Ari Berman

Ari Berman is a political correspondent for The Nation magazine, America's oldest political weekly, and an Investigative Journalism Fellow at The Nation Institute. His critically acclaimed first book, Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics, was published in October 2010 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. It will soon released in paperback from Picador.

Berman has been described by best-selling author David Sirota as "one of the best writers around today." He's written extensively about American politics, political campaigns, US domestic policy, the intersection of money and politics, and the changing nature of global politics. His stories have also appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Guardian, and he is a frequent guest and political commentator on MSNBC, C-SPAN, NPR, and the BBC.

Berman's book, Herding Donkeys, tells the inside story of Barack Obama's groundbreaking presidential campaign, chronicling how Obama built upon Howard Dean's pioneering use of grassroots organizing and new media to rewrite the rules of modern American politics. Based on his extensive on-the-ground interviews with top policymakers, cutting-edge political strategists, and innovative local activists, Berman provides unique insight into a new era in politics, painting a vivid picture of the fight for political power today.

Herding Donkeys earned widespread acclaim upon publication, and was lauded as "a well-reported tour de force" (The Wall Street Journal), "a worthwhile document of an American political revolution" (The Christian Science Monitor), and "lively [and] instructive" (New York Review of Books). John Heilemann, co-author of Game Change, called the book "one of the most important political stories of the new century," praising Berman's "reportorial verve, keen eye, sharp pen and wealth of fresh insight."

Berman is a regular commentator on television shows like MSNBC's Morning Joe, The Rachel Maddow Show, The Last Word, and The Dylan Ratigan Show; CNN's Reliable Sources; and C-SPAN's Washington Journal. He's also a frequent guest on NPR programs like "All Things Considered," "Talk of the Nation," and "On Point."

He's lectured extensively before college campuses (Harvard, Northwestern, NYU, University of San Francisco, Sarah Lawrence), civic forums (Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Clinton School of Public Service, New York Public Library, 92 Y Tribeca, The Gershman Y, Town Hall Seattle) and think tanks (New America Foundation, Center for American Progress, Century Foundation).

He graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and political science.