Paul Begala (born May 12, 1961) is a Democratic
political consultant, a
political commentator, a
former advisor to
President Bill Clinton. He gained national prominence as
half of the
political
consulting team Carville and Begala. Until June 2005, Begala
was a co-host of
CNN's political debate program,
Crossfire. He is
Research Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University Public
Policy Institute.
Currently he is teaching at the University of
Georgia School of Law
as a Sanders Political Leadership
Scholar.
Biography
Early life and education
Begala was
born in New
Jersey
and raised in Missouri City, Texas
. He graduated from John Foster
Dulles High School in
1979.
He
earned both his B.A. and Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of
Texas at Austin
, where he taught briefly before going to work for
Bill Clinton. While at the University of Texas, Begala was a
candidate for student government president. However, he finished
second to a write-in campaign for Hank the Hallucination, a
character from the campus comic strip "
Eyebeam". Following his loss, Begala wrote a
tongue-in-cheek complaint for the
Daily Texan, arguing "I cannot
help but feel Hank's platform is illusory at best... I must say
that the candidate himself lacks substance." Begala was declared
the human winner, following a ruling that imaginary characters
could not hold the position.
Political career
Paul Begala, along with business partner
James Carville, helped then-
governor of Arkansas Clinton win the
1992 presidential
election. After working on Clinton's campaign, Begala served as
a consultant to the President. As an aide to the President, Begala
helped defend the Clinton-Gore agenda and served as a public
spokesperson.
Aside from the 1992 presidential election, Begala and Carville have
had other well-known political victories which include the 1991
Senate victory of
Harris Wofford, the
1988 re-election campaign of incumbent Senator
Frank Lautenberg, and the gubernatorial
victories of
Robert Casey in 1986
and
Zell Miller in 1990.
Before becoming a co-host of
Crossfire, Begala co-hosted a
show,
Equal Time, with
Oliver
North on
MSNBC. He also was a contributor
to
John F. Kennedy Jr.'s
political magazine
George
in the late 1990s.
As an author and co-author, Begala has written a handful of
bestselling political books. His writings include:
Is Our
Children Learning?: The Case Against George W. Bush;
Buck Up, Suck Up and Come Back When You Foul Up; and
It's Still the Economy Stupid. Begala still keeps on hand
a pocket
New Testament he received
from
Brother Jed in the 1970s.
2008
He was an early supporter of
Hillary
Clinton during the 2008 primaries. However, after she dropped
out of the race, he became a strong backer of
Barack Obama.
His latest book is
Third Term: Why George W. Bush
(Hearts) John McCain.
On January 12, 2008, Begala appeared on
NPR's
radio show
Wait, Wait
Don't Tell Me..., playing the game "Not My Job." He won by
answering two out of three questions correctly.
On September 25, 2008, while appearing on CNN, Begala characterized
George W. Bush as "a high-functioning moron."
Begala was also a paid consultant to mortgage lender
Freddie Mac, an arrangement that ended in
September 2008.
Bibliography
- Is Our Children Learning?: The Case Against George W.
Bush, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000 ISBN
0-7432-1478-1.
- It's Still the Economy, Stupid: George W. Bush,
The GOP's CEO, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002 ISBN
0-7432-4647-0.
- Third Term: Why George W. Bush (Hearts) John
McCain, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008 ISBN
1439102139.
Co-authored with James
Carville
- Buck Up, Suck Up... and Come Back When You Foul Up: 12
Winning Secrets from the War Room, New York: Simon &
Schuster, 2002 ISBN 0-7432-2422-1.
- Take It Back: Our Party, Our Country, Our Future, New
York: Simon & Schuster, 2006 ISBN 0-7432-7752-X.
References
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