After his first Fireside Chat, Roosevelt suggested, “I think it’s time for beer” and immediately called on Congress to legalize it. Days later, beer was again legal. FDR’s effort, which eventually led to the repeal of Prohibition, was, according to...

When The Promise, Jonathan Alter's in-depth account of the first year of the Obama White House, was released in 2010, the documentation of Emanuel's antics received as much coverage as the inner-workings of the administration's push for health care...

lengthy 1988 nomination speech for Michael Dukakis “It was probably the most shattering moment in her life. ” — Sheehy on when Clinton finally confessed Lewinsky affair to Hillary “They just despised the man and could not stand that he was going to get away with this.” — Journalist Jonathan Alter on House Republicans’ drive to impeach Clinton “When you hear someone say, ‘It’s not about sex,’ it’s about sex.” — Sen. Dale Bumpers (DArk.) during Clinton’s impeachment trial “It’s one of those things I never quite figured out.” — Former Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) on how Clinton rebounded after the Lewinsky

Alter was a senior editor, media critic and columnist for Newsweek, where he worked for 28 years and covered five administrations and seven presidential campaigns. During the 1928 presidential campaign, nutty right-wing Protestants claimed that Al...

The academics it talks to may wind up being drawn more from local universities than elsewhere, but pulling from Evanston, Chicago, Indiana and Illinois could hardly be called jingoism. And there's been a healthy balance between WBEZ bloggers and...

Schultz spoke to Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Jonathan Alter about the tentative deal to extend the payroll tax holiday and unemployment insurance. When asked why it appears Republicans are finally giving in and willing to pass the measures without demanding...

A common type of air pollution might speed up the mental decline that comes with aging, according to new resea... True to form, the 54th annual Grammy Awards Sunday night chose to sidestep its mission “to honor artistic ex... Offering a more...

Walter Jones. Their amendment, comparable to one sponsored by Tom Udall in the Senate, counters the Citizens United ruling and says money is not speech, and it authorizes Congress to enact public financing. The specifics of how best to clean up the...

Alter in Bloomberg View on campaign finance reform The 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision by the Supreme Court, which declared money a form of speech in elections, has quickly become "explosive." "Instead of sitting around...

Alter was a senior editor, media critic and columnist for Newsweek, where he worked for 28 years and covered five administrations and seven presidential campaigns. The 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case is fast becoming as...

What would be, what is, her moral compass? I don’t want to see Mr. Gingrich as president, but the idea of Callista as First Lady is oddly, crazily, alluring. P.S. to all matters Gingrich. The only sensible person I have heard on the subject of Newt is...

And make no mistake: Heritage and I actively oppose the individual mandate, including in an amicus brief filed in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, the myth persists. ObamaCare "adopts the 'individual mandate' concept...

“I think I first read about DonorsChoose in a Jonathan Alter column, and was so fascinated by their peer-to-peer funding model, I described it in a Sunday [“Doonesbury” in 2007]. Apparently the site received a surge of interest in response, so they...

Alter was a senior editor, media critic and columnist for Newsweek, where he worked for 28 years and covered five administrations and seven presidential campaigns. Newt Gingrich was so bitter after his Florida loss that he neither called Mitt Romney to...

MSNBC's Alex Wagner, National Review's Reihan Salam, and Bloomberg's Jonathan Alter discuss how the 2012 race may play out after Tuesday’s Florida primary. Related Links: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34689185/ Top of page

“Daily Rundown” line-up : Complete Florida numbers analysis and reaction with pro-Romney Rep. Connie Mack (R-FL) and Gingrich’s Florida Co-Chair Bill McCollum… NBC’s Mike Isikoff with much more on the big names with big money fueling the Super PACs…...

Guests confirmed include former NY Giant and NFL Hall of Famer Frank Gifford and wife Kathie Lee Gifford, Mort Janklow, Time Inc.’s John Huey, Jonathan Alter and restaurateur Drew Nierporent. A source close to Harvey Weinstein, last night in Los...

But if they look at the president’s record and proposals with an open mind, they might be pleasantly surprised. (Jonathan Alter is a Bloomberg View columnist and the author of “The Promise: President Obama, Year One.” The opinions expressed are his...

Consider this analysis from a recent op-ed he wrote on five myths about Obama: 3. Obama is an effective public speaker. Obama’s lofty speeches during the 2008 campaign led even his detractors to admit that he is a gifted orator. Some critics try to...