I love it when there is a forceful, confident liberal in a panel to take on a a forceful right winger. Katrina Vanden Heuvel did just that this morning on "This Week With George Stephanopoulos", taking on Karl Rove quite strongly!
Along with Katrina and Karl, the other two panelists were george Will and Democratic pollster Stanley Greenberg (who also did a damn fine job!)
Some of the highlights:
Rove goes on and on lecturing about the disastrous effects all this new debt will have on the economy, and Katrina responds:
KVH: But Mr. Rove ...
Rove: Call me Karl ...
KVH: ...it is laughable ...
Rove: Call me Karl ...
KVH: laughable to hear talk of fiscal responsibility from someone who helped plunge this nation into a trillion dollars of debt from tax cuts for the every rich and a war we should never have fought ...
Rove tries to interrupt, but Katrina ignores him and goes on to score points with how the republicans have "starved the beast" (government) so people have little idea how much a GOOD, Effective gov't can help.
Then Rove goes on to talk about the republican plan to cut taxes as a way to stimulate the economy would produce more jobs than the Democratic plan. He is then slapped down by Stanley Greenberg's observation that we have never had a clearer debate about differing approaches to tax cuts than in this election: continue the Bush cuts for the wealthy vs. raising taxes on the very wealthy along with middle class tax cuts. Rove keeps trying to interrupt, but Greenberg ignores him.
Katrina scores further points by pointing out how Lindsey Graham and Alan Greenspan supporting bank nationalization sort of undercuts the repubs "socialism" language. Then she states "At the moment this is the party of 'No'. No new ideas, no solution, no clue, no shame."
Finally: "When you have a governor of a state (Bobby Jindal) which ranks 46th in high school education ... children in poverty ... 4th highest state, where he is clinging to some ideological purity ... callousness in terms of his people ... I think the party is, as Frank Rich writes today, is committing suicide."
I can't get enough of Katrina. I even watch junk like "Morning Joe" when she is on!