Begala Enters the Belly of the Beast

First of all, it’s laudable that noted liberal Paul Begala even had the nerve to descend into the belly of the beast that is CPAC. He was essentially the only counterpoint to the whole weekend’s far-right echo chamber.

On the main stage, he squared off against Tucker Carlson in three rounds of a boxing-themed “fight club” debate moderated by longtime ABC news anchor Sam Donaldson. The former Clinton campaign strategist was introduced as Paul “Big Government” Begala and his smiling opponent walked out to a rousing introduction as Tucker “Cut It All” Carlson.

One question: What’s more racist? The Tea Party or Al Sharpton?

Begala said the Tea Party isn’t racist but “you know what’s racist? Those Ron Paul newsletters from the 1990s.”

He got a lot of applause for saying the Tea Party isn’t racist, and a little less for the comment about the newsletters.

In the second round, Donaldson instructed the fighters to ask each other only questions that the mainstream media was afraid to ask.

Begala: “When he ran against Ted Kennedy, Mitt Romney said he would be more pro-gay rights than Ted Kennedy. My question to you is how do you get to be more pro-gay rights than Ted Kennedy?”

Carlson: “You would have to be living with the dude to be more pro-gay rights than Ted Kennedy…that is a metaphysical impossibility.”

Another question: What first comes to mind when the moderator says…“Ronald Reagan?”

Begala: “too liberal for CPAC”…of course there was no applause, but there wasn’t much booing either.

A couple of other zingers:
“Kim Kardashian?”

Carlson: “Wouldn’t know her if she got in the shower with me.”
Begala: “Republican.”

Begala: “Every day I do two things. I read the Holy Bible, and then I watch Fox News to see what the other side is saying.”