Jonah Goldberg
One of the most prominent young conservative journalists on the scene today, Jonah Goldberg is Generation X’s answer to P.J. O’Rourke. Jonah Goldberg's columns and articles, laced with keen wit and pithy insights, have rapidly generated a large readership. Whether Jonah Goldberg is issuing a sharply-worded cultural critique or laying out a lucid analysis of a hot political issue, Jonah Goldberg is guaranteed to make you laugh, and learn. Jonah Goldberg's work is proof that reading and thinking about political, media, and cultural issues can be enlightening and entertaining at the same time--even if you don’t agree with Jonah Goldberg's particular point of view.
A nationally syndicated columnist and the editor of National Review Online, Jonah Goldberg also is a contributing editor to the print version of National Review. In addition, Jonah Goldberg writes the popular "Goldberg File" column for National Review Online. Jonah Goldberg is also the media columnist for The American Enterprise Magazine, and a media critic for Brill’s Content.
Jonah Goldberg has also written on politics and culture for the New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, The Public Interest, The Wilson Quarterly, The Weekly Standard, The New York Post, National Review, The Women’s Quarterly, and Slate.
While working at New River Media in Washington, DC, (1993-98), Jonah Goldberg wrote, produced, and edited two internationally filmed, historical documentaries: Gargoyles: Guardians of the Gate, and Notre Dame: Witness to History, and earned credits in several other television productions, including PBS television essays, specials, and programs. Jonah Goldberg also produced national live satellite video conferences on business and educational issues. From 1996-98, Jonah Goldberg was the producer of Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg, an award-winning PBS television series covering ideas and public policy issues.
Prior to Jonah Goldberg's television work, Goldberg was a research analyst in social and political studies at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. A 1991 graduate of Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland, Jonah Goldberg served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 1991-94. After graduating from college, Jonah Goldberg spent a year working as an English teacher in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Jonah Goldberg has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Crossfire, Today, Nightline, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Politically Incorrect, and the NBC Nightly News. Jonah Goldberg has also been profiled in several national publications.
By Jonah Goldberg (Sep 03, 2010)
There's been a lot of talk about Bush nostalgia lately.
At Martha's Vineyard, the Obama-bilia wasn't moving like it was during the Obamas' previous visit there. The... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Sep 01, 2010)
Predictably, the "Restoring Honor" rally on the National Mall last Saturday has evoked a lot of consternation.
Because the rally explicitly and studiously avoided... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 27, 2010)
You've got to wonder when White House political guru David Axelrod will look at the churning pools of poll data and, like Chief Brody in "Jaws," say: "We're gonna need a... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 25, 2010)
Here's a thought: The 70 percent of Americans who oppose what amounts to an Islamic Niketown two blocks from ground zero are the real victims of a climate of hate, and the... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 20, 2010)
It was big news around the world: China has "overtaken" Japan as the world's second-richest economy.
Except, well, it's not really news, it's not really big, and it's... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 18, 2010)
The ground zero mosque controversy is one of the stupidest debates of our time. I don't mean the substance of the debate (though there's no shortage of stupidity on that... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 13, 2010)
"The race card is maxed out."
That was the punch line for a recent hilarious exchange on "The Daily Show" in which Larry Wilmore, the faux news program's "senior black... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 11, 2010)
It's like clockwork. Whenever conservatives propose a constitutional amendment, progressives suddenly rediscover the delicate gears of the Constitution and the horrible... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 06, 2010)
Let us compare the Volkswagen and the "Voltswagen."
The original Volkswagen was intended as the "people's car" (that's what Volkswagen means). The idea of a cheap, safe,... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 04, 2010)
A recent episode of NPR's "This American Life" (quite possibly the best reportorial journalistic enterprise going today -- an admission that might cost me my right-wing... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Aug 04, 2010)
Conservatives, being conservatives, have a soft spot for the good old days, but this is getting ridiculous. It seems every day another colleague on the right wants to... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 30, 2010)
Well, that was fast.
Just a few weeks ago, the Gulf oil spill was a turning point for America. It was precisely the providential prodding Americans needed to wean... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 28, 2010)
"The high standards and wise judgments of people like Walter Cronkite once acted as a national immune system, zapping scandal mongers and quashing wild rumors," wrote... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 23, 2010)
The Journolist has started to leak like an overripe diaper.
Just in case you've been living in a cave, or if you only get your news from MSNBC, here's the story. A... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 21, 2010)
"Should we let Americans fall off a cliff or should we help them? There shouldn't be a debate as to where the money comes from. I mean, if your brother or your sister... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 16, 2010)
When Rome was "falling," did it feel like it? When all of the tasty, leafy fronds started vanishing, did the dinosaurs say, "So this is what extinction looks like"? When... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 16, 2010)
When Rome was "falling," did it feel like it? When all of the tasty, leafy fronds started vanishing, did the dinosaurs say, "So this is what extinction looks like"? When... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 14, 2010)
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
The Obama administration came into power with the political winds at its back, the media at its feet and Americans open to major... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 09, 2010)
According to New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman in his mega-selling book "Hot, Flat, and Crowded," China banned plastic bags a few years ago. "Bam! Just like that --... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 08, 2010)
There has been a lot of news in the last week or so: the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the death of Sen. Robert Byrd, the oil spill off the Gulf Coast, the... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 07, 2010)
"Waste anything but time." That was the motto of the teams behind NASA's Apollo mission. That spirit has long since evaporated. Today's NASA is pulled by a million... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jul 02, 2010)
It is a good rule of thumb not to speak ill of the dead. But what to do when a man is celebrated beyond the limits of decorum or common sense? Must we stay silent as others... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 30, 2010)
Say it ain't so, Elena.
Elena Kagan thinks that the "Borking" of Robert Bork during his 1987 confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court would deserve a... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 25, 2010)
Head to the local big-box electronics store and buy yourself: a Panasonic home theater system ($500), an Insignia 50-inch plasma HDTV ($700), an Apple 8GB iPod Touch... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 23, 2010)
There's a great moment in the 1993 movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer." Ben Kingsley plays a coach for a 7-year-old chess prodigy named Josh. Kingsley wants the boy to stop... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 18, 2010)
A little over a year ago, President Barack Obama reversed George W. Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research.
Just for the record, Bush didn't "ban" embryonic... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 16, 2010)
A rolling "dead zone" off the Gulf of Mexico is killing sea life and destroying livelihoods. Recent estimates put the blob at nearly the size of New Jersey.
Alas, I'm... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 11, 2010)
In the movie "The Andromeda Strain," scientists discover an alien bacteria with the potential to destroy humanity. Immediately, government protocols snap into place. The... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 09, 2010)
Outraged by Arizona's immigration policies, the Los Angeles City Council wants to boycott the Grand Canyon State. When will the United Nations condemn Los Angeles for its... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 04, 2010)
On May 29, two days before Israel's botched raid of six "humanitarian" ships bound for Gaza, Robert Naiman, the policy director of something called "Just Foreign Policy,"... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 04, 2010)
On May 29, two days before Israel's botched raid of six "humanitarian" ships bound for Gaza, Robert Naiman, the policy director of something called "Just Foreign Policy,"... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jun 02, 2010)
The flames from Greece's debt crisis protests have cast new light on the perils of our own overspending and overborrowing. You know the litany. California is imploding.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 28, 2010)
"Joe Biden": With the exception of "broken teleprompter" these are the scariest two words in the White House communications shop.
One advantage Biden has over Obama... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 26, 2010)
It has already become a cliche on the right to tut-tut at U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul's "rookie" mistake of trying to conduct a "libertarian seminar" during the... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 21, 2010)
"Falling Down" (1993) was one of the worst political films of the last 20 years, but it had one memorable line. A stunned Michael Douglas asks, "I'm the bad guy? ... How... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 19, 2010)
We are taught to believe that ideology is the enemy of free thought. But that's not right. Ideology is a mere checklist of principles and priorities. The real enemy of... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 14, 2010)
After Lyndon Johnson was elected to Congress in 1937, he got word that a liberal magazine, The New Republic, was going to profile him alongside other New Deal stalwarts.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 12, 2010)
Sen. Robert Bennett, an honorable and sincere politician, was brought down by the rank and file of the Utah Republican Party over the weekend. Bennett, visibly shaken by his... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 07, 2010)
What if Arizona's "racial profiling" law worked perfectly?
In other words, what if Arizona police were always right? What if they could take a look at someone and,... more
By Jonah Goldberg (May 05, 2010)
On July 27, 2009, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio swung by the D.C. offices of National Review (where I'm a contributing editor). He was there seeking support... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 30, 2010)
I've got a proposal for you. I'd call it a "modest proposal" but, thanks to Jonathan Swift, when writers say that, it means they're about to propose something absolutely... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 28, 2010)
On Monday, Matt Lauer of "Today" interviewed Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff who's made a national name for himself cracking down on illegal immigration.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 23, 2010)
Five years ago this week, my former boss William F. Buckley started a column thusly:
"Every ten years I quote the same adage from the late Austrian analyst Willi... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 21, 2010)
I attended the Cincinnati Tax Day Tea Party rally as a speaker. But it was more interesting to be an observer.
First, here's what I didn't see. I didn't see a single... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 14, 2010)
If you don't mind, I'm going to skip the preliminary bouts over which party is more hypocritical for switching its views on Supreme Court nominees. Democrats now insist... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 09, 2010)
By now you may have heard: America is on its way to becoming another European country.
Now, by that I do not mean that we're moving our tectonic plate off the coast... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 07, 2010)
Congratulations! This is your last week working for the man -- at least for this year. The Tax Foundation calculates that Tax Freedom Day for 2010 is April 9, which means... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 07, 2010)
I've seen "How to Train Your Dragon" twice. My daughter loves it (the lead dragon reminds us of her cat). And I think it's pretty great too. (Note: Some pretty obvious... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Apr 02, 2010)
Too little, too late, too clever and for the wrong reasons. That's a good way to describe President Obama's decision to allow a little offshore drilling.
Of course,... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 31, 2010)
Apparently there's a self-proclaimed militia leader named Mike Vanderboegh who runs an obscure, low-traffic blog out of Pinson, Ala. (population 5,007). Mr. Vanderboegh... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 26, 2010)
During the 2004 Democratic convention I was on a train heading to Boston's Fleet Center. While straining to contain my excitement over the prospect of hearing presidential... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 24, 2010)
First: Congratulations to President Obama and the Democratic leadership. You won dirty against bipartisan opposition from both Congress and the majority of Americans.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 19, 2010)
John Edwards, when he wasn't fixing his hair or cheating on his wife, liked to talk about "two Americas." In one America, things were pretty bad, somewhere between "The... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 17, 2010)
If you read the Op-Ed pages these days, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the GOP and the conservative movement have been taken over by know-nothing mobs,... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 12, 2010)
The time for talk is over.
So proclaimed the most talkative president in modern memory. I can't remember when Barack Obama said that. Maybe it was during the first... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 10, 2010)
In Cameroon, some mothers "iron" their daughters' breasts to delay or prevent them from having sex. The procedure often involves grinding a very hot rock into the chest... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 06, 2010)
"Wall Street shifting toward Republicans," blared a front-page headline in The Washington Post last week. "Commercial banks and high-flying investment firms have shifted... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 05, 2010)
"Victory has a thousand fathers," John F. Kennedy reportedly said, "but defeat is an orphan."
By that standard, George W. Bush has won the Iraq war.
Last month,... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Mar 03, 2010)
The president is surrounded by acolytes of the Cult of Obama. They consider him to be a "transformational figure" who need not sully himself with the usual rules of... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 26, 2010)
The longest week I ever spent was the six hours I spent watching Thursday's health-care summit.
The better angel of my nature says that this confab is a wonderful... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 24, 2010)
"I have been over into the future, and it works."
Lincoln Steffens, the muckraking journalist, offered that review of the Soviet Union on his return from a... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 19, 2010)
Remember that great scene from the Oscar-robbed classic "The Blues Brothers"? Jake and Elwood (John Belushi and Dan Akroyd) are finally cornered by Jake's former fiancée... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 17, 2010)
"Politics should never get in the way of national security," wrote John Brennan, the White House's shockingly political deputy national security advisor. His USA Today... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 12, 2010)
The president has invited congressional Republicans to sit down and talk through health care at a big "bipartisan summit" on Feb. 25. Some think it's a little late for such... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 10, 2010)
I watched the Super Bowl in the chilled air of the GFISZ (that's Goldberg Family Ice Station Zebra). Here in Washington, we haven't seen this much snow since at least 1922.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 05, 2010)
It's Oscar time. Unfortunately -- or perhaps fortunately -- I haven't seen anywhere near all of the contenders. For that reason alone, I can't write an Oscar column.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 03, 2010)
Every president is subject to forces beyond his control. If unemployment were at 5 percent, President Obama would be doing fine. If the Christmas bomber's pants had... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Feb 03, 2010)
"I am not an ideologue," President Obama insisted at his truly refreshing confab with the Republican caucus in Baltimore last Friday. When he heard some incredulous murmurs... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 29, 2010)
In 1964, Barry Goldwater gave an uncompromisingly conservative and liberty-loving speech to the Republican Convention. A reporter in the audience couldn't believe his ears.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 27, 2010)
It is always dangerous to mistake your ideological preferences for shrewd political strategy, but that is precisely what President Obama and his advisors have done with the... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 22, 2010)
Denial, arrogance and self-pity are ingredients for a pretty toxic cocktail. And yet it seems that the occupants of the White House bunker, shell-shocked by Scott Brown,... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 20, 2010)
The images from Haiti are, if anything, only getting worse. What was left of an already fragile society is starting to break down, as violence and chaos take over.... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 15, 2010)
In August, Ted Kennedy, the Lion of the Senate, the last son of Camelot, the soul of the Democratic Party, friend of the people and scourge of robber barons, fat cats and... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 13, 2010)
There is so much to enjoy about the Democrats' Harry Reid problem, and yet I find the whole spectacle horribly depressing.
First, let's recap the bright side. The... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 08, 2010)
This is one of those rare moments when the conventional wisdom in Washington is right. The Democrats are poised to have a bad year; the only argument is over how bad it... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 07, 2010)
A year ago this month, the air over American liberalism was thick with champagne corks. Barack Obama, the newly elected president, was poised to be inaugurated, and he in... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 06, 2010)
Almost exactly 10 years ago, I boarded a Northwest Airlines plane in Minneapolis. As I started toward my veal-pen seat in steerage, I saw the faces of the preboarded... more
By Jonah Goldberg (Jan 01, 2010)
On the last day of 2009, that awful year, I was listening to a report on National Public Radio (yes, I'm a listener). Reporter Tamara Keith presented a by-now-familiar recap... more