Steve McMahon, you did WELL on Crossfire! Carville too!

[grasswire]

This pundit of ours is getting quite sharp!

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0501/12/cf.01.htmlBUCHANAN: Steve, there's no question that John Kerry was Kennedy's candidate. They're both up there, good friends, liberals from New Hampshire -- from Massachusetts, if you like. And yet you have Kennedy just basically acting as if this election has not occurred, saying the same old, same old. Is this the future of your party? Are you just going to continue with the same arguments?

STEVE MCMAHON, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, listen, I think, until there's health insurance for every American in this country, the Democratic Party is going to stand for that.

(APPLAUSE)

MCMAHON: Until there are balanced budgets at the White House, the Democratic Party is going to stand for that. Until there's a sense of social justice in this country, I think that's what the Democratic Party is going to stand for.

The election did occur, Bay. You're absolutely right. But what people remember in all this talk about a mandate is, if 51,000 votes in Ohio had gone the other way, we would be talking about the Kerry administration and what a brilliant job they did and the new Democratic vision for the future. So, we are going to stand and fight as Democrats. We're going to take our fight to the people. We're going to win in the midterms. And then we'll see.

BUCHANAN: So, in fairness, you do not see that the voters in this country absolutely rejected liberalism as described by Kerry and Kennedy today?

(APPLAUSE)

MCMAHON: Well, let's just take a look at history and what this mandate is that the president likes to talk about.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan won 48 states. That's a mandate. This time, the president won Ohio by a margin of 115,000 votes. As I said, if 50,000 votes or so had gone the other way, we'd have a different president. So, it was a very, very close election; 3.5 million votes is nice, but -- and we congratulate the president for his victory. But it's the smallest margin for any president reelected in this century.

CARVILLE: Congressman, I actually looked at what Senator Kennedy said in going off of the highlighted thing that was sent out on his speech. He called for building a skilled work force, said that we should compete not by lowering our wages, but by raising our skills, providing affordable health care, strengthening national purpose, supporting parents, and dealing with the clear and present danger of terrorism.

Now, maybe I'm way out there in left field somewhere, you know, wandering around, but that sounds like pretty commonsense things to me. Where have I sort of gone astray here?

BOB WALKER (R), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: Well, the problem is that he describes them as the party of the American dream, and yet the American dream under the Democrats has become taxation, litigation and regulation.

(APPLAUSE)

CARVILLE: Really? I thought...

WALKER: And the real problem is that, when you look at the details of what they mean by all of that glowing rhetoric, is, that's what they are really talking about.

CARVILLE: Well, what was it about the Clinton presidency that so offended you, the peace or the prosperity?

[grasswire]

1. another snip

BUCHANAN: Steve, you know, you were on a campaign. You were in Howard Dean's campaign. And I think what you heard today from Kennedy was a great deal that you experienced out there.

There's enormous anger in this Democratic Party. They have enormous hatred to the president. And you saw Kennedy just slashing up the president, angry at him. All the president has done is whip you guys a couple months ago and this anger permeate -- are you all going to move on? Is there going to be an anger management session here? Or is this what is going to define for you another four years?

MCMAHON: Well, let's look -- let's just look at the record and what the president has done.

BUCHANAN: I am talking about anger. Do you not see it? You saw it in Congress.

MCMAHON: Well, there certainly is anger. Any time people are lied to systematically and repeatedly by the American government, there's going to be a little anger.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(CROSSTALK)

MCMAHON: When Richard Nixon...

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: That's an outrageous and it's the only kind of attack that has been...

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: It's pretty pathetic to have a senior member of Congress in the Democratic Party come out and attack the president just a few days before his inauguration. That is not typical of what happens in American politics.

MCMAHON: Well, you tell me, where are the weapons of mass destruction, Congressman? Have we been able to find them? Has the Bush administration been able to find them? Where are they?

(CROSSTALK)

WALKER: The weapons of mass destruction -- what we found out in the course...

MCMAHON: Are they...

(CROSSTALK)

MCMAHON: ... here?

[merbex]

2. Until nationally recognized Democrats like Steve McMahon

Framing and fighting for what we believe in will win us elections

[purduejake]

3. The Dems just have to stand up for the party and their beliefs...

They are always on the defensive and we need more people like these dems in the party. I've been saying that for weeks. We need to actually call them out on stuff! GRRR.

[49jim]

6. McManon leaned and looked

under the table...Where are the WMD's...Here? Mocked Bush...great visual.

[spooky3]

4. fabulous job, Mr. McMahon!!!

[grasswire]

7. I can see this guy...

....being a White House press secretary some day.

[spooky3]

9. the sooner, the better!

[rocktivity]

5. No wonder it's being cancelled.

When is the farewell show?

:headbang:
rocknation

[grasswire]

8. one more snip

BUCHANAN: You know, Steve, do you think -- do you all want to spend the next couple years being the party, anti-war party? Isn't it important to the Democrats that, at this stage, they start being recognized as a party that does support a strong defense and supports us being successful in Iraq?

MCMAHON: Absolutely. Absolutely, Bay.

It's not that we're an anti-war party. We're a party that's in favor of telling the truth to the American people. We're a party that's in favor of balancing budgets.

WALKER: There was a lot of truth-telling during the Clinton administration.

MCMAHON: We're a party that's in favor of health care for every American.

CARVILLE: Yes, is sure was.

(CROSSTALK)

MCMAHON: The congressman likes to talk about the Republicans in Congress. But the Republicans, as far as I'm aware, have been in charge of Congress since 1994. And we have the biggest budget deficits in the history of the world.

BUCHANAN: You know...

MCMAHON: And the Bush administration isn't leading us any closer to a balanced budget. They want...

BUCHANAN: Steve, you know, you are talking...

(CROSSTALK)

MCMAHON: They want to borrow $2 trillion more so they can dismantle Social Security.

[madfloridian]

10. Steve McMahon and brother Tom McMahon

Steve McMahon, former Dean campaign mgr

http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/presents/shows/truebelievers/interactive/photo.gallery/content.4.html



Tom McMahon, his brother, on the left, then Joe Rospars from the blog, then Dean. Tom is Executive Director of DFA.

[moggie12]

11. good that we're fighting, message stll needs work

It's great that Dems like McMahon are starting to sound aggressive and in a fightin' mood. But we still need to work on the message in my opinion. Of McMahon's three lead-off talking points:

1) Health insurance for all Americans: Got applause from audience, people like concept -- good sign. Problem is, various Dems have come up with various proposals and there's no one reasonably well-articulated program now on the table. Plus, Hillary's mishandling of the issue in '93 scared a lot of people about national health care. And how are we going to afford it now that Bush has dug is deep into the deficit hole?? (if Dems are saying get rid of tax cuts for the rich to do it, they should say so -- otherwise middle-class people will fear tax hike). In my opinion, the health care issue "scares" as many people as it attracts.

2) Deficit: Yeah, go Steve, pound Bush on the head with that one. Rich get tax cuts now, my kids are gonna being paying deficit off their whole lives!!

3) Social justice -- What exactly does that mean? Need to be more specific. Average couch potato sitting on Barcalounger watching TV doesn't know what McMahon is talking about. Me personally, I'd like to get rid of "social justice" as a Dem stock phrase. It makes middle-class taxpayers think of "social programs" and that makes them reflexively reach for their wallets to protect them.


Crass, aren't I? Well, heck, we've just got to get better at the PR war -- Bush & Co are beating our heads in so far. Their new line, "Dem is Party of taxation, litigation and regulation" is a doozie (wonder which Republican think tank thought that one up -- bet the little nerd who came up with it got a bonus). We Dems think too much!!! We're too darn smart for our own good!! We've got to start focusing on zingers and one-liners. We should be saying, "Republicans can't be the Party of monster deficits, tax breaks for the rich, and zippo for hard-working Americans" (Hmmm, too much of a "class warfare" tone to it for the DLC????? Have they got something against winning elections??)

Carville still has the best knack for this kind of stuff: "what offended you, the peace or prosperity?" Smackdown!!!

As to the rest of the transcripts, thank's for posting them: It's great to see Dems fighting back hard.

[mattclearing]

13. Repubs are party of lie, cheat, and steal.

Or borrow, spend, and borrow.

Or borrow, spend, and pillage.

Or borrow, pillage, and torture.

How about this one: Credit Card Republicans.

I heard this term recently, and it sounds like a great way to describe the Republican fiscal policy.

[moggie12]

15. Love it

How about: "We can't let the Credit Card Republicans run up the bills and then dump them on hard-working Americans and their kids." Thanks, I'm going to use the Credit Card Republicans line with my father-in-law (very annoying dyed-in-the-wool Republican).

[Kahuna]

12. I like Steve. No offense...

But he is just slimey enough to go up against the pukes and battle their absurd claims. We need more like him. :D

[madfloridian]

14. No offense, no slimier than others.

Trust me.