-
Search
-
Sign Up
-
More About John
FAVORITE MOVIES FAVORITE ALBUMS FAVORITE BOOKS SPEECHES -
My Columns
-
My Videos
-
Published Articles
Category Archives: Columns
The Economist Interview: Six questions for John Avlon
IN TODAY’S polarised political environment John Avlon has carved out a useful niche, exposing extremists on both the left and right. He says these partisans are more dangerous than ever, in part because they obscure the growing power of independents. … Continue reading
Hating Kennedy – The Daily Beast
This week, America was fixated on the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Grief nourishes myth and a new CNN poll registers JFK as our most admired ex-president from the past half century. His brief 1,000 days in the … Continue reading
Donald Trump Is Running for Richard Nixon’s Third Term
From the ‘Silent Majority’ slogan to the secret plans to win the war, a prodigious enemies list, and a surreal commitment to ‘bring us together,’ it’s Tricky Dick all over again. onservative candidates usually beg for comparisons with Ronald Reagan, … Continue reading
Posted in Featured Columns
Leave a comment
Christie’s Reelection Triumph Is a Revenge of the RINOs – The Daily Beast
Chris Christie’s landslide reelection in a state President Obama won by 17 points offers the GOP a memo on how to win in 2016, if it wants one. Don’t just fixate on the top-line numbers. They obscure the real story. … Continue reading
What GOP Can Learn from Cuccinelli’s Tanking Bid in Virginia – CNN
Virginia is a cautionary tale for conservatives this year. And those Republicans who always argue that their party wins when it moves further to the right are going to have a lot of explaining to do after Election Day. Polls … Continue reading
Paralyzed by Polarization – The Daily Beast
After 12 days of stalemate, conversations – if not negotiations – have started. But House Republicans remain deadlocked with the White House, its leadership constrained by their own far-Right-wing caucus, announcing to members in a closed-door session this morning that … Continue reading
Shutdown Crisis: We Need a Hostage Negotiator – The Daily Beast
With the government shutdown entering its second week and debt ceiling default less than two weeks away, polarization has turned poisonous and confusion reigns on Capitol Hill. “It actually reminds me of a prison siege,” says Christopher Voss, a former … Continue reading
The Suicidal Shutdown: Hyper-Partisan Fever Rules the Government – The Daily Beast
It was darkly appropriate that Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) rallied his conservative colleagues on Saturday to vote for a government shutdown by saying “Like 9/11, Let’s Roll!” Because this legislative plane is headed defiantly nose-down into the ground. Decency, practicality, … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged Fiscal Responsibility, President Obama, The Daily Beast, Wingnuts
Leave a comment
Weiner, Spitzer Out: Thank You New York – CNN.com
Twelve years ago, New York City taught the nation about resilience in the face of a massive attack. On Tuesday, New York again taught the nation that character counts. There is, of course, no comparison between the horror of 9/11 … Continue reading
American Way: Can Jim Messina Do for David Cameron What He Did for Barack Obama?
The incumbent was underwater. Low poll numbers and a still-sluggish economy, soaring campaign promises of hope and change that never quite materialised. The opposition attacked him; so did some of the ideological absolutists in his own camp. That’s the situation … Continue reading
Father Ostracized for Paternity Leave – OutFront – CNN
John Avlon and Margaret Hoover discuss the ‘double standard’ of paternity leave.
The Obama Haters Book Club: The Canon Swells – The Daily Beast
Welcome to the Obama Haters Book Club—a parallel universe of fear mongering for fun and profit. Over the past four years, no less than 89 obsessively anti-Obama books have been published, as now catalogued by The Daily Beast. I’m not … Continue reading
Posted in Columns, Featured Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast, Wingnuts
Leave a comment
Why ‘The Newsroom’ matters – CNN.com
Aaron Sorkin’s HBO show “The Newsroom” represents the reality of working in television news about as accurately as “The West Wing” captured working in politics — which is to say, not at all. But both dramas did something more worthwhile: … Continue reading
Don’t Call Obama Racist – The Daily Beast
Race remains a fundamental fault line in American life. That’s why the Trayvon Martin murder trial drew wall to wall coverage on cable news and why the jury’s decision to acquit George Zimmerman drew outraged cries. And on Friday afternoon, … Continue reading
George H.W. Bush, Our Preppiest Ex-President, Honored at White House – The Daily Beast
It’s been a quarter-century since George H.W. Bush was elected president, but the wheels of history are finally turning his way. In a triumph of civility and character over hyperbolic hyper-partisanship, Bush 41 was honored Monday by President Obama at … Continue reading
The Changing Face of the U.S. Electorate – CNN.com
John King speaks with Margaret Hoover and John Avlon about how Pres. Obama was able to win despite losing white vote.
Posted in Columns, Featured Videos, Videos
Tagged 2012 Elections, CNN, Elections, Independent Voters
Leave a comment
Lindsey Graham Wasn’t Afraid to Fight for Immigration Reform – The Daily Beast
Profiles in courage are rare in our politics these days, but the Senate’s passage of comprehensive immigration reform is bright example of how Washington does not need to be a place where good ideas go to die. Credit goes to … Continue reading
Lisa Murkowski’s Declaration of Independence – The Daily Beast
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski became the third Republican U.S. Senator to support same-sex marriage on Wednesday, just days before the Supreme Court is set to decide on its constitutionality. But what’s really significant about Murkowski’s decision is the argument she … Continue reading
‘Sopranos’ a Violent Fantasy for Middle-Aged Guys – CNN.com
Why do we love gangsters — at least the ones on TV and in the movies? The sudden death of actor James Gandolfini at age 51 has brought a round of instant nostalgia for the HBO show he led at … Continue reading
Paranoia on Patriots’ Day – The Daily Beast
The paranoid style in American politics is alive and well. It was thriving on both sides of the Potomac Monday at separate Second Amendment rallies offering a cast of characters including militia members, a fundamentalist Mormon family, a sheriff, a … Continue reading