LIBERADIO(!)

Last Monday, Congressman Jim Cooper let fly an “I probably shouldn’t tell you this…” on our show that by now I bet he wishes he could take back. Or maybe not. You never can tell with those Wil E. Politicians.

For those of you just joining us, here’s the scoop: On Monday, Congressman Cooper came on the show and said he got “some quiet encouragement from the Obama folks for” voting against the stimulus bill. He also said, “Now, I got in terrible trouble with our leadership because they don’t care what’s in the bill, they just want it pass and they want it to be unanimous.” The next day, the Kleinheider machine over at PostPolitics picked out the money quote and used it in a post speculating about Cooper’s interest in the position of Health and Human Services secretary. Politico picked it up from there, then Kos, ABC, CBS, Fox, Chuck Todd on MSNBC, Politico again, and finally, in yesterday’s White House press briefing, Jake Tapper fired off a question about the remarks to Robert Gibbs.

From Liberadio(!) to the White House press room in about a day. Bizz Bizz Buzz Buzz.

And inevitably there was fallout. The Congressman clarified (“At no point did any member of President Obama’s staff encourage me to vote against the House economic recovery bill”), Robert Gibbs stumbled, and the Speaker, at her weekly press conference, “swatted aside questions” saying “she was more concerned with her caucus as a whole than any single member.”

Speaker Pelosi has also refused an offer to come on the show. (And yes, they knew who were were.)

Congressman Cooper has been accused, so far, of taking a swipe at Speaker Pelosi, not voting with his constituency, angling for a position in the Obama administration, not angling for a position in the Obama administration, and grandstanding. For their part, the White House gave “back-channel assurances” to the Speaker’s office “that the substance of his remarks was untrue.”

Does anyone else hear that cock crowing for the third time? And speaking of barnyard fowl, which came first, the chicken – Congressman Cooper’s somewhat wreckless remarks that could hurt his chances at a position in the Obama administration, or the egg – Cooper already knowing, because he hasn’t “spoken to him [Barack] in months,” that his chances at such a position are nil? The resignation in his voice during Monday’s interview at not being invited to “Barack’s” fiscal stimulus summit suggest the egg:

Well first of all, the summit is entirely Barack’s idea. I haven’t talked to him in months. You know, he did this on his own. I’m not going to be invited to his summit. But I’m glad that he’s taking on some of these major issues because this effects not only the future of the country but his own presidency.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

And despite the Congressman’s protestations that he was not grandstanding – because if he were “he could probably pick a more appropriate venue than a small-audience local radio show” – I must assume that Congressman Cooper (and his non-neophyte staff) knew what he was saying and where he was saying it. That said, it would have been nice to hear:

Whether I was grandstanding or not, I was on the only talk show in my home state – which, by the way reaches all of Middle-Tennessee and has been on the air for over 4 years – that will give a platform to progressive ideas. I tried the other talk stations but they were too busy giving part of their 180 hours per week of air time to to Senator Corker, Senator Alexander, Congressman Wamp and Congressman Blackburn.

UPDATE: Hannity, too.