The Ticker: Robert Samuelson asks: where are the critical questions on the 2011 budget?

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1 Transcript Breakdown: Sarah Palin Backs Limbaugh's Use of Word 'Retards' Benjamin F. Carlson, The Atlantic Wire
2 The Political Fallout of John Murtha's Death Benjamin F. Carlson, The Atlantic Wire
3 The New Yorker Discovers Twitter, Scoffs Max Fisher, The Atlantic Wire
4 Tea Party's True Character Revealed at Convention Max Fisher, The Atlantic Wire
5 Palin's Palm-Gate Jared Keller, The Atlantic Wire

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Ronald Brownstein Credit: Getty Images

#43 Ronald Brownstein

National Journal

Ron Brownstein is the political director of the Atlantic Media Company and a columnist for National Journal. More information


Brownstein's encyclopedic knowledge of politicians, political history, and Beltway issues is widely renowned. Hired out of college to be Ralph Nader’s chief staff writer, he quickly moved to political reporting, eventually rising to chief political correspondent for the Los Angeles Times. As an analyst, Brownstein is considered one of the most trusted bellwethers of political trends. His horse-race analysis is frequently grounded in details of American history. Writing about both Republican and Democratic politicians, Brownstein seldom pounds the pulpit for either party.

More pollster than polemicist, Brownstein leans heavily on reporting and empirical studies to make his arguments. All of this has won him a high regard and influence among the political elite, who form his primary audience. No less a judge than Bill Clinton cited him as "one journalist who generally gets it right, explaining what the issues are and what's going on in the country."
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Ronald Brownstein on All Topics

Displaying 1-15 of 63

February 6, 2010
Congress

The Four Quadrents of Congress

“In the competition to control the House, demography increasingly appears to be destiny.”
February 6, 2010
Democrats

Blue Collar Deja Vu

“Economically speaking, the George W. Bush years were miserable for working-class white Americans...and yet, in 2008, while other segments of the electorate stampeded toward Barack Obama, working-class whites resisted.”
January 30, 2010
State Of The Union

Big Problems, Small Solutions

“Obama might seem the major loser if Washington remains stalemated on these issues or must settle for piecemeal gestures. But if the political system can no longer formulate enough consensus to take big bites out of big problems, the real loser is America's capacity for renewal. On the nation's toughest challenges, inaction could be the most decisive, and destructive, action of all.”
January 23, 2010
Kennedy's Replacement

A Formula For Futility

“After Republican Scott Brown's stunning victory in Massachusetts' Senate race, one dreary lesson for President Obama -- and, for that matter, his successors -- is now unambiguous: Stick to school uniforms.”
January 20, 2010
Obama

Obama's White-Out

“America's increasing racial diversity made it possible for Barack Obama to comfortably win the presidency last year, but even so, the depth -- and breadth -- of the decline in his support among whites ought to be giving Democrats heartburn”
January 16, 2010
Recovering from Recession

A Season of Discontent

“Hope was the great lilting anthem of the Obama campaign, but for many people, hope now seems muffled, as if buried beneath snow.”
January 16, 2010
Energy

One Foot in the Future

“[Rosenfeld] worries that progress is coming too slowly, especially to reverse the long-term threat of climate disruption... That's a warning worth heeding.”
January 11, 2010
Democrats

White House Readies Agressive Midterm Push

“In an interview with National Journal, senior White House political adviser David Axelrod laid down several keys to strengthening the Democratic position in an election that all signs suggest is shaping up as extremely difficult for his party.”
January 9, 2010
American Foreign Policy

A Dreary Decade's Long Shadow

“America won't escape the shadow of this century's dreary, disputatious first decade until we learn again to focus more on what unites us than on what divides us.”
December 19, 2009
Health Care Reform

The Discipline of Efficiency

“The latest comprehensive analysis of the Democratic legislation shows how far it goes toward squeezing inefficiency from the medical system -- and how much remains to be done to control costs.”
December 14, 2009
Elections

Holding The Line With White Voters

“The Democrats' vulnerability will deepen, however, if they cannot hold the line in "wine track" districts whose education levels exceed the national average.”
December 6, 2009
War in Afghanistan

Obama's Second Draft In Afghanistan

“Unlike Bush, Obama appears to prefer whenever possible to combat radical Islam through traditional U.S. institutions, such as civilian courts and conventional prisons.”
November 29, 2009
Health Care Reform

Steps In The Right Direction

“The Senate Health Care Bill Represents A Serious Effort To Cut Costs While Expanding Coverage”
November 21, 2009
Economic Policy

A Middle-Class Manifesto

“Republicans expect a backlash against government to drive the 2010 election. But the same middle-class families who tell pollsters that government is growing too big also complain that it is ignoring them.”
November 13, 2009
Health Care Reform

GOP Faces Choice If Health Bill Passes

“Some senior House Republicans have already pledged to repeal any health care bill if they regain the majority.”
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