I'm a bestselling author who also wrote speeches and jokes for President Obama. On here, I write about political persuasion, how obscure cultural references explain everything, and how to live courageously when it takes guts just to read the news.
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The Real Problem with the DNC Autopsy
I guess I should be clearer. There are three problems with the DNC’s 2024 campaign autopsy of the 2024 .
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The DNC won’t release it.
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It’s possible the autopsy was so poorly conducted that concealing it is less embarrassing than...
Blue States are Great, Actually
Yesterday, J.D. Vance announced the Trump Administration is withholding $1.3 billion in Medicaid funding for California. This comes shortly after they announced they’re withholding $259 million from Minnesota.
This wouldn’t be the first ti...
The WHCD Proved We Don't Need Trump's Ballroom
I wasn’t in the room.
I’m referring, of course, to the Washington Hilton ballroom, where I attended five White House Correspondents’ Dinners when I wrote speeches for Obama. But on Saturday night, I was part of the live panel covering the...
On Trump's Correspondents' Dinner Victory Lap
Because I used to write jokes for President Obama, and then wrote a memoir about having written jokes for President Obama, I have no choice but to pay attention to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
I brought this on myself.
Along...
Are Democrats Afraid of Landslides?
There’s a word for the word “landslide.”
Actually, two words: dead metaphor.
Think about a “bed” of roses, or a failed investor going “belly up.” They started as analogies. But we use them so frequently we don’t think about the symbolism...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
A former Obama speechwriter and joke writer, David Litt is the New York Times bestselling author of Thanks, Obama and Democracy in One Book or Less. His next book, It’s Only Drowning, will be published on June 24, and his newsletter is “Word Salad.”
Surfer, writer, decent ping pong player. "One Last Question Before You Go: Why You Should Interview Your Parents" is out now. Order it here: geni.us/onelastqbeforeyougo
My book about the sports betting boom is due out January 2026. My reporting has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and the Columbia Journalism Review. I live in Charlotte with my wife, son, and cat.
Author of "Kind of a Big Deal," "Generation Friends," and more. Bylines in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Vanity Fair, and Slate.
Nearly 30 year Political Hack. Helped a little-known guy from Illinois win Florida en route to the White House, and later helped another well-known ice cream lover take up residence there as well.
Ilan Goldenberg is Chief Policy Officer at J Street. He served as Vice President Kamala Harris's Special Advisor on the Middle East at the White House and Jewish Outreach Director on the 2024 Presidential campaign.
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