MattBai.com

Adam Chaprack

mattbai — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:27:24 +0000

I'd like to preface the following screed by saying that were I a resident of New Jersey, I'd be voting for either Corzine or Daggett; the idea of pulling the lever for a nothing like Christie would be akin to choosing Spam over Porterhouse. That said, could you specifically - and the Times in general - be more in Corzine's corner?

Rajiv Venkataramanan

mattbai — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:13:56 +0000

My name is Rajiv and I'm a community organizer in Philly. I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan of your political writing. As you know (better than most), politics is more than just policy. It's also about the well-intentioned yet flawed human characters who populate the political arena. And your writing captures this aspect of politics beautifully. You employ the techniques of a gifted novelist, truly narrating and not merely reporting.

Siobhan Dugan

mattbai — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:38:26 +0000

I read the New York Times magazine regularly, so I’ve seen your byline plenty of times and appreciate your thoughtful approach to the political arena. But you really outdid yourself with State of Distress. The opening of the article paints such an incredible picture that I felt as though I were there in person. And when I got to the line, “You could almost see Corzine’s heart sink in his chest,” I knew I was in for a good read. I appreciate good writing, but when it’s married to outstanding substance, it’s like eating chocolate cake with a twice the icing.

Dave Smith

mattbai — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:28:18 +0000

As a moderate young Republican/former administration official/capitol hill flack I've lately become very interested in your book and work in the New York Times Magazine on the Democratic Party's transition and debate during the Bush wilderness years. I realize you've picked an area to focus on-the post clinton Democrat party and naturally want to focus on continuing to watch the party transition and develop.

The Truth About Bureaucracy

mattbai — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:42:47 +0000

How successful was the recent government giveaway known as “cash for clunkers”? The answer, I suppose, depends on how you want to look at it. In a sense, the program, which enticed jittery motorists to replace their old cars with more fuel-efficient models, was one of Washington’s more obvious triumphs in its effort to defibrillate a fading economy. Thousands of Americans rushed out to buy new cars that were better for the environment; high-polluting vehicles were taken off the road forever; some auto sales surged.

Todd Nyman

mattbai — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:00:12 +0000

Matt - just finished your book, and it's awesome, but I'm sure you hear that all the time. You're obviously smart, which is why it's a little disappointing to see you "miss" Fritz Holznagel's point regarding Obama's Special Olympics remark. Even more disappointing is your apparent misrepresentation of his website's verbatim transcript (assuming Fritz or someone else didn't alter the website since you checked it, which would be nakedly obvious and very stupid. I don't know Fritz from Adam, but judging by his spot-on analysis, I'm speculating he's not that stupid).

The New Old Guard

mattbai — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:10:14 +0000

For all the shouting that has dominated these town hall meetings on health care lately, they have yielded a few important insights. The first is that the town hall itself has probably reached the end of its usefulness in the Internet age; if you’re looking for thoughtful dialogue, you might as well hold your next meeting on the stern of a Somali pirate ship. The second is that we now have a visual sense of the kind of voter who is militantly opposed to Obama’s health care agenda and, more broadly, to the president himself.

jane Curtiss

mattbai — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:18:22 +0000

I read your piece in the Sunday Times which was reinforced by your appearance today on Morning Joe. I am always surprised to see the poll results for elderly people’s lack of support of Obama and/or of health reform. I am 72, born in GA but raised in FL and live in a very conservative area. Obama became my candidate after the 2004 convention speech. I was joined in my enthusiasm for Obama by a 91 year old longtime Democrat, originally from IL, who worked the phones for Obmma at the local Democratic office every Thursday.

Amy

mattbai — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:17:09 +0000

I just finished reading your book (The Argument) and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. It was really interesting to make the parallels between the emerging influence of the "blogosphere" on the 2004-2006 elections with the way things played out during the 2008 Presidential election, particularly Obama's campaign. Any plans to write a follow up?

Christine Brennan

mattbai — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:29:28 +0000

OK, so that was a great piece. I think more evidence of his sense of humor can be seen in the White House correspondent's dinner, as he can barely keep a straight face and keep from laughing as he delivers his lines, particularly, the one about Rep. Boehner's tan. My friends accuse me of drinking the Obama kool aid, but this presidency continues to be a breath of fresh air for me. Thanks for your clear and insightful pieces.

Fritz Holznagel

mattbai — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:19:13 +0000

Thanks for the great "Funny How?" article about the pitfalls of presidential humor.

I wanted to note, politely, that you've repeated a common falsehood about Barack Obama's Special Olympics joke in March. He did NOT say that his bad bowling "belonged in the Special Olympics."

His actual joke was that Jay Leno's *lavish praise for his low score* was like the praise given to all competitors, by tradition, in the Special Olympics. This is quite clear in the video and transcript of the show, which Who2 has compiled here:

Funny How?

mattbai — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:35:24 +0000

It’s hardly fair, this thing we do to our politicians: when they refuse to depart from their carefully worded scripts, we deride them as wooden, fraudulent, synthetic. When they dare to reveal genuine passion or irreverence, though, we pound away at them for displaying insufficient self-control. Such was the case with Barack Obama’s recent and calamitous news conference, when the president plunged headlong into a debate over race relations.

The Other .01%

mattbai — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:33:47 +0000

We’re hurtling down a wide boulevard in suburban Washington, the kids strapped expertly into their regulation car seats, my wife and I breezily discussing open houses and interest rates, when we hear a plaintive cry from the back seat. “Help, it hurts,” my 3-year-old son says. Glancing at the space directly behind me in the rearview mirror, I recoil. Ichi has absently grabbed hold of the S.U.V.’s middle shoulder strap and wrapped it around his neck. His eyes are popping slightly, as in a cartoon — from suffocation or fear I cannot say.

Paige Yannone

mattbai — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:05:39 +0000

Dude, you kick ass...

Carol Gerson

mattbai — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:04:12 +0000

I just want to compliment you on the clarity of your writing and the insight you offer into the ever increasing weirdness of political life in America. I look forward to your articles and am grateful to the Times for having writers like you.

Hagdu Hagdu

mattbai — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 20:41:54 +0000

Below is a portion of an interview with Andrew Bacevich from August of last year. It seems like Carter's speech was rejected by the voters. Do you think it was simply Carter's presentation that was at fault or the voters? I think it was the latter, your review leans toward's the former. Perhaps i'm wrong. It was a short review. (By the way, I loved 'The Argument'). Neither Obama nor McCain, he says, realizes the seriousness of this problem of "limitless consumption." I asked whether any president in recent history had.

Christine Brennan

mattbai — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:03:27 +0000

I read your pieces regularly in the NYTimes and always enjoy them but was moved to write about your "Shuffle" essay, as I did and surprise, surprise my letter was printed in the magazine this morning. Just came across your nonblog here and am curious to hear your reaction to my point of view. Don't we want a president who is willing and able to tackle this mess?

Jay Paterson

mattbai — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:52:06 +0000

Where are you? I'm starting a campaign to force you on twitter. When I signed up your name was 1 of first I looked for . . . you luddite. Your name is getting mentioned, u getting quoted, etc. Get with the program, dude, youre too young to be that out of it. Seriously, stake your ground now. There are a lot of people with a lot less brains than you, taking up an awful lot of air and space. Screw principles, you gotta pay the bills. You think Cronkite wanted to go to tv?

The Shuffle President

mattbai — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:04:53 +0000

Like romantic comedies and superhero blockbusters, the modern presidency has evolved into a reliable form of dramatic narrative. A candidate comes into office brandishing a broad theme — a vow to clean up government, perhaps, or to fearlessly prune it back — and then lays out one or two big proposals to make it real. In time, of course, a presidency tends to sprawl as events intrude. Bill Clinton couldn’t have imagined he would spend so much of his two terms fending off resurgent Republicans, just as George W. Bush didn’t envision going to war.

Peter Marino

mattbai — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:55:34 +0000

I have long been a reader of your columns in the Times Magazine and
appreciate your work. I write to you today about your most recent piece in
this Sunday's issue.

You touch on, I think, a crucial and largely under-appreciated

Some technical problems

mattbai — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:28:24 +0000

If you're looking at my archives on this site, you might notice that I seem to have written my latest pieces in December of 1969. This would be quite a feat, since I was only 1 at the time. Actually, I've recently had to do a software update and some things are going haywire. So please excuse our appearance while renovations are completed, as they say....thanks.

Taking the Hill

mattbai — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:22:56 +0000

Sometime in the next few weeks, Congress and the White House will descend into the labyrinthine politics of comprehensive health care reform. For Barack Obama, this signals the end, in a sense, of the eventful prologue to his presidency. Impressive as they are, Obama’s legislative victories to this point — most notably the $787 billion stimulus bill and a stunningly ambitious $3.6 trillion budget resolution — have been relatively easy lifts for a popular new president installed at a time of economic crisis and buffered by comfortable majorities in the House and Senate.

Everyone a Winner?

mattbai — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:20:18 +0000

Even before he ran for re-election to the Senate, Norm Coleman saw more than his share of ignominious elections. First he lost the Minnesota governorship to a former pro wrestler who called himself the Body. Then he just barely managed to wrest a Senate seat from an opponent, Paul Wellstone, who had recently perished in a plane crash. So can you really blame Coleman for having spent the last eight months furiously trying not to have to concede defeat to Al Franken — a man who once acted alongside a gorilla on the set of “Trading Places”?

Michael Conrad

mattbai — Tue, 26 May 2009 13:54:49 +0000

I read your book earlier this month, and I recently criticized it in a post that was my attempt to start a conversation in my corner of the netroots. After seeing that you had written an article about the progressive blogosphere in an issue of Democracy I saw at a book store, I got this crazy idea to send you a link. My post wasn't widely read by any stretch of the imagination (and you've likely heard some of this before) but at any rate...
http://www.progressiveblue.com/diary/3308/

The relevant portion of the post is below.

...

Harold Ellis

mattbai — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:37:42 +0000

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