Richard Wolffe
Encyclopedia
Richard L. Wolffe is a journalist, MSNBC
commentator, and author of the Barack Obama
books Renegade: The Making of a President (Crown, June 2009) and Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House (Crown, November 2010).
, England
, Wolffe is a 1992 graduate of Oxford University, first-class honours, in English
and French literature
, having attended the fee-paying independent school, King Edward VI School in Birmingham.
Took the Westminster Press diploma in journalism, starting with the pre-entry course at Hastings in autumn 1992 while a trainee reporter with the Brighton Argus. Moved to the Financial Times and thereafter Newsweek.
Wolffe covered the entire length of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign for Newsweek
magazine, traveling with the candidate and his inner circle from his announcement through election day, 21 months later.
He is a political analyst on MSNBC
, having appeared frequently on Countdown with Keith Olbermann
and Hardball with Chris Matthews
. On NBC
, he was featured as a political commentator on Meet The Press
and TODAY. He features prominently in the forthcoming HBO documentary on the Obama campaign, and played a leading role in the HBO documentary of the 2000 Bush campaign, Journeys With George
. He has also appeared on CNN and Fox News, as well as international media including British, Canadian and Australian television.
He now writes regularly for The Daily Beast
.
As Newsweek’s senior White House correspondent, his cover stories included "What He Believes" (on Obama’s faith), "Black & White" (about Obama and racial politics), "Bush In The Bubble" (after Hurricane Katrina
), and "Weight of the World" (how Bush handled the Lebanon War). Wolffe joined Newsweek in November 2002 as diplomatic correspondent, covering foreign policy and international affairs. In the 2004 presidential election, he covered the Howard Dean
campaign before switching to John Kerry
.
Before Newsweek, Wolffe was a senior journalist at the Financial Times
, serving as its deputy bureau chief and U.S. diplomatic correspondent in Washington. He reported on U.S. foreign policy, covered the Microsoft antitrust trial, as well as regulatory and business issues at the US Department of the Treasury, the Federal Trade Commission
and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In April 2009, he joined Public Strategies, a business advisory firm, as Senior Strategist.
Wolffe left the firm in December 2009.
Wolffe is the co-author of The Victim’s Fortune, (HarperCollins, 2002), about the deals that led to billions of dollars in compensation to the Nazis’ victims in the late 1990s. He also co-authored two Spanish cookbooks, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (Clarkson Potter in the US and Planeta in Spain, 2005) and Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2008). He has also written for food magazines such as Food Arts and Food & Wine
. He authored a book on Obama's campaign called Renegade: The Making of a President.
In July 2009, Richard Wolffe guest hosted a few episodes of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He came under fire from liberal bloggers shortly afterward due to his position at Public Strategies. Olbermann apologized, claiming he was caught "flat-footed" and announcing that Wolffe would not appear on Countdown until his activities outside of MSNBC were reviewed. On October 1, 2009 Richard Wolffe appeared on Countdown discussing Sarah Palin. Olbermann wrote at Daily Kos that "the broadcast network's very tough practices exec vetted this other job (and as indicated, the work he's done for us), found no interrelation." Wolffe left Public Strategies two months later.
Wolffe continues to be a regular guest on numerous MSNBC
shows, including Hardball with Chris Matthews
, where he slighted Sarah Palin's choice in literature dismissing C.S. Lewis' as a mere author of children's books. Also, he minimized opposition to Pres. Obama's jobs program to simple opposition to his race.
He also lectures at many universities and institutes. In September 2009, Wolffe lectured on the topic Who is Barack Obama at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College
.
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
commentator, and author of the 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...
books Renegade: The Making of a President (Crown, June 2009) and Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House (Crown, November 2010).
Background
Born to an English father and Moroccan mother in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wolffe is a 1992 graduate of Oxford University, first-class honours, in English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and French literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
, having attended the fee-paying independent school, King Edward VI School in Birmingham.
Took the Westminster Press diploma in journalism, starting with the pre-entry course at Hastings in autumn 1992 while a trainee reporter with the Brighton Argus. Moved to the Financial Times and thereafter Newsweek.
Wolffe covered the entire length of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign for Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine, traveling with the candidate and his inner circle from his announcement through election day, 21 months later.
He is a political analyst on MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
, having appeared frequently on Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Countdown with Keith Olbermann is an hour-long weeknight news and political commentary program that airs on Current TV, where it began airing on June 20, 2011. The program was broadcast on MSNBC from March 31, 2003, to January 21, 2011. On MSNBC, the show presented five selected news stories of...
and Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
. On NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, he was featured as a political commentator on Meet The Press
Meet the Press
Meet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
and TODAY. He features prominently in the forthcoming HBO documentary on the Obama campaign, and played a leading role in the HBO documentary of the 2000 Bush campaign, Journeys With George
Journeys with George
Journeys with George is a documentary by Alexandra Pelosi and Aaron Lubarsky that follows George W. Bush for more than a year on his campaign trail to the presidency in 2000....
. He has also appeared on CNN and Fox News, as well as international media including British, Canadian and Australian television.
He now writes regularly for The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast
The Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
.
As Newsweek’s senior White House correspondent, his cover stories included "What He Believes" (on Obama’s faith), "Black & White" (about Obama and racial politics), "Bush In The Bubble" (after Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
), and "Weight of the World" (how Bush handled the Lebanon War). Wolffe joined Newsweek in November 2002 as diplomatic correspondent, covering foreign policy and international affairs. In the 2004 presidential election, he covered the 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...
campaign before switching to 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...
.
Before Newsweek, Wolffe was a senior journalist at the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
, serving as its deputy bureau chief and U.S. diplomatic correspondent in Washington. He reported on U.S. foreign policy, covered the Microsoft antitrust trial, as well as regulatory and business issues at the US Department of the Treasury, the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In April 2009, he joined Public Strategies, a business advisory firm, as Senior Strategist.
Wolffe left the firm in December 2009.
Wolffe is the co-author of The Victim’s Fortune, (HarperCollins, 2002), about the deals that led to billions of dollars in compensation to the Nazis’ victims in the late 1990s. He also co-authored two Spanish cookbooks, Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (Clarkson Potter in the US and Planeta in Spain, 2005) and Made in Spain: Spanish Dishes for the American Kitchen (Clarkson Potter, 2008). He has also written for food magazines such as Food Arts and Food & Wine
Food & Wine Magazine
Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
. He authored a book on Obama's campaign called Renegade: The Making of a President.
In July 2009, Richard Wolffe guest hosted a few episodes of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. He came under fire from liberal bloggers shortly afterward due to his position at Public Strategies. Olbermann apologized, claiming he was caught "flat-footed" and announcing that Wolffe would not appear on Countdown until his activities outside of MSNBC were reviewed. On October 1, 2009 Richard Wolffe appeared on Countdown discussing Sarah Palin. Olbermann wrote at Daily Kos that "the broadcast network's very tough practices exec vetted this other job (and as indicated, the work he's done for us), found no interrelation." Wolffe left Public Strategies two months later.
Wolffe continues to be a regular guest on numerous MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
shows, including Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews
Hardball with Chris Matthews is a talk show on MSNBC, broadcast weekdays at 5 and 7 PM hosted by Chris Matthews. It originally aired on now-defunct America's Talking and later CNBC. The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988, Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told by One Who...
, where he slighted Sarah Palin's choice in literature dismissing C.S. Lewis' as a mere author of children's books. Also, he minimized opposition to Pres. Obama's jobs program to simple opposition to his race.
He also lectures at many universities and institutes. In September 2009, Wolffe lectured on the topic Who is Barack Obama at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College
Saint Anselm College is a nationally ranked, private, Benedictine, Catholic liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889 by Abbot Hilary Pfrängle, O.S.B. of Saint Mary's Abbey in Newark, New Jersey, at the request of Bishop Denis M. Bradley of Manchester, New Hampshire, the...
.
External links
- Richard Wolffe official website
- Column archive at The Daily BeastThe Daily BeastThe Daily Beast is an American news reporting and opinion website founded and published by Tina Brown, former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker as well as the short-lived Talk Magazine. The Daily Beast was launched on October 6, 2008, and is owned by IAC...
- Profile at MSNBCMSNBCMSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
- User Profile for Richard Wolffe, Take Back America 2007 conference