Democratic strategist Paul Begala joked on CNN Friday morning that he “slept like a baby” after President Joe Biden’s classified documents debacle.
Begala, who was a top adviser to President Bill Clinton, revealed: ‘I was waking up every two hours and wetting the bed.’
Biden’s reelection prospects were derailed Thursday by the release of special counsel Robert Hur’s report of classified documents, which cited the president’s “diminished capabilities” and said a jury found him “a likable, well-meaning, older man with a bad memory’.
“This is terrible for Democrats. And anyone with a functioning brain knows that,” Begala said.
Begala noted that Biden “can’t turn 45 again,” but he can go on the offensive.
Democratic strategist Paul Begala joked on CNN Friday morning that he “slept like a baby” after President Joe Biden’s debacle with classified documents.
“I was waking up every two hours and wet the bed,” veteran Democratic strategist Paul Begala (below right) said during a CNN interview Friday morning, commenting on special counsel Robert Hur’s report.
“Instead of calling a press conference and saying, ‘I’m really sharp,’ attack the other person,” the longtime Democratic fixer advised. “So everything with Biden is not ‘I’m great,’ it’s ‘the other guys are really harmful, dangerous, a threat.’
The president responded to Hur’s report Thursday evening with a hastily arranged news conference, in which he angrily pushed back on the claims — especially that he could not remember when son Beau Biden died.
But during the question-and-answer session, he also referred to the president of Egypt being from “Mexico,” which provides more fodder for the 81-year-old losing a step.
“I think Biden has made it worse, there’s no doubt about that,” Begala said at one point during the interview, though he also made it clear that the press conference wasn’t entirely the wrong decision.
“Well, no, I want to see more Joe Biden, and the blunders are built in, but instead of simply saying, ‘I’m fine,’ he just has to – he has to be on the attack 24/7 for the next 269 days. to dawn.’
Begala also saw a missed opportunity by not attacking Hur more directly.
“This Republican counsel was appointed by Trump to the U.S. attorney for Maryland,” Begala said.
He also pointed out that Hur clerked for a “right-wing judge” and for conservative Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, whom Biden voted against his nomination as U.S. Senator.
“This guy donated to the Republicans, he’s a supporter and the only job he had was whether or not to bring charges,” Begala said.
Instead, Begala complained, “the only thing he didn’t add was a legal disclaimer, that this is a political advertisement in support of Donald Trump. It was a total cheap shot.”
“What on earth was this man doing with editorials, way out of his league?” Begala thought. “And he chose the most damaging political attack he could on Joe Biden.”
“I think it stinks,” the longtime Democratic strategist added.