Matt Bai

Chief Political Correspondent for the New York Times Magazine

The Generational Change in American Politics and Society: Obama and Beyond

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At this charged political moment, Matt Bai, of the New York Times Magazine, may be the most high profile politics writer in America. Bai writes engaging and non-partisan stories that resonate in both Washington and the Heartland, and among policy makers and the average American. His seminal articles during the Obama administration serve as a lucid record of the unprecedented cultural, social and political shifts in this country. With an unmatched ability to investigate, explain, and entertain, Bai continues to make sense of the moment -- of history -- as it's happening.

Matt Bai has profiled the political heavyweights. But, more than any other writer, he has also given prominence to the surprising new power-brokers who are shaping America in the post Obama era. In his timely book, The Argument, for instance, Bai gives a definitive account of the first Internet Age of Politics, and chronicles the Democratic movement at a pivotal time, as it tries, earnestly, desperately, sometimes comically, to articulate an argument -- a big idea -- that will reinvent the future of politics. (Released just before the election of Obama, The Argument, a New York Times Notable Book, remains a timeless read, stunning in its prescience.)

Matt Bai Speech Topics

The Generational Change in American Politics and Society: Obama and Beyond

This is a momentous look at America today -- where we are, how we got here, and where we're headed both as a country and as a society. Weaving timely insight with historical perspective, Matt Bai examines the massive social change rippling through American life. Does Barack Obama signal a break from the past -- the end of one cultural age, and the beginning of a new social era? (And if so, what does this new era look like? What are its priorities? And was Obama the inspiration, or simply the culmination, of this generational change?) Why did the boomers fail to reform our politics? Can Obama live up to the expectations? How has Obama handled the economy, education, poverty, and a host of other issues? A brilliant chronicler of our evolving society who seamlessly integrates politics, culture, and the media, Bai helps us consider, appreciate, and question this exciting and important time in our history.

VIDEOS

LINKS

MattBai.com

BOOKS

The Argument

New York Times Magazine Cover

New York Times Magazine Cover - "The Insiders"

ARTICLES

"Murmurs of Primary Challenge to Obama" - NY Times

"The Undoing of a Legislative President" - NYTimes

"Is Obama the End of Black Politics?" - NYTimes Magazine

"The McCain Doctrines" - NYTimes Magazine

"What's the Real Racial Divide?" - NYTimes Magazine

"Can Bloggers Get Real?" - NYTimes Magazine

"Working for the Working Class Vote" - NYTimes magazine

"The Shuffle President"-NYTimes

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GAYLE LEMMON at TEDxWOMEN

"If you're going to talk about jobs, then you have to talk about entrepreneurs," says Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. "And if you're talking about entrepreneurs in conflict and post-conflict settings, then you must talk about women." Lemmon is the author of the New York Times bestselling book The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and a Contributing Editor-at-Large for Newsweek and The Daily Beast. She has devoted her life to shedding light on the resiliency of female entrepreneurs, and their remarkable power to reshape local economies. By recognizing and investing in these female breadwinners, Lemmon says, we can help grow economies of all development levels around the world.