Karl Rove Shouts At David Plouffe Over Health Care: 'That's Bunk!'

Former Bush adviser Karl Rove and Obama strategist David Plouffe squared of in a heated exchange on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday over the issue of health care reform.

"We will see if they pass this bill," Rove told ABC's Jonathan Karl. "I hope they don't. I pray they don't. It will be an economic disaster for the country if they do."

But when Rove asserted that the health care bill employed "Bernie Madoff-style accounting," Plouffe shot back: "Karl and the Republicans would be familiar with that," adding that the Bush administration "took us from big budget surpluses" to a trillion-dollar deficit.

Later in the segment, Rove produced a white board displaying health care cost numbers and yelled: "For God's sake, will you stop throwing around epithets and deal with the facts for once, David!"

Plouffe's response: "Let's put the fanciful chart away."

Rove disagreed: "This is not a fanciful chart, deal with the chart!"

Plouffe also charged that Republicans have not done any of their own heavy lifting to offer an alternative health care proposal to the one that the Obama administration and Democrats have been pushing.

"That's bunk!" Rove said.

Watch part one of their appearance

Watch part two of their appearance:

Comments

[my-too-cents]

09:27 AM on 04/03/2010

I saw no yelling or frothing at the mouth. Karl Rove said, "That's Bunk". So what? He disagrees with the other guy. This is a non-story.

[SouthernGrit]

11:01 AM on 03/30/2010

While it is standard election dynamics for the minority party to make gains in a subsequent election year after a significant loss in the previous election, it seems more and more clear that the Republicans will continue moving towards extremism and fundamentalism and away from the center, which will bode well for the Democrats in the long-term.

[slogans7]

06:34 PM on 03/29/2010

Based on Mr. Rove's history in prognostication, particularly regarding invading other countries, I'm not too interested in what he has to say these days.

[katiecompa]

02:01 PM on 03/29/2010

Um... Karl didn't say epithets, he said epitaphs.

[Mitzy]

11:55 AM on 03/29/2010

Why do news bureaus give Rove a platform? He has NO credibility.

[cbmtrx]

11:30 AM on 03/29/2010

Funny, as far as the Republicans are concerned there was no problem with our health care system until some annoying liberals pointed it out...and won.

[jdrourke]

02:29 PM on 03/30/2010

Exactly! Nice point.

http://jdrourke.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/memo-to-karl-rove/

[philkre]

06:33 PM on 03/28/2010

Karl Rove is right and telling the truth. I am a union member and I am going to see my benefits cut because of this healthcare bill. Look around and notice that other large companies are cutting benefits. America is in trouble and this giveaway is going to hurt this great country even more.

[dnno1]

12:47 AM on 03/29/2010

If you are a union member, then you would know that they can't cut your benefits until your collective barganing agreement (ie.management's conract with labor) has expired. Even after then their proposal to cut your benefits will have to be negotiated with your union. I begin to wonder if you really are telling us the truth about being a union member. This is something you should alread know.

[L-DUB]

02:52 PM on 03/29/2010

Dnno1,

That's how you know he's lying through his teeth! He belongs to a union but don't know the by-laws????

[slogans7]

06:36 PM on 03/29/2010

Companies are cutting benefits because insurance companies are raising premiums logarithmically.

[miketothad]

04:11 PM on 03/28/2010

SQUEAL like a pig!
YEEEE-Haw!

[dyannne]

03:33 PM on 03/28/2010

I love it when he demands Plouffe not denigrate the troops of the USS Lincoln. What a clown Rove is. He should be made to wear a big red nose whenever he appears on TV.

[bjaz678910]

03:29 PM on 03/28/2010

Rove's hey day is over, though he is still pitching to be a republican campaign manager at will. These guys are multi millionnaires, live in huge mansions and lie through their teeth. Rove, for one, has the ethics of a spider.

[suntzu]

02:05 PM on 03/28/2010

Remind me when I go toe-to-toe with Rove on TV to bring along some surgical grade masks.

[TerryDArc]

11:56 AM on 03/28/2010

Anything that pisses of Karl Rove has GOT to be good for the country! That man is so crooked he has to screw his socks on in the morning.

[TomDegan]

04:52 AM on 03/28/2010

The chickens will soon be coming home to roost for Karl Rove. Stay tuned.

http://www.tomdegan.blogspot.com

Tom Degan

[Keith52]

04:48 PM on 03/25/2010

I think it is .... "interesting"... that the king of dirty politics, Karl Rove, is pointing to "the details of the CBO report" shortly after a memo of unknown origin was leaked telling Democrats not to discuss the "details of the CBO."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/19/doc-fix-memo-fake-health_n_506338.html

Gee would you suppose that Mr. Rove was tied in some way to the leak of the "don't discuss CBO details" fake memo?

[bahootut]

10:34 PM on 03/23/2010

Didn't Marx spell Karl with a K also? Makes one think, doesn't it?

[TerryDArc]

12:02 PM on 03/28/2010

Groucho? I don't think he knew how to spell anything right.

[TheMuckraker]

01:59 PM on 03/28/2010

Isnt Clan spelled with a "C" as well?