The College Fix

ANALYSIS

WASHINGTON, D.C. – While Charles Krauthammer is widely seen as a serious, studious political thinker on national news shows and through his syndicated newspaper column, the conservative pundit showed a different side of himself on Sunday night at The George Washington University, where he kept cracking up his audience with humorous wit and zingers.

Krauthammer was on hand to debate the architect of President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, David Plouffe, in an event co-sponsored by several student groups from across the political spectrum.

While the conversation touched on important subjects and got serious at times, Krauthammer showed he can be just as adept at political humor as he is at analyzing government affairs.

“I’m happy to be anywhere where Juan Williams doesn’t interrupt me,” Krauthammer quipped to get the night rolling before the men dove into topics such as Russia, the Affordable Care Act and the 2016 presidential election.

On Russia, Plouffe defended the Obama Administration’s recent decisions, insisting nothing President Obama could have done would have prevented Vladimir Putin from annexing Crimea.

Krauthammer didn’t even open that can of worms, responding: “Wow – so much error, so little time.”

On the subject of healthcare, the most contentious part of the evening, Krauthammer insisted that without President Obama’s now-debunked promise that if you like your healthcare you can keep it, the Affordable Care Act “wouldn’t have passed.”

He also chastised Plouffe for, when touting the perceived successes of the healthcare law, neglecting to mention “that six million Americans had their plans cancelled.”

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t need lactation services,” Krauthammer joked, prompting another round of laughter.

Plouffe argued that job growth has increased as a result of the Affordable Care Act, but Krauthammer denied the claim.

“Relating Obamacare to the growth of the economy is like saying everyone with lung cancer drank milk as a child,” Krauthammer remarked.

Krauthammer also riled the many Democrats in the room when he defined a liberal as someone who “doesn’t care what you do unless it’s mandatory.”

Plouffe fired back, calling his words a “Fox News fiction” that doesn’t hold to the truth.

“The fact is,” Plouffe said, “everyone is a healthcare consumer.”

He then compared the “business-oriented, common-sense Republican” to the “entertainment wing of the party,” saying the two are currently irreconcilable.

“The Republican brand is very tarnished,” Plouffe said. “They’re not a viable alternative.”

Plouffe did concede, however, that the Senate will be hard to hang on to for the Democrats in 2014: “This is very tough terrain for us in the Senate.”

Yet Plouffe encouraged all Democrats running for office to embrace Obamacare, not shy away from it.

Krauthammer took on Plouffe’s words of wisdom with a chuckle: “I want to entirely endorse David’s advice to Democrats to run on Obamacare in 2014. I hope you do. I think that’s about all the advice your side needs.”

Krauthammer, for his part, said if Democrats run on Obamacare – they’ll lose.

On the 2016 presidential election, Plouffe said he doesn’t think Gov. Chris Christie has been “fatally flawed,” just “hurt” by recent scandals.

But the scandals will be enough for Republicans to embrace someone like Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, Plouffe said.

He added Democrats “have a decisive advantage in the electoral college,” which benefits them in 2016, because “many swing states are moving Democratic,” he said, citing Virginia, Florida, Ohio, and Nevada as examples.

For his part, Krauthammer said if Hillary Clinton runs, she’s a “shoe-in for the nomination” and that the national convention “will not be a coronation” but more of a “worship service,” again prompting laughter from the aisles.

And on Gov. Christie’s embrace of President Obama in the days following Hurricane Sandy and preceding the 2012 presidential election, Krauthammer joked: “It was more of a lap dance … Not something I would say on television, because the image is too disturbing.”

Notably, Dr. Krauthammer said President Obama is not a “conventional liberal.” He is instead a “social Democrat. He is a man of the left. He is no Bill Clinton.”

In closing remarks, Plouffe said something everyone could agree on – that we, George Washington University students, should feel lucky to be where we are.

“Most people in the world would trade places with you in a minute,” he said.

Krauthammer closed the debate by cautioning the youth from buying into the idea of redistribution of wealth, which “overlooks the necessity of growing the wealth rather than redistributing it.”

College Fix contributor Andrew Desiderio is a student at The George Washington University.

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