Marshall Wittmann
Encyclopedia
Marshall Wittmann is an American pundit
, author
, and sometime political activist. On November 22, 2006, he was hired to be the communications director and spokesman for Senator Joe Lieberman
(I-CT). Wittmann is a former senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute
, a think tank
affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council
.
Heritage Foundation
's director of congressional relations, the Christian Coalition's director of legislative affairs, and as a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute
. In the first Bush Administration, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services after founding "Jews for George." Wittmann also was the legislative representative with the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and a public affairs specialist with the National Treasury Employees Union
. He holds both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan
.
as "the Moose
". For example he writes "The Moose has enjoyed the distinct pleasure of being labeled both a Republican squish and a Rovian Plant"http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/02/cult-of-bush.html. Wittmann borrowed his nickname from Teddy Roosevelt, whom Wittmann admires.
He retired his blog on November 17, 2006, and five days later, he was named the new Director of Communications for Senator Joseph Lieberman.http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/011238.php His new role comes after a bitter campaign for the junior Senate seat in Connecticut
where Lieberman defeated Ned Lamont
; Wittmann was Lieberman's most prominent blog supporter and argued that Lamont's supporters were from the "nutroots
".http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/11/kosenfreude.html
, the Republican for whom Wittmann once worked for as a communications director and advisor. According to a 2004 The New York Sun article, Wittmann is a neo-conservative and social conservative who "worship[s]" McCain but split with the Republican Party to support John Kerry
's candidacy for president and join the Progressive Policy Institute because of his split with the GOP over tax cuts. He called the Bush tax cuts
in a time of war "frivolous and obscene" and said the Bush administration must give more support to poor families.
Though the Progressive Policy Institute is an allegedly Democratic institution, both the organization and Wittmann have been heavily criticized among many progressives because of his defenses of the War on Terror and attacks on progressives. When President Bush's warrantless surveillance program
was revealed, Wittmann dismissed concerns about its impact on civil liberties as "fevered imaginations of graying baby boomers and twenty-something bloggers" and opined that "The Democratic Party is increasingly under the influence of modern day McGovernites". http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/01/get-serious.html Furthermore, Wittmann has claimed that vocal critics of President Bush constitute a "left wing Cult of Bush Hatred" because "in the left wing universe, one must oppose everything the President supports."http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/02/cult-of-bush.html During the final days of the Lieberman-Lamont Primary Election, Marshall not only suggested that detractors of DLC member Joe Lieberman
were hateful, left-wing fanatics, but even made accusations that some supporters of Ned Lamont
were motivated by anti-Semitism.http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/07/joephobia.html
Glenn Greenwald writing at Salon.com
said that "the unabashed and undiluted use of anti-Semitism accusations as a partisan tool to win elections" was a new low for Marshall Wittmann and labeled it as "the basest and most divisive tactics of identity politics and religious tribalism."http://salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/08/08/anti_semitism/index.html
Wittmann has also been critical of the Republican leadership: "Republicans are about as serious about fiscal responsibility as Paris Hilton
is about modesty," Wittmann said, according to The Washington Post
on January 4, 2006.
Pundit (politics)
A pundit is someone who offers to mass media his or her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area on which they are knowledgeable. The term has been increasingly applied to popular media personalities...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and sometime political activist. On November 22, 2006, he was hired to be the communications director and spokesman for Senator Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
(I-CT). Wittmann is a former senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute
Progressive Policy Institute
The Progressive Policy Institute is a think tank in the United States, founded in 1989 which styles itself as promoting the ideas of "New Democrats." It covers a very wide range of issues and describes itself as centrist, although progressive critics frequently describe it as conservative,...
, a think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council
Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council was a non-profit 501 corporation that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s...
.
Political career
Wittmann served as the conservativeConservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Heritage Foundation
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation is a conservative American think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong...
's director of congressional relations, the Christian Coalition's director of legislative affairs, and as a senior fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute
Hudson Institute
The Hudson Institute is an American think tank founded in 1961, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, by futurist, military strategist, and systems theorist Herman Kahn and his colleagues at the RAND Corporation...
. In the first Bush Administration, he served as the deputy assistant secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services after founding "Jews for George." Wittmann also was the legislative representative with the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and a public affairs specialist with the National Treasury Employees Union
National Treasury Employees Union
The National Treasury Employees Union is an independent labor union representing approximately 150,000 employees of 30 agencies of the United States government...
. He holds both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Bull Moose Blog
In his blog, Bull Moose Blog, Wittmann refers to himself in third-personGrammatical person
Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to a participant in an event; such as the speaker, the addressee, or others. Grammatical person typically defines a language's set of personal pronouns...
as "the Moose
Moose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
". For example he writes "The Moose has enjoyed the distinct pleasure of being labeled both a Republican squish and a Rovian Plant"http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/02/cult-of-bush.html. Wittmann borrowed his nickname from Teddy Roosevelt, whom Wittmann admires.
He retired his blog on November 17, 2006, and five days later, he was named the new Director of Communications for Senator Joseph Lieberman.http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/011238.php His new role comes after a bitter campaign for the junior Senate seat in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
where Lieberman defeated Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...
; Wittmann was Lieberman's most prominent blog supporter and argued that Lamont's supporters were from the "nutroots
Nutroots
Nutroots, a term coined by the weblog "Decision 08" on March 10, 2006, is a play on the name commonly used for liberal grassroots groups known as the "Netroots." Once used strictly by conservative blogs in reference to their liberal counterparts, the term entered the formal political lexicon when...
".http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/11/kosenfreude.html
Political stances
Wittmann has changed his political party affiliation and often revamps his political philosophy. Wittmann describes himself as a member of the "McCainiac wing of the Democratic Party". "McCainiac" refers to senator John McCainJohn McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, the Republican for whom Wittmann once worked for as a communications director and advisor. According to a 2004 The New York Sun article, Wittmann is a neo-conservative and social conservative who "worship[s]" McCain but split with the Republican Party to support John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
's candidacy for president and join the Progressive Policy Institute because of his split with the GOP over tax cuts. He called the Bush tax cuts
Bush tax cuts
The Bush tax cuts refers to changes to the United States tax code passed during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama that generally lowered tax rates and revised the code specifying taxation in the United States...
in a time of war "frivolous and obscene" and said the Bush administration must give more support to poor families.
Though the Progressive Policy Institute is an allegedly Democratic institution, both the organization and Wittmann have been heavily criticized among many progressives because of his defenses of the War on Terror and attacks on progressives. When President Bush's warrantless surveillance program
NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States during the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency as part of the war on terror...
was revealed, Wittmann dismissed concerns about its impact on civil liberties as "fevered imaginations of graying baby boomers and twenty-something bloggers" and opined that "The Democratic Party is increasingly under the influence of modern day McGovernites". http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/01/get-serious.html Furthermore, Wittmann has claimed that vocal critics of President Bush constitute a "left wing Cult of Bush Hatred" because "in the left wing universe, one must oppose everything the President supports."http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/02/cult-of-bush.html During the final days of the Lieberman-Lamont Primary Election, Marshall not only suggested that detractors of DLC member Joe Lieberman
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
were hateful, left-wing fanatics, but even made accusations that some supporters of Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...
were motivated by anti-Semitism.http://bullmooseblogger.blogspot.com/2006/07/joephobia.html
Glenn Greenwald writing at Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
said that "the unabashed and undiluted use of anti-Semitism accusations as a partisan tool to win elections" was a new low for Marshall Wittmann and labeled it as "the basest and most divisive tactics of identity politics and religious tribalism."http://salon.com/politics/war_room/2006/08/08/anti_semitism/index.html
Wittmann has also been critical of the Republican leadership: "Republicans are about as serious about fiscal responsibility as Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton is an American businesswoman, heiress, and socialite. She is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton . Hilton is known for her controversial participation in a sex tape in 2003, and appearance on the television series The Simple Life alongside fellow socialite and childhood...
is about modesty," Wittmann said, according to The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
on January 4, 2006.