Let's take a break from "The Dem Wars" and laugh together. Goolsbee is fast becoming my favorite in this administration. I wish that he had more media exposure. The others on Obama's team are so very boring - Think Kaine, Sibelius, Axlerod. Who can get excited over them?
Video and text after the break
As Goolsbee's routine unfolded, he adopted a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde persona; while elaborating on the administration's polished talking points, he'd drop his voice for vocal moments of internal monologue.
Among them:
"When we came to office, it was not that fun of a time to be here in the economy ... but we basically knew what to do (panic) .... Let's just start with the fundamentals (throw money at the problem)." "We kinda had to go back and look at the old text books (Karl Marx, Trotsky)...
On some U.S. banks: "Ingrateful bastards" who "bankrupted your grandma."
On the Obama administration's top priority coming into office: Make sure all the Clinton people got their jobs back.
On the president's trip to Copenhagen and the Illinois delegation: "I think they're bringing the governors (if the parole board says it's okay)..."
On Sen. Ben Nelson: "He is still a Democrat and I do think that if you see somebody as distinguished as Senator Nelson, maybe we can learn something from him (sneak attack) maybe it's a lesson (stab him in the back) and there are many leading figures he reminds me of (Benedict Arnold) ...
If you think about it, we all want our kids to be educated. ... If you have no skills and no education and you don't know anything, what future do you possible have (Fox News Correspondent)...
On 2012: "I think [Republicans] might do better looking outside of Washington to governors, there's a lot of governors. There's obviously Sarah Palin (wingnut) from Alaska who's a former governor (quitter) and you cannot rule out that by 2012 (there will be a warrant for her arrest) that she'll be the nominee. ... They might want to take somebody who was against Obama from the start, someone who's just had it out for him for some time (Hillary Clinton)..."
"It's been a wild run. I'm just a guy from Chicago (future Fed chair)..."
That Goolsbee turned in an edgy performance that isn't quite in keeping with a message-focused White House shouldn't strike anyone as a surprise. Goolsbee has become a media darling and a favorite guest on cable news thanks, in part, to his eccentric personality and untraditional approach to economic talking points.
There is literally more information on the back of a box of Fruit Loops than what the McCain campaign presented in its economic policies, Goolsbee said during the 2008 presidential campaign
.
Don't believe anything the Canadians say, Goolsbee joked with Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert in July.
Perhaps sensing that his remarks were not in keeping with the administrations "no drama" ethos, Goolsbee ended his remarks thusly: <
"Have some sympathy for the unemployed because, when Rahm Emanuel sees my comments from this evening, I am going to be one of them."
Thanks Politico
UPDATED Ben Nelson also participated
"To be recognized in Washington for something other than picking up women in North Korea or ditching them in Argentina is a welcome change of pace. "
"Obviously, this honor is a lot easier to accept without the public option."
After mentioning some of the women journalists in the crowd: "It used to be when you talked about female anchors, you were talking about Sarah Palin's impact on John McCain."
"We really need to stop this push to demand birth certificates from our elected officials-it would really be a pain if Senator Byrd had to roll out those stone tablets every time he ran for re-election!"