Matt Bai writes on national politics for the New York Times Magazine, where he is currently covering the 2008 presidential campaign. He is the author of The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics. The book, which chronicles the rise of the first Internet-age political movement and the people who built it, was honored as a New York Times Notable Book for 2007. The Economist called The Argument “engaging and painstakingly reported,” and the Washington Post called it “unsparing, incisive and altogether engaging” and “a must read.”
The Washington Monthly’s reviewer, Kevin Drum, wrote: “I had more fun reading The Argument than I’ve had reading any political book in ages. It was fun the way The Boys on the Bus was fun. The way Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ‘72 was fun...Or maybe even the way Primary Colors was fun.” And in the American Prospect, the political writer Ron Brownstein said: “Bai’s coverage of the 2004 presidential campaign was fresh and distinct. This book underscores his emergence as an important new voice in the political dialogue, with keen insights and an engaging way of expressing them.”
Bai’s most recent work for the Times Magazine has included cover stories on John McCain’s philosophy about war and Barack Obama’s strategy to win over white men, as well as a much-discussed cover essay titled, “Is Obama the End of Black Politics?” During the 2008 primaries, Bai wrote a popular online blog, “The Primary Argument,” on the New York Times website. His 2004 coverage for the Times Magazine included cover pieces on the Republican machine in Ohio and a seminal cover profile of John Kerry titled “Kerry’s Undeclared War.” His work was honored in both the 2005 and 2006 editions of The Best American Political Writing.
Before joining the Times Magazine in 2002, Bai spent five years as a national correspondent for Newsweek. In 2001, he was a fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, where he led a seminar on the next generation of political journalism. He began his career as a city desk reporter for the Boston Globe, and his international experience includes coverage from Iraq and Liberia.