Well, holy mother, when the hell did mild mannered Lawrence O'Donnell grow that giant set of cannonballs? Last night on The Last Word, O'donnell came out breathing fire against batshit crazy backbencher Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
Clips and transcript below the fold.
ed. - Sorry about the commercials upfront of every clip. I'm sure there's some way to get at the material without paying the sponsors, but I won't begrudge MSNBC and The Last Word their dime. The whole thing is at the bottom of the diary if you just want to watch that, instead.
Now, I've always liked O'Donnell, but he's never come across as a firebreather. He's more of my kind of analyst, thoughtful, respectful, super wonky. But last night, something about the idiocy and the predictable talking point filibuster Marsha Blackburn tried to pull on his show sent O'Donnell into full-on Murrow v. McCarthy on her dumb ass.
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Starting at about 2:15
Lawrence O’Donnell: Congresswoman Blackburn, the Republican position of no revenue uses at all in deficit reduction is supported by only 26% of the American people. How can the Republican maintain that they are in any way acting as representatives of the people when they are taking a position that’s opposed by over 70% of the people.
Marsha Blackburn: I find it interesting that you phrased the question that way. I will tell you one of the things we hear repeatedly from people from coast-to-coast is that Washington doesn’t have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. And what the American people really would like to see us do is to get this out-of-control wasteful Washington spending under control. We’ve heard from economists from coast-to-coast. Who have said, what you have to do is move forward with the spending reduction plan. They want to see that. The ratings agencies want to see it. This president has spent $7.3 trillion.
Yeah, she really speaks like that, just a nonstop stream of runny retreaded bullshit just spewing from that hellswamp she calls a mouth. But when Blackburn said, "And quite frankly, I think there are plenty of polls out there that show the American people also agree with that, that spending reduction have to take place," O'Donnell stomped a mudhole in her ass.
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WHEW! That is the kind of confrontational, informed journalism we just really don't see from our side. I was taken aback, seriously. I mean, Lawrence O'Donnell? Isn't he Milky Milquetoast? Did they replace him with an anger bear clone? This was not only good television, this was flat out good journalism, and if this interview were with the Speaker of the House, this would be considered a defining moment for the Obama presidency and a high point in American journalism. As it is, the 19:00 segment is worth the watch for that
But the best part, the point at which Mr. O’Donnell managed to wrest clarity from this recalcitrant wingnut, came at the 15:00 mark.
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LO: Are there any circumstances under which you would vote for a debt ceiling increase without accompanying spending cuts?
MB: No. We’ve already put that on the floor.
LO: Congresswoman, tell America the truth. You voted for a 9% increase in America’s debt ceiling.
MB: Under President Bush.
LO: It was a one sentence bill with no spending cuts whatsoever.
MB: You’re talking about a vote that happened in 2006.
LO: Why did you cast that vote?
MB: [3 minutes of filibuster]
The Republicans have tried to assume the high ground in this debt ceiling debate, and for the most part, the Democrats have ceded it by allowing the issue to be framed as though we have a deficit problem. Now, considering the fact that we're embroiled in two -- TWO GODDAMMIT! -- wars, our economy collapsed -- MOTHERFUCKERS! --and it was all, all, all caused by these same exact mouthbreathing paleoconservatives who are trying so openly to hang it around the neck of a guy who was in the Illinois State Legislature when it all began, we do not have a deficit problem. We need to spend more, in point of fact. Anyone who knows anything about economics will tell you the same damned thing. Aggregate demand is so far below where we need it to be, we can't give away enough shit to get our economy moving again. But Democrats have let the Republicans off the hook on this, and now we're having debates about just how unmercifully we should give the poor, disabled, elderly, and very young the high hard one. Well, shit.
But at least one of the people who helped put us in this hole got a face full of it. Lawrence O'Donnell made sure of that. He couldn't get them all, but he got this one. And for that, I say he's king of the week. Let him wear his crown with pride.
The whole thing. It's worth a watch.
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