Everything about Norman J Ornstein totally explained
Norman J. Ornstein is a
political scientist and a resident scholar at the
American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a
conservative-leaning Washington D.C.
thinktank (though Ornstein is usually not identified as a conservative, and is considered within AEI to be a bipartisan centrist). Ornstein is married to Judith L. Harris, a prominent regulation litigation lawyer. He studies American politics and is a frequent contributor to
The Washington Post and many magazines. He has written a weekly column in Roll Call since 1993. His greatest political influence may have come in writing substantial portions of the
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, also known as the "McCain-Feingold" campaign finance bill passed in 2002.
(External Link
). He is currently co-director, along with Thomas Mann, of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project.
Ornstein received a Ph.D. from the
University of Michigan in 1974.
Excursions into comedy
Ornstein has on occasion dabbled in political satire. During the
U.S. presidential election, 2000, Ornstein appeared on
The Daily Show on
Comedy Central to deliver what has become a signature gag called "the don't knows." In it, Ornstein claims that he's done a large survey on some question of the day and gives the results, many of which are comical answers. As in real polls, a small percentage of respondents always answer "don't know" to the question. Ornstein then claims that an additional question was asked of this group to find out why they don't know. A certain percentage again answered "don't know," and so on for three or four questions, as the answers get odder and odder. In the end, the show's host asks Ornstein "What does all this mean?" and Ornstein replies "I don't know."
Since the establishment of
Air America Radio, Ornstein has performed the bit with a wide variety of questions on
The Al Franken Show. He also appeared on the
March 7,
2006;
April 24, 2006 and
January 10,
2008 episodes of
The Colbert Report on
Comedy Central.
A fictional version of Ornstein appears as a main character in the satirical novel
Why Not Me?.
Advisory Boards
Ornstein is a member of the Advisory Board of the
Future of American Democracy Foundation(External Link), a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation in partnership with
Yale University Press and the Yale Center for International and Area Studies
(External Link), "dedicated to research and education aimed at renewing and sustaining the historic vision of American democracy". He also serves on the Advisory Board
(External Link) of the
Institute for Law and Politics at the
University of Minnesota Law School. Ornstein is also a member of the Board of Directors of the nonpartisan election reform group
Why Tuesday?.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Norman J Ornstein'.
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