James Kirchick

James Kirchick (born 1983) is an American journalist and political commentator.www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2007/08/05/left_out/] Kirchick grew up in the Boston suburbs and is a 2006 graduate of Yale University. [ [http://www.examiner.com/a-527696~James_Kirchick__Columbia_University_must_maintain_its_good_name.html James Kirchick: Columbia University must maintain its good name - Examiner.com ] ]

Kirchick began to attract national attention in January 2008, when, in an article published in "The New Republic", he reported on decades-worth of newsletters published by Republican congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, characterized by "obsession with conspiracies, sympathy for the right-wing militia movement, and deeply held bigotry against blacks, Jews, and gays."

Kirchick's political views and commentary have not fit neatly into any particular box. Although he once canvassed for Ralph Nader and (in a 2006 Wall Street Journal article) identified himself as a "liberal Democrat" [ [http://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008051 The Wall Street Journal Online - John Fund on the Trail ] ] , he has also called himself a "conservative," "libertarian," and "recovering leftist." Kirchick's writings since 2002 have been deeply opposed to Yale's unions and SEIU, [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/15565 Yale Daily News - Non-profit cancer center would provide jobs, care ] ] [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/8018 Yale Daily News - If only this strike had something to do with the welfare of Yale's workers ] ] liberal feminists, [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/17071?badlink=1 Yale Daily News - Afghan politician contrasts with student ] ] proponents of diversity, [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/12944 Yale Daily News - Calls for 'diversity' don't hold up under scrutiny ] ] anti-war professors, [ [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID={3E053BDD-B851-4CEA-A7AA-449D34DAB5E4} Article ] ] "queer" activists (though Kirchick is openly gay), [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/16580 Yale Daily News ] ] and opponents of the Iraq War. [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/13169 Yale Daily News - On Iraq, liberals aimed for spider hole of denial ] ] [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/10463 Yale Daily News - Why al Qaeda won in Madrid election ] ] His articles frequently defended Yale University and the State of Israel. [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/7843 Yale Daily News - Why I'm on the decent side of the left ] ] [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/5237 Yale Daily News - Anti-Semitism at a very un-model U.N ] ] Kirchick criticized campus feminists and gays who called American society intolerant but would not criticize the “misogynistic and homophobic regimes” of the Taliban,” mocking them for prioritizing " other concerns such as single-sex bathrooms and fraternities," [www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110008051] advocated for a return of ROTC and military recruitment on campus, [ [http://www.washblade.com/2005/5-27/view/columns/recruiters.cfm Backwards ban on military recruiters - Washington Blade ] ] [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/8674 Yale Daily News - Anti-JAG policy quashes law students' free speech rights ] ] asserted “the right of Israel to defend itself against annihilation,” criticized what he considered the "far-left atmosphere" of the campus for “applauding falsehoods” following a speech by poet Amiri Baraka hosted by the Yale African American Cultural Center, [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/7096 Yale Daily News - Applauding falsehoods at a university ] ] and failing to defend liberal values of individual rights. He has also criticized what he claims are attempts by the far left to stifle public debate on campus and in the country generally. [ [http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/9160 Yale Daily News - Campus left silences opposing views ] ] [ [http://www.examiner.com/a-568782~James_Kirchick__Who_is_really_stifling_honest_debate_about_the_Middle_East_.html James Kirchick: Who is really stifling honest debate about the Middle East? - Examiner.com ] ] . He was among the first to refer to former member of the Weather Underground and professor Bill Ayers as an "unrepentant terrorist" - in a piece attacking Ayer's adopted son (and classmate) [ [http://yaledailynews.com/articles/view/17647 Yale Daily News - Under media glare, politics can quickly become public ] ] - two years before the phrase became a catchphrase in a 2008 presidential election controversy. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obama%E2%80%93Ayers_controversy]

His subsequent writing places him more firmly in the neoconservative camp, contributing to venues such as "Commentary" and "The Weekly Standard." Here his writing has largely consisted of outspoken criticism of liberal or left-wing public figures and groups along with advocacy of an interventionist U.S. foreign policy, including support for the Iraq War. [ [http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/category/contentions/page/2?author_name=kirchick Commentary » James Kirchick ] ] He has also criticized American paleoconservatives such as Patrick Buchanan and libertarian Ron Paul.

Kirchick is an assistant editor of "The New Republic" and a frequent contributor to the "Los Angeles Times". He has worked as a reporter for the "New York Daily News", "The New York Sun" and "The Hill" and has written for magazines including "The Advocate", "The Weekly Standard", "The Boston Globe Magazine" and "Doublethink" as well as "The Wall Street Journal Europe", "International Herald Tribune", "The Jerusalem Post", "USA Today", "The Boston Herald", "National Post" of Canada and other publications. He is a member of the Independent Gay Forum. [ [http://www.indegayforum.org/authors/show/98.html Independent Gay Forum - Authors > James Kirchick ] ]

Kirchick sometimes publishes under his nickname Jamie.

Awards

* 2006 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Excellence in Student Journalism 2007
* Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Journalist of the Year

References