Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is the bestselling co-author of White Rural Rage, a prominent political commentator, and an opinion columnist for MSNBC. His writing offers astute analysis of current events in American politics and elections, broader policy issues, and the media’s coverage of and influence on the entire political realm. He also pens The Cross Section on Substack, going beyond surface-level reactions to the daily political cycle to dig deep and better understand the cyclical relationship between what influences politics and how politics influence us. At the center of Waldman’s work is an ongoing exploration of the economic, social, and cultural undercurrents that shape our political world.

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White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy, co-authored with fellow Leigh Bureau speaker Tom Schaller, is a controversial account of the misplaced rage amongst white rural voters and the existential threat their anger poses to the country at large. Called a “superb treatment of the regional and political divide that is shaping American politics, governance and society,” the book debuted on both the New York Times and Amazon bestseller lists. The authors argue that white rural voters are suffering by their own hands as they continuously vote in politicians that pay lip service to petty issues to win their votes and fail to deliver meaningful policy changes to improve constituents’ lives once in office. The result is a feedback loop of grievance and resentment that leads to actions like the January 6^th insurrection that undermine democracy.

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Waldman is also the author of four other books on politics and the media, namely Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Can Learn from Conservative Success, The Press Effect: Politicians, Journalists, and the Stories That Shape the Political World, Fraud: The Strategy Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn't Tell You, and Free Ride: John McCain and the Media.

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In addition to his current role at MSNBC, Waldman has written for American Prospect, The Week, and most recently, the Washington Post where he wrote “The Plum Line” alongside Greg Sargent. He also co-hosts the Boundary Issues podcast where each episode unravels a major societal issue from misinformation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to masculinity and political polarization.