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

[findingthetruth]

Is this SABATOGE season for the next four months? Lately, all we've been hearing are gaffes/statements by FORMER Hillary surrogates about the Republicans AND THEN having to later apologize.

I'd hate to see WHAT Bill is going to do !!!

[kellygrrrl]

so lobbyists are not dirtbags?

[jayburd]

No, they're shitbags.

[SayLessDoMore]

Insulting shitbags, now, are we?

[WRPrintz]

Your sensless attack on the reputation of shitbags shall not stand. Even Grant hated lobbyists, and he was quite the shitbag (though...­one hell of a general.)

[Seytom]

Game, set, match to Spain.

[GolfingDevil05]

I'd hate to have to bandy about insults against Paul Begala, because I know I'd lose, but I have to agree that Ken Spain's comeback was strong. I'd say that this is a draw.

[carlgt1]

are you kidding, Ken Spain had to come back later to think up that mediocre reply? I guess by RepugliKKKan low standards that's a brilliant bon mot....

[WRPrintz]

Only if you consider that Spain is playing by himself.

[hnations]

I used to like Begala and thought he actually had a brain until his unwavering and mindless support for Billary proved otherwise.

[Kim445588]

Yes, but let him redeem himself.

[joebiz]

Dirtbags, huh? That's rich. When politicians and political operatives use simple, third-grade pejorative terms to describe the veritable troughs and gutters they so aptly call home; and where they rake-in millions off the common working man/woman. Let's use real pejorative terms like: tosspots, mabs, macrogasters, kleptolagniacs, and fecaloids. After reading this post, one can only become a mome towards these indolent dolts, these monorchids, these--- poo-poo heads.

But, where's the fun when they stop?

[ghop]

Bravo, Paul, for raising the level of discourse. This fits right in with all of the people who like calling JohnnyMac a traitor. And of course, the Rethug spokeperson lowers the bar even further. Could I have another cup of manufactured outrage, guv'nor?

Stuff like this doesn't help your cause, it just brings you down in the mud. Yeesh.

[biffer]

Now all of the actual dirtbags are going to pissed.

[Lautenberg]

Sam Stein is the only dirtbag in this article

[Scarllatti]

Just like McChimpy.

[SanityClaus]

Pretty funny. It will be nice to be able to hear him talk about something other than the greatness of H again.

[Larkinvos]

It's good to hear someone actually stand by his words.

[w&cheneysuck]

I like this guy...I don't trust him because of his association with the C team but I like his analogies.

[lotusfalls]

Wow, the discourse in this election is being taken to new heights.

[wanj]

This is actually funny!

[Axolotl]

Begala dbag.