Jonathan Chait
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Chait (ˈtʃeɪt; born 1972) is a writer for New York
magazine. He was previously a senior editor at The New Republic
and a former assistant editor of The American Prospect
. He also writes a periodic column in the Los Angeles Times
.
. There he wrote for The Michigan Daily
and co-founded The Michigan Independent. He lives in Washington DC and is married to Robin Chait, an education-policy analyst at the liberal Center for American Progress
think tank.
, The Wall Street Journal
, Slate
and Reason
. He took over The New Republic's TRB column from Peter Beinart
in March 2007. His columns from 2008 are a finalist for the National Magazine Award, in the category of best commentary.
On Sept. 12, 2007, his book, THE BIG CON: The true story of how Washington got hoodwinked and hijacked by crackpot economics, was published by Houghton-Mifflin.
On March 16, 2009, Chait appeared on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report to refute conservative arguments that the New Deal was a failure. The impetus for that appearance was an article he wrote for The New Republic called "Wasting Away in Hooverville".
Chait also appears in "The Rivalry," a 2007 HBO documentary about the history and culture of the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry.
Chait joined the staff of New York
magazine on September 6, 2011, leaving his post of Senior Editor at The New Republic. Chait explained the move as follows: "Obviously I love TNR and had no plans to leave, but the opportunity at New York was irresistible. Everybody who works there raves about it, and my friends in journalism have noticed for a while it's become phenomenal — "the best magazine in America," as one editor friend of mine told me".
, he has however written pieces critical of left-wing figures such as Naomi Klein
, and also wrote a TNR cover article condemning the state of Delaware
. He makes frequent use of humor and sarcasm.
He drew considerable attention with his "Case for Bush Hatred", in which he defended his dislike not only of Bush's policies but also his personality and mannerisms.
Chait took a dim view of the presidential candidacies of Howard Dean
, John Kerry
and Hillary Clinton, believing that all of them suffered problems with electability. During the 2008 presidential race, Chait wrote many items supportive of Barack Obama
.
Chait strongly criticized the editorial staff of the Detroit Free Press following a controversial article by Michael Rosenberg that alleged systematic infractions of NCAA Rules by the Michigan football team. Chait suggested Rosenberg's editor should "lose his job" and called the investigation's methodology "journalistic malpractice." On February 22, 2010, following an investigation stemming from allegations raised in Rosenberg's article, UM announced that the NCAA has found probable cause that the school committed five major violations, corroborating some but not all of the allegations in Rosenberg's article. On Tuesday, May 25, 2010 the University of Michigan
responded to the NCAA Notice of Allegations; after which, Chait claimed that Rosenberg's allegations that coach Rich Rodriguez
"operated a football sweatshop has been totally debunked."
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine. He was previously a senior editor at The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
and a former assistant editor of The American Prospect
The American Prospect
The American Prospect is a monthly American political magazine dedicated to American liberalism. Based in Washington, DC, The American Prospect is a journal "of liberal ideas, committed to a just society, an enriched democracy, and effective liberal politics" which focuses on United States politics...
. He also writes a periodic column in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
.
Personal life
Chait, a doctor's son, grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and is a graduate of the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. There he wrote for The Michigan Daily
Michigan Daily
The Michigan Daily is the daily student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other student groups, but shares a university building with other...
and co-founded The Michigan Independent. He lives in Washington DC and is married to Robin Chait, an education-policy analyst at the liberal Center for American Progress
Center for American Progress
The Center for American Progress is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. Its website states that the organization is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." It has its headquarters in Washington D.C.Its President and Chief...
think tank.
Career
Chait began working at The New Republic in 1995. In January 2010, The New Republic replaced The Plank, TNR's group blog, with the Jonathan Chait Blog. His writing has also appeared in The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Slate
Slate (magazine)
Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...
and Reason
Reason (magazine)
Reason is a libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. The magazine has a circulation of around 60,000 and was named one of the 50 best magazines in 2003 and 2004 by the Chicago Tribune.- History :...
. He took over The New Republic's TRB column from Peter Beinart
Peter Beinart
-Early life and education:Beinart was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of South African immigrants. His mother, Doreen, works at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and his father, Julian Beinart, is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His stepfather is theatre...
in March 2007. His columns from 2008 are a finalist for the National Magazine Award, in the category of best commentary.
On Sept. 12, 2007, his book, THE BIG CON: The true story of how Washington got hoodwinked and hijacked by crackpot economics, was published by Houghton-Mifflin.
On March 16, 2009, Chait appeared on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report to refute conservative arguments that the New Deal was a failure. The impetus for that appearance was an article he wrote for The New Republic called "Wasting Away in Hooverville".
Chait also appears in "The Rivalry," a 2007 HBO documentary about the history and culture of the Michigan-Ohio State football rivalry.
Chait joined the staff of New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine on September 6, 2011, leaving his post of Senior Editor at The New Republic. Chait explained the move as follows: "Obviously I love TNR and had no plans to leave, but the opportunity at New York was irresistible. Everybody who works there raves about it, and my friends in journalism have noticed for a while it's become phenomenal — "the best magazine in America," as one editor friend of mine told me".
Positions
Chait usually writes about domestic politics and policy. Many of his writings are critiques of what he perceives to be illogical positions taken by conservatives. A self-described liberal hawkLiberal Hawk
The term liberal hawk refers to a politically liberal individual who supports a hawkish, interventionist foreign policy. Past U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson have been described as liberal hawks for their roles in bringing about...
, he has however written pieces critical of left-wing figures such as Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
, and also wrote a TNR cover article condemning the state of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. He makes frequent use of humor and sarcasm.
He drew considerable attention with his "Case for Bush Hatred", in which he defended his dislike not only of Bush's policies but also his personality and mannerisms.
Chait took a dim view of the presidential candidacies of Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
, John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and Hillary Clinton, believing that all of them suffered problems with electability. During the 2008 presidential race, Chait wrote many items supportive of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
Chait strongly criticized the editorial staff of the Detroit Free Press following a controversial article by Michael Rosenberg that alleged systematic infractions of NCAA Rules by the Michigan football team. Chait suggested Rosenberg's editor should "lose his job" and called the investigation's methodology "journalistic malpractice." On February 22, 2010, following an investigation stemming from allegations raised in Rosenberg's article, UM announced that the NCAA has found probable cause that the school committed five major violations, corroborating some but not all of the allegations in Rosenberg's article. On Tuesday, May 25, 2010 the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
responded to the NCAA Notice of Allegations; after which, Chait claimed that Rosenberg's allegations that coach Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
"operated a football sweatshop has been totally debunked."
Books
- The Big Con: Crackpot Economics and the Fleecing of America. Boston: Mariner Books, 2008 [reprint edition]. ISBN 0547085702.
External links
- Short biography and recent articles from The New Republic
- Video discussions/debates involving Chait on BloggingHeads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...
- Jonathan Chait's posts on New York Magazine's Daily Intel blog