bill Clinton but without the resume

[yabu]

Last time I checked Obama is not Begala. But you don't believe in personal responsibility. You think anyone can be responsible for the actions of someone else. Like you are a murderer because your buddy is a murderer. Logical.
Anyway, your dirtbag donors don't deserve anything else but being called what they are: dirtbags.

[Gary47]

Just another example of why Begala is exactly right.

[Mscharizmaa]

Chuckles all around.

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

Filter Test:

F uck
S uck
D ick
S hit
M other
F ucker

[indypete]

Is that why my coffee tastes funny?

[pinkyboo]

Oh and also F the bad words filter- what is this kindergart­en????????

[pinkyboo]

Good for Paul - These guys are Dirt Bags and D ouche Bags as well!!!!!!!!!!!

[SouthFloridaDem]

Hilarious!

[moxieme]

Hey, JoeBiz, blog it again...LO­UDER. So much for those of us who are paing attention to minute, insignificant little details like positions, policy, character. they should just admit they really just want a street fight. Then they can just take their cue from our esteemed leadership and let everyone lose their minds on the blogs and post anything. This is getting ridiculous.

[Ramirez]

test

"dirtbag"

[yeswecancan]

Oh, Paul ... glad to have you back on the winning side again! Hilarious.­..

[leftoflennon]

Yup.

[DaOne]

Just as Wes Clark was correct so is Begala.

[Boboday555]

I know!
Being shot down doesn't, necessarily, make you qualified to be United States President.
He's 100% right!

The outcry to General Clark's truthful statement only goes to show just how petty the GOP is going to get in the months preceeding the election!
But, I think, in the end, its going to bite them on their arses!
This country is fed up with the childish way republicans run for office.
And when Americans see Senator Obama's mature handling of their kid's games, they'll remember the promise of America and will vote accordingly!