{{Short description|American political commentator and journalist}} {{Infobox person | image = <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] --> | name = Morton Kondracke | caption = | birth_name = Morton Matt Kondracke | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|04|28}} | birth_place = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = [[Dartmouth College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Georgetown University]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]]) | occupation = Journalist, political commentator | other_names = | disappeared_status = | title = | family = | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage| Millicent Martinez|1967|July 22, 2004|end=her death}} * {{marriage|Marguerite Sallee|May 6, 2006}} }} | children = 2 | relatives = | networth = | credits = | agent = | website = http://rollcall.com }} '''Morton Matt Kondracke''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ən|ˈ|d|r|æ|k|i}}; born April 28, 1939)<ref name="evans">{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Michael |date=1985 |title=People and Power: Portraits from the Federal Village |location=New York |publisher=Harry N. Abrams |page=229 |isbn=0-8109-1481-6 |quote=Morton Matt Kondracke...April 28, 1939. Chicago, Illinois.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NVFAAQAAIAAJ&q=%22KONDRACKE.+MORTON+MATT%22|title=Supplement to Who's who in America|date=15 December 1987|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|isbn=9780837971001|via=Google Books}}</ref> is an American journalist and political commentator. He became well known due to a long stint as a panelist for the television series ''[[The McLaughlin Group]]''. Kondracke worked for several major publications, serving for twenty years as executive editor and columnist for the non-partisan [[Capitol Hill]] newspaper ''[[Roll Call]]''. He was also co-host of the series ''[[The Beltway Boys]]'' of [[Fox News Channel]] and was a regular nightly contributor to the series ''[[Special Report with Brit Hume]]'' and ''[[Special Report with Bret Baier]].''
==Professional career== Kondracke was born in [[Chicago, Illinois]], the son of Matthew Kondracke and Genevieve Marta (née Abrams). His father was of Polish ancestry, while his maternal grandfather was from a [[Jewish]] family.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UryRPu6JYBYC&q=%22My+mother,+Genevieve,+was+a+schoolteacher%22&pg=PA13|title = Saving Milly Love, Politics, and Parkinson's Disease|isbn = 9781586480370|last1 = Kondracke|first1 = Morton|date = 6 June 2001| publisher=PublicAffairs }}</ref> Kondracke graduated from [[Joliet Central High School|Joliet Township High School]] in 1956, and from [[Dartmouth College]] in 1960. While at Dartmouth, he majored in English and was president of the college newspaper ''[[The Dartmouth]]''.<ref name="thed">{{cite web|url=http://thedartmouth.com/2009/12/02/news/bot/|title=Alumni Council selects candidates for Board of Trustees|last=Berger|first=Greg|publisher=The Dartmouth|access-date=5 December 2009|archive-date=6 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306014634/http://thedartmouth.com/2009/12/02/news/bot/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kondracke was a board member of the ''Dartmouth Alumni Magazine'' and served as his class secretary. Later he received a [[Daniel Webster]] Award for Public Service from the Dartmouth Club of Washington.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dartmouth.edu/~trustees/biographies/kondracke.html |title=Board of Trustees |publisher=Trustees of Dartmouth College |access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref>
After college, Kondracke joined the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and served in [[Washington, DC]] in the [[Counter Intelligence Corps]] while pursuing graduate work at [[Georgetown University]] and working part-time for the newspaper ''[[Washington Star]]''. After quitting the Army in 1963, Kondracke joined the staff of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', transferring to the paper's Washington bureau in 1968, eventually becoming [[White House correspondent]] in 1974. In that role, his name was on the [[master list of Nixon political opponents]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~polisci/calvert/PolSci3103/watergate/enemy.htm |title=Facts on File |access-date=2011-10-20 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030621235432/http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~polisci/calvert/PolSci3103/watergate/enemy.htm |archive-date=June 21, 2003 }}</ref> He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1973–74.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
Kondracke quit the ''Sun-Times'' in 1977 to become executive editor of the news magazine ''[[The New Republic]].'' He worked there until 1985, when he quit to become Washington bureau chief for the magazine ''[[Newsweek]]''. In the meantime, his increasing renown resulted in his becoming a commentator for [[National Public Radio]], ''[[This Week (ABC TV series)|This Week with David Brinkley]]'' and ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
In 1982, Kondracke joined ''[[The McLaughlin Group]]'' as one of the original panelists, a job he held for 16 years. Moderator [[John McLaughlin (host)|John McLaughlin]] consistently teased him by pronouncing his name "more-TAHN", emphasizing the second syllable, and when guest panelist [[Mortimer Zuckerman]] appeared with Kondracke on the show as he did several times, McLaughlin would claim to be "MORT-ified".{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}
For the US's [[1984 United States presidential election|1984 presidential election]], he was a panelist for the [[1984 United States presidential debates|second televised debate]] (concerning [[foreign policy of the United States|foreign policy]]) between President [[Ronald Reagan]] and Democratic challenger [[Walter Mondale]]. During the campaign Kondracke praised Reagan for economic recovery and his policies regarding the Cold War, but called [[Political positions of Ronald Reagan|Reaganism]] "an amalgam of tactics, public relations, virulent [[anti-Sovietism]], and institutionalized selfishness that will do nothing to deal with real-world economic and geopolitical realities" and predicted that Reagan would cause "depression, social chaos, and war" if reelected.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Troy|first=Gil|url=|title=Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s|date=2005|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|isbn=978-1-4008-4930-7|location=Princeton, New Jersey|pages=174|oclc=868971097}}</ref>
In a newspaper column published in September 1985, Kondracke stated that more Republicans should favor [[emergency contraception]] and [[Same-sex union legislation|civil unions for same-sex couples]], and that Republicans should stop relying on "gay-bashing" to win elections.<ref>Kondrackem Morton (September 9, 1985). "[https://www.newspapers.com/image/33718990/ Can GOP Moderates Asset Leadership?]". ''Indiana Gazette'' (Indiana, Pennsylvania). p. 6.</ref>
In 1991, Kondracke began serving as executive editor of ''[[Roll Call]]'', retiring in 2011. During this time he wrote a twice-weekly column for ''Roll Call'' ("Pennsylvania Avenue") that was syndicated by [[Newspaper Enterprise Association]], part of [[United Media]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adweek.com/digital/roll-calls-kondracke-to-retire/?red=dc |title=Roll Call's Kondracke to Retire |last=Rothstein |first=Betsy |publisher=Adweek |date=February 25, 2011 |access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref> After resigning as executive editor he remained with ''Roll Call'' as [[contributing editor]].<ref name="Morton">{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonspeakers.com/speakers/biography.cfm?SpeakerID=582 |title=Morton Kondracke |publisher=Washington Speakers Bureau |access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref> {{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?328537-5/washington-journal-mort-kondracke-fred-barnes-jack-kemp ''Washington Journal'' interview with Kondracke and Fred Barnes on ''Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America'', October 8, 2015], [[C-SPAN]]}} In October 1998, Kondracke began co-hosting his own television series, ''[[The Beltway Boys]]'', with [[Fred Barnes (journalist)|Fred Barnes]], for the [[Fox News Channel]]. He was also a regular nightly contributor to ''[[Special Report with Brit Hume]]'' on the same network. In 2010, he became the main interviewer for the Jack Kemp Foundation's Oral History Project, performing more than 100 interviews with teammates, colleagues, staff members and family of the late Representative, presidential and vice-presidential candidate and [[United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development]]. Kondracke was the [[Jack Kemp]] Professor of Political Economy in the [[John W. Kluge Center]] at the [[Library of Congress]] from September 2011 to June 2012, where he researched and wrote about "the late [[Jack Kemp]]'s congressional career, his leadership role during the [[Reagan Era]], his presidential campaign and his influence on the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] and the nation".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-11-082/ |title=Morton Kondracke Named to Jack Kemp Chair in Political Economy |last=Urschel |first=Donna |publisher=Library of Congress |date=April 13, 2011 |access-date=May 19, 2017}}</ref>
In the 1996 science fiction movie ''[[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]]'', Kondracke appears at the beginning of the movie as part of ''[[The McLaughlin Group]]'', speaking about the ineffectual policies of President Thomas J. Whitmore ([[Bill Pullman]]) and saying, "Leadership as a pilot in the [[Gulf War]] has no relationship to political leadership. It's a different animal."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home.online.no/~bhundlan/scripts/IndependenceDay.htm |title="INDEPENDENCE DAY" -- by Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich |access-date=2009-06-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609103713/http://home.online.no/~bhundlan/scripts/IndependenceDay.htm |archive-date=2009-06-09 }}</ref> Kondracke also appeared in the 1993 film ''[[Dave (film)|Dave]]''. Kondracke was supportive of the [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] and referred to the Serbs as "bastards" on national television.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jasenovac: Proceedings of the First International Conference and Exhibit on the Jasenovac Concentration Camps : October 29-31, 1997 |date=2005 |publisher=Dallas Publishing}}</ref>
For his correct prediction of the Democratic takeover of Congress he won ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'}}s Crystal Ball Tournament of Champions Award in 2006.<ref name="Morton" />
Kondracke appeared on [[C-SPAN]] in July 2017, calling for a revival of the [[Centrism in the United States|"political center" in America]].<ref>[https://www.c-span.org/video/?430883-5/washington-journal-mort-kondracke-discusses-political-center Mort Kondracke on the Current Political Climate: Morton Kondracke talks about his recent RealClearPolitics column in which he calls for a revival of the "political center" in America]</ref>
==Personal life== In 1967, Kondracke married Millicent Martinez, a half [[Mexican people|Mexican]], half [[Jews|Jewish]] liberal activist.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}} They had two daughters, Alexandra (a movie-maker) and Andrea (a medical doctor).{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
His daughter Alexandra is partners with American movie and television director and moviemaker [[Angela Robinson (filmmaker)|Angela Robinson]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About {{!}} Alexandra Martinez Kondracke |url=http://alexkondracke.com/about/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=alexkondracke.com}}</ref> In 2009, Alexandra gave birth to her first child, Diego.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afterellen.com/column/ask-afterellen-09-29-09?page=0,1 |title=Ask AfterEllen.com (September 29, 2009) |first=Karman |last=Kregloe |date=29 September 2009 |accessdate=8 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120715013057/http://www.afterellen.com/column/ask-afterellen-09-29-09?page=0%2C1 |archivedate=15 July 2012 }}</ref>
Kondracke struggled with [[alcoholism]] during the 1980s, and he credits Millicent for helping him end his addiction by 1987. In 1988, Millicent was diagnosed with [[Parkinson's disease]]. Her long struggle with the disease prompted Kondracke to become an advocate for Parkinson's disease research and for increased government spending for medical research. Millicent Kondracke grew increasingly incapacitated by the disease, and died on July 22, 2004. {{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?164555-1/saving-milly-love-politics-parkinsons-disease ''Booknotes'' interview with Kondracke on ''Saving Milly'', June 10, 2001], [[C-SPAN]]}} Kondracke detailed his family's struggle with Parkinson's in a 2001 book titled ''Saving Milly: Love, Politics, and Parkinson's Disease'' ({{ISBN|0-345-45197-X}}). The book was the basis of a [[CBS]] television movie named ''[[Saving Milly]]'', featuring [[Madeleine Stowe]] and [[Bruce Greenwood]], which was broadcast on March 13, 2005.
On May 6, 2006, Kondracke married Marguerite Sallee, CEO of [[America's Promise]].<ref>[http://wonkette.com/politics/personalities/gossip-roundup-vintage-twins-172460.php Gossip Roundup: Vintage Twins<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618222715/http://wonkette.com/politics/personalities/gossip-roundup-vintage-twins-172460.php |date=2008-06-18 }}</ref> He is a trustee of Dartmouth College, a board member of the Parkinson's Action Network and a member of the Founders Council of the [[Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research]].
== Works == *''Saving Milly: Love, Politics, and Parkinson's Disease'', PublicAffairs, 2001, {{ISBN|9781586480370}} *''Enough Already'', PublicAffairs, 2007, {{ISBN|9781586484859}} * Morton Kondracke, Fred Barnes, ''Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America'', Penguin, 2015, {{ISBN|9780698174993}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [http://www.rollcall.com/ ''Roll Call'' newspaper] * [https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/938 The Papers of Morton Kondracke] at Dartmouth College Library * [https://web.archive.org/web/20041204151652/http://www.techcentralstation.com/060701.html "Kondracke Confronts the Pain and Politics of Parkinson's Disease"], ''Tech Central Station'', June 7, 2001 * [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dartlife/archives/18-2/rockefeller.html "Reflections on Nelson Rockefeller's legacy"] Dartmouth Life Newspaper, May, 2008 * [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Second_Presidential_Debate_with_President_Reagan_and_Walter_Mondale,_October_21,_1984.webm Reagan Mondale debate October 21, 1984] on Wikimedia Commons * {{C-SPAN|3568}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kondracke, Mort}} [[Category:1939 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American columnists]] [[Category:American male non-fiction writers]] [[Category:American newspaper editors]] [[Category:American people of Jewish descent]] [[Category:American people of Polish descent]] [[Category:American political commentators]] [[Category:American political writers]] [[Category:Dartmouth College alumni]] [[Category:Georgetown University alumni]] [[Category:Journalists from Chicago]] [[Category:The New Republic people]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]]