Conor Friedersdorf

Conor Friedersdorf is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he focuses on politics and national affairs. He lives in Venice, California, and is the founding editor of The Best of Journalism, a newsletter devoted to exceptional nonfiction.

Off the Bookshelf: When Ball Players Made $50K

Off the Bookshelf: When Ball Players Made $50K

Short excerpts from long reads More »

What America Looks Like: Hoboken, New Jersey

What America Looks Like: Hoboken, New Jersey

The United States as seen by its residents More »

Are Members of Congress Engaged in Insider Trading?

Are Members of Congress Engaged in Insider Trading?

Legislators who buy stock somehow manage to earn a much higher return on their investments than the rest of us More »

Attacking Sarah Palin from the Right

Attacking Sarah Palin from the Right

If the former Alaska governor runs, Ronald Reagan's admonition, "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican" will not survive More »

Rand Paul's Stand Against the PATRIOT Act

Rand Paul's Stand Against the PATRIOT Act

Video of his fiery speech batting back at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid More »

Off the Bookshelf: Signs of That Thrill

Off the Bookshelf: Signs of That Thrill

Short excerpts from long reads More »

Medicare: Still the Biggest Fight in Washington

Medicare: Still the Biggest Fight in Washington

Paul Ryan's plan to revamp the entitlement is dividing Republicans, cheering Democrats and firing up the conservative base More »

Tim Pawlenty: Working Class Stalwart or Typical Careerist?

Tim Pawlenty: Working Class Stalwart or Typical Careerist?

The former governor praises small town values but has lived the life of a member of America's career driven, meritocratic elite More »

The End of Hope and Change

The End of Hope and Change

President Obama is poised to sign an extension of the PATRIOT Act -- and normalize Bush-Cheney national security policies More »

Off the Bookshelf: When Wine Ran Through The Streets

Off the Bookshelf: When Wine Ran Through The Streets

Short excerpts from long reads More »

What America Looks Like: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

What America Looks Like: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The United States as seen by its residents More »

Herman Cain: Spying on Americans Is Okay, But Not Assassinating Them

Herman Cain: Spying on Americans Is Okay, But Not Assassinating Them

The presidential candidate on warrantless wiretaps, executive killings, the war on drugs, military tribunals, airport security, and more More »

For Tim Pawlenty, Politics Is Like a Hockey Fight

For Tim Pawlenty, Politics Is Like a Hockey Fight

Should we forgive politicians for roughing each other up so long as it's all in the game? More »

Off the Bookshelf: Exploring a Memory

Off the Bookshelf: Exploring a Memory

Short excerpts from long reads More »

The Best Way to Free 30,000 Convicts

The Best Way to Free 30,000 Convicts

In California, where the Supreme Court has ordered prison inmates released, an experiment with ankle bracelets may be in order More »

Police Ignore Illegal Drugs, Focus on Seizing Cash

Police Ignore Illegal Drugs, Focus on Seizing Cash

Asset forfeiture laws also give law enforcement an incentive to harass innocent people More »

Tim Pawlenty's Innocuous Book

Tim Pawlenty's Innocuous Book

Rather than "Courage to Stand," it should be called "Well Adjusted Man From Loving Family Is Hardworking, Unlikely To Do Anything Terribly Objectionable" More »

Off the Bookshelf: The Frontier Made Us American

Off the Bookshelf: The Frontier Made Us American

Short excerpts from long reads More »

What America Looks Like: Vicksburg, Mississippi

What America Looks Like: Vicksburg, Mississippi

The United States as seen by its residents More »

Off the Bookshelf: The Purity of Aristotle

Off the Bookshelf: The Purity of Aristotle

Short excerpts from long reads More »

The Biggest Story in Photos

Picking up the Pieces After the Tornado in Moore, Oklahoma

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