Jacob Weisberg

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Jacob Weisberg (born 1964) is an American political journalist, currently serving as editor of Slate magazine and a columnist for the Financial Times. He is the son of Lois Weisberg, a Chicago social activist and connector celebrated in Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point. Weisberg's father, Bernard Weisberg, was a prominent Chicago lawyer and, later, judge. His parents were introduced at a cocktail party by novelist Ralph Ellison.

Weisberg is a frequent commentator on National Public Radio and also writes a weekly column for the Financial Times. He previously worked for The New Republic in Washington, D.C., was a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. Early in his career, he worked for Newsweek in the London and Washington bureaus. Weisberg has also worked as a freelance journalist for numerous publications.

Weisberg is the creator and author of the Bushisms series. He is also the author, with Robert Rubin, of In An Uncertain World (2003). Weisberg's first book, In Defense of Government, was published in 1996.

His views are perhaps best described as neoliberal, favoring free trade, a pro-Israeli foreign policy, and social liberalism domestically.

Weisberg graduated from Yale University in 1986, where he worked for the Yale Daily News. When a junior, he was offered a membership in Skull and Bones by Senator John Kerry, but declined the offer, citing the club's exclusion of women.[1]. After Yale he attended New College, Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.

Weisberg moderated a 2007 debate between Al Sharpton and Christopher Hitchens. This debate hit the news after Al Sharpton made a comment that seemed to charge that Mormons did not "really believe in God." The moderator, Weisberg, was noted to have also made critical comments regarding Mormons, and in particular presidential candidate Mitt Romney.[2] Weisberg authored an opinion piece on Slate in which he argues it is not bigoted to refuse to vote for a Mormon, especially one who believes in the "founding whoppers of Mormonism."[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Alex Beam, "The Bones in Kerry's Closet," Boston Globe, June 25, 2002, pp. E1+.
  2. ^ Lisa Riley Roche, Catholics and Evangelicals Leap to Romney's Defense, May 10, 2007, http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,660219285,00.html
  3. ^ Jacob Weisberg, Romney's Religion, Slate, Dec. 20, 2006, http://www.slate.com/id/2155902, but see David Kravitz, Jacob Weisberg on Romney and the Mormons: Raising the Stakes, Yet Missing the Point, Jan 16, 2007, http://www.bluemassgroup.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=5985 (refuting Weisberg's logical analysis when compared to "mainstream" Christian churches)

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