Marshall Wittmann (born 1953) is an American
pundit, author, and political activist. On November 22, 2006, he was hired to be the communications director and spokesman for Senator
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for ...
(I-CT). Wittmann is a former senior fellow at the
Progressive Policy Institute
The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that serves as a public policy think tank in the United States. The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) founded it in 1989. ''The Washington Post'' has described it ...
, a
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
affiliated with the
Democratic Leadership Council
The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was founded in 1985 and closed in 2011. Founded and directed by Al From, prominent members include Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton (who was elected president in 1992 and 1996), Delaware Senator Joe Biden ( ...
. In 2012, he became the chief spokesman for AIPAC.
Political career
Wittmann was born in 1953 in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
. He studied at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
and obtained a Bachelor in Elementary Education from the
University Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in 1975 and a master's degree.
He served as the conservative
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the preside ...
's director of congressional relations, the
Christian Coalition's director of legislative affairs, and as a senior fellow at the conservative
Hudson Institute for two years from September 2000 to October 2002. In the
George H. W. Bush administration
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, he served as a deputy assistant secretary at the
Department of Health and Human Services
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...
. Wittmann also was the legislative representative with the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, which seeks to protect and enhance the earned pay, retirement, and health care benefits of
U.S. federal government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fed ...
employees, retirees, and their survivors and a public affairs specialist with the
National Treasury Employees Union, which fights for fair pay and benefits, improved working conditions, and other issues that impact the working lives of federal employees.
He became a spokesman for
AIPAC in September 2012.
Bull Moose Blog
In his blog, ''Bull Moose Blog'', Wittmann refers to himself in
third-person as "the
Moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...
". For example, he writes "The Moose has enjoyed the distinct pleasure of being labeled both a Republican squish and a Rovian Plant". 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 Lieberma
His new role comes after a bitter campaign for the junior Senate seat in
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
where Lieberman defeated
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner Lamont Jr. (born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenw ...
; Wittmann was Lieberman's most prominent blog supporter and argued that Lamont's supporters were from the "
nutroots
Political stances
Wittmann has changed his political party affiliation and modified his political philosophy. Wittmann describes himself as a member of the "McCainiac wing of the Democratic Party". "McCainiac" refers to senator
John McCain, the Republican for whom Wittmann once worked for as a communications director and advisor. According to a 2004 ''
The New York Sun
''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New Yor ...
'' article, Wittmann is a
neo-conservative
Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and cou ...
and
social conservative
Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social instituti ...
who "worship
McCain but split with the Republican Party to support
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...
's candidacy for president and join the Progressive Policy Institute because of his split with the
GOP
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by Abolitionism in the United Stat ...
over tax cuts. He called the
Bush tax cuts
The phrase Bush tax cuts refers to changes to the United States tax code passed originally during the presidency of George W. Bush and extended during the presidency of Barack Obama, through:
* Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act o ...
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 a Democratic institution, both the organization and Wittmann have been criticized by some left-wing progressives because of his defenses of the War on Terror and attacks on the far left. 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". 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
During the final days of the
2006 United States Senate election in Connecticut, Lieberman-Lamont Primary Election, Marshall not only suggested that detractors of DLC member
Joe Lieberman
Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; born February 24, 1942) is an American politician, lobbyist, and attorney who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was its nominee for ...
were hateful, left-wing fanatics, but also argued that some supporters of
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner Lamont Jr. (born January 3, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 89th governor of Connecticut. He has served in this position since January 9, 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a Greenw ...
were motivated by anti-Semitism.
Glenn Greenwald writing at
Salon.com
''Salon'' is an American politically progressive/ liberal news and opinion website created in 1995. It publishes articles on U.S. politics, culture, and current events.
Content and coverage
''Salon'' covers a variety of topics, including re ...
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".
Wittmann has also been critical of the Republican leadership: "Republicans are about as serious about fiscal responsibility as
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conrad ...
is about modesty," Wittmann said, according to ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' on January 4, 2006.
During the
2021 Israel–Palestine crisis
A major outbreak of violence in the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict commenced on 10 May 2021, though disturbances took place earlier, and continued until a ceasefire came into effect on 21 May. It was marked by protests and police riot ...
, he said "We appreciate the steadfast support from President Biden and his administration for Israel’s efforts to defeat terrorism," acknowledging Biden's support for Israel.
External links
''Bull Moose Blog''Wittmann describes his political journey
New York Sun interview
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
, November 22, 2006
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wittman, Marshall
American bloggers
American political consultants
American political writers
American male non-fiction writers
The Heritage Foundation
Living people
University of Michigan alumni
21st-century American non-fiction writers
American male bloggers
1953 births