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About Bai Lines
Let’s start with the immortal words of the late Admiral James Stockdale, a true American hero, who found himself thrust onto the vice presidential debate stage in 1992.
“Who am I? Why am I here?”
Those of you who are longtime readers will know the answer to the first part, at least. I’ve been writing about American politics and its place in the culture for more than 20 years now — as the chief political writer for the New York Times Magazine and as a columnist at the Times, Yahoo and now the Washington Post. I’ve covered five presidential campaigns and spent time with scores of politicians. I actually like them.
I’ve written a couple of books, too, and turned the last one — All the Truth Is Out, about Gary Hart’s undoing in 1987 and the way it transformed political journalism — into a movie called The Front Runner. You probably didn’t see it, but Hugh Jackman was terrific, so you should.
As for the second question, what I’m doing here at Substack, I guess the answer is: trying something new.
Columns are about certainties, or at the least the appearance of them. You pick a position and you argue it. Most columnists these days, sad to say, know their position on every issue before they ask a single question. It’s basically a team sport.
Increasingly, though, the only thing I’m really certain about is that I don’t have all the answers. I’m pretty sure Donald Trump represents a clear danger to the democracy — aside from that, though, I don’t always know where I fit in the political debate. Like an awful lot of Americans, I’m independent, both by temperament and affiliation, and I worry for the country.
If you feel the same, then I hope this newsletter is for you. It’ll be more personal than what I’ve done before. I’m trying to work through some difficult questions about our politics and media — while occasionally discussing screenwriting or books, or baseball, or serial abuses of the English language. We won’t always agree, but my hope is to build a community where we can talk to each other, directly and kindly.
Please like my brand-spanking-new Facebook page, or on Twitter or Instagram. (So many ways to communicate, so little time.)
