Michael Barone (pundit)
Encyclopedia
Michael Barone is a conservative American political analyst, pundit and journalist
. He is best known for being the principal author of The Almanac of American Politics, a reference work
concerning US governors and federal politicians, and published biennially by National Journal
. The Almanac has been called "definitive and essential for anyone writing seriously about campaigns and Congress
." Barone is also a regular commentator on United States elections and political trends for the Fox News Channel
. In April 2009, Barone joined the Washington Examiner
, leaving his position of 18 years at US News and World Report. He is based at the American Enterprise Institute
as a resident fellow.
. Barone has said he is not a religious believer, although he is sympathetic to and respectful of socially conservative
believers.
His commentary has been concerned with the topic of immigration
. Perhaps partly as a result of being a descendant of Italian immigrants, Barone takes an optimistic view of contemporary immigration into the US. He says that Hispanic
immigration has parallels to the Italian experience and that, given the right circumstances, current and future Hispanic and other immigrants can become Americanized
and assimilated, just as the Italians were.
He is the author of several books:
in 1962, three years ahead of Mitt Romney
. He received a bachelor's degree
from Harvard University
in 1966 and a law degree
from Yale Law School
in 1969, where he was a member of the Yale Law Journal
. He is a native of suburban Detroit, Michigan
. Although his political viewpoint is far right today, in the 1960s he worked as an intern for Jerome Cavanagh
, the Democratic
mayor
of Detroit. He was also a supporter of George McGovern
in 1972
. In 1975 Barone married Joan Shorenstein. Joan grew up in San Francisco, graduated from George Washington High, and attended Harvard Divinity School, where she acquired an interest in politics. She began her career at the Washington Post, on David Broder's recommendation (Broder had been her Harvard professor). Soon after that she joined CBS News. Joan soon became the producer of "Face the Nation", and later producer for "Dan Rather's CBS Evening News". In 1985, she died after a 10-year battle with cancer. She was 38 years old.
, the Republicans' vice presidential nominee, because "she did not abort her Down syndrome
baby." Barone was speaking at the Palmer House
Hilton in Chicago to the 121st annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. Barone later confirmed making the remarks but claimed to be joking.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
. He is best known for being the principal author of The Almanac of American Politics, a reference work
Reference work
A reference work is a compendium of information, usually of a specific type, compiled in a book for ease of reference. That is, the information is intended to be quickly found when needed. Reference works are usually referred to for particular pieces of information, rather than read beginning to end...
concerning US governors and federal politicians, and published biennially by National Journal
National Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
. The Almanac has been called "definitive and essential for anyone writing seriously about campaigns and Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
." Barone is also a regular commentator on United States elections and political trends for the Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. In April 2009, Barone joined the Washington Examiner
Washington Examiner
The Washington Examiner is a free daily newspaper published in Springfield, Virginia, and distributed in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz....
, leaving his position of 18 years at US News and World Report. He is based at the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
as a resident fellow.
Career
Barone is a Senior Political Analyst for the Washington Examiner, where he writes a twice weekly column and contributes to their Beltway Confidential blog. He is also a frequent contributor during Fox News Channel's election coverage. His political views are generally conservativeConservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
. Barone has said he is not a religious believer, although he is sympathetic to and respectful of socially conservative
Social conservatism
Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...
believers.
His commentary has been concerned with the topic of immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
. Perhaps partly as a result of being a descendant of Italian immigrants, Barone takes an optimistic view of contemporary immigration into the US. He says that Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
immigration has parallels to the Italian experience and that, given the right circumstances, current and future Hispanic and other immigrants can become Americanized
Americanization
Americanization is the influence of the United States on the popular culture, technology, business practices, or political techniques of other countries. The term has been used since at least 1907. Inside the U.S...
and assimilated, just as the Italians were.
He is the author of several books:
- Our Country: The Shaping of America from Roosevelt to Reagan (Free Press, 1990)
- The New Americans: How the Melting Pot can work Again (Regnery Publishing, 2001)
- Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future (Crown Forum, 2004)
- Our First Revolution: The Remarkable British Upheaval that Inspired America's Founding FathersFounding Fathers of the United StatesThe Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...
(Crown Publishers, 2007), a history of the Glorious RevolutionGlorious RevolutionThe Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
of 1688 and how it led to the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
Background
Barone graduated from Cranbrook SchoolCranbrook Schools
Cranbrook Schools is a private, PK–12 school located on a campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The schools comprise a co-educational elementary school, a middle school with separate schools for boys and girls, and a co-educational high school with boarding facilities...
in 1962, three years ahead of Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...
. He received a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1966 and a law degree
Law degree
A Law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers; but while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not themselves confer a license...
from Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
in 1969, where he was a member of the Yale Law Journal
Yale Law Journal
The Yale Law Journal is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students at Yale Law School...
. He is a native of suburban Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Although his political viewpoint is far right today, in the 1960s he worked as an intern for Jerome Cavanagh
Jerome Cavanagh
Jerome Patrick Cavanagh was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 1962 to 1970. Initially seen as another John F. Kennedy, his reputation was doomed by the 1967 riots. He was the first mayor to inhabit the Manoogian Mansion, donated to the city by the industrial baron Alex Manoogian.-Early...
, the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Detroit. He was also a supporter of George McGovern
George McGovern
George Stanley McGovern is an historian, author, and former U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the Democratic Party nominee in the 1972 presidential election....
in 1972
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
. In 1975 Barone married Joan Shorenstein. Joan grew up in San Francisco, graduated from George Washington High, and attended Harvard Divinity School, where she acquired an interest in politics. She began her career at the Washington Post, on David Broder's recommendation (Broder had been her Harvard professor). Soon after that she joined CBS News. Joan soon became the producer of "Face the Nation", and later producer for "Dan Rather's CBS Evening News". In 1985, she died after a 10-year battle with cancer. She was 38 years old.
Controversy
On November 11, 2008, Barone said journalists trashed Alaska Governor Sarah PalinSarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, the Republicans' vice presidential nominee, because "she did not abort her Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
baby." Barone was speaking at the Palmer House
Palmer House
The Palmer House Hilton is a famous and historic hotel in downtown Chicago.-History:There have been three Palmer House Hotels at the corner of State and Monroe Streets in Chicago....
Hilton in Chicago to the 121st annual meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges. Barone later confirmed making the remarks but claimed to be joking.
External links
- Michael Barone's Opinion Articles at Creators SyndicateCreators SyndicateCreators Syndicate is an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers. It was founded in 1987 by Richard S. Newcombe, and is based in Los Angeles. Creators was one of the first syndicates to allow its clients to maintain creative control of their material...
- Washington Examiner
- Barone's Examiner archives
- Beltway Confidential
- Archive of his US News & World Report columns
- Podcasts of Barone's articles