Paul Begala

10 Stories

Super PAC Leaders Paying Themselves Handsomely

Santorum PAC head Nick Ryan funnels $570K to his business

(Newser) - Super PAC leaders have found a great use for all the unbridled cash pouring into their campaigns: paying themselves. The pro-Rick Santorum Red White and Blue Fund may be the most egregious offender; according to the LA Times , it paid $570,000 last month—a third of its total expenditures—...

Left: Obama Finally Steps Up
 Left: Obama 
 Finally 
 Steps Up 
OPINION Roundup

Left: Obama Finally Steps Up

(Newser) - Barack Obama delivered the speech many on the left were waiting for. Will it be enough? Here’s what they’re saying.
  • Obama seemed to shed his inner Adlai Stevenson, and discover “a new role model in the fighting Harry Truman,” writes EJ Dionne of the Washington Post.
...

Obama Rarely Mentions War, Terrorism
Obama Rarely Mentions War, Terrorism
Analysis

Obama Rarely Mentions War, Terrorism

Words 'health' and 'economy' dominate president's vocabulary

(Newser) - To listen to Barack Obama speak, you might think he was a peacetime president, rather than one with more than 100,000 troops in the field, write Zachary Abrahamson and Eamon Javers for Politico. They pored over nearly every one of the half-million-plus words Obama has said publicly as president,...

On Health Care, Left Should Cut Deals
 On Health Care, Left 
 Should Cut Deals 
OPINION

On Health Care, Left Should Cut Deals

(Newser) - Presidents from FDR to Nixon to Clinton tried and failed to reform the health care system, but with Barack Obama closer than ever before, the left is already blasting him for compromising too much. That's a shame, writes Clinton strategist Paul Begala, who regrets "setting the bar at 100%"...

Condi Commands Same Speaking Fee as Ex-Boss

$150,000 price tag shows Bush may not be biggest star of his own administration

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice isn't playing second fiddle to George W. Bush any longer: The former secretary of state charges a $150,000 speaking fee—the same as her old boss, The Hill reports. Rice will even get a jump on the former president later this month when she addresses the Economic...

Help Hillary Pay Debt, Win Idol Tickets!

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton has a deal for you. Longtime buddy James Carville sent a letter to supporters today asking for donations to help retire her campaign debt, reports the Washington Independent. For $5 or more, donors are entered to win one of three prizes: a day with Bill Clinton in New...

Dem Strategists Hatched Plan to Target Limbaugh

Carville, Greenberg conspire to shine spotlight on Rush

(Newser) - Democrats think the hubbub surrounding Rush Limbaugh is solid political gold, and they didn’t strike it by accident. When operatives James Carville and Stanley Greenberg tossed Limbaugh’s name onto a poll last fall, they discovered that Americans can’t stand the conservative talk icon, reports Jonathan Martin in...

Don't Like the Stimulus? Don't Take the Cash
Don't Like the Stimulus? Don't Take the Cash 
OPINION

Don't Like the Stimulus? Don't Take the Cash

Opponents can be 'guinea pigs' for alternate plans: Begala

(Newser) - Here’s a clear way for political leaders to oppose spending in the stimulus package: “refuse to take the money,” Paul Begala writes for CNN. Case in point: South Carolina’s governor, who opposes the plan, shouldn’t help his struggling state with federal cash. Instead, he can...

Emanuel and 3 Pals Never Miss Their Morning Calls

Emanuel, Carville, Begala, Stephanopoulos talk every day

(Newser) - Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel may have his hands full these days, but not too full to touch base every single morning with three longtime pals: James Carville, George Stephanopoulos, and Paul Begala, reports Politico. The four Dems never skip the chance to trade information and gossip, often in...

Bush: Mac Has 'Courage' to Lead
Bush: Mac Has 'Courage' to Lead

Bush: Mac Has 'Courage' to Lead

President endorses Arizona senator a day after GOP nomination assured

(Newser) - George Bush endorsed John McCain in a Rose Garden appearance today, saying his former foe has the “character, courage, and perseverance” to be president. One day after the Arizona senator clinched the Republican nomination, he said of Bush, “I appreciate his endorsement, and I appreciate his service to...

10 Stories