Norman Ornstein Speaker Biography
One of the Nation’s Most Highly Regarded Political Analysts and Senior Fellow Emeritus at American Enterprise Institute
Norman J. Ornstein is a senior fellow emeritus at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he has been studying politics, elections, and the US Congress for more than four decades. Along with Thomas Mann and Michael Malbin, he created “Vital Statistics on Congress” in 1980, a go-to-reference guide that provides impartial data for congressional watchers, and is updated every two years. He is also a longtime participant of AEI’s Election Watch series and an adviser to the Continuity of Government Commission.
Election Reform
Dr. Ornstein previously served as codirector of the AEI-Brookings Election Reform Project. He has been involved in political reform for decades, particularly campaign finance, election reform, and House and Senate reform. He has also played a part in creating the Congressional Office of Compliance and the House Office of Congressional Ethics. He was elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2004.
Media
He often appears on C-SPAN, CBS, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NPR, and “PBS NewsHour,” among other outlets. He served as an election analyst for CBS News for thirty years, and also was an on-air election analyst for BBC News. Through his family foundation named in honor of his late son Matthew, he helped spearhead the documentary “The Definition of Insanity,” about criminal justice and mental illness, which premiered at the Miami Film Festival in March 2020 and aired nationally on PBS on April 14, 2020.
Publications
Dr. Ornstein’s articles and opinion pieces have been published widely, including in Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Politico, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and USA Today. He is also a contributing editor and columnist for The Atlantic.
Books
Dr. Ornstein’s books include the New York Times and Washington Post bestsellers One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported with E. J. Dionne and Thomas E. Mann and It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism with Thomas E. Mann. His other books include, The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track with Thomas E. Mann; and The Permanent Campaign and Its Future edited with Thomas E. Mann.
Education
Dr. Ornstein has a PhD and a master’s in political science from the University of Michigan and a BA from the University of Minnesota.
Norman Ornstein Speaking Topics
The Institution of Compromise: Why Hyper-Partisanship is No Laughing Matter
With a political climate that reveals an unprecedented level of hyper-partisanship and an extreme unwillingness to compromise, longtime political pundit and commentator, Norman Ornstein outlines how the U.S. is on the brink of institutional collapse and doubled over in deadlock. As chronicled in his recent book, It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism, Ornstein identifies the two primary causes behind this pernicious state of affairs. At the lead is the issue of party mismatch and a governing system that makes it difficult for majorities to act. In close second is the issue of party culpability and “asymmetric polarization.” With a unique sense of humor, extraordinary eye for detail and over 30 years in the field, Ornstein discusses specifically what each of these issues entails and their possible solutions.
What's So Funny About Washington
With a touch of humor, Norman Ornstein broaches serious topics -- the current political scene in Washington, foreign policy, health care, economics, and everything in-between. Audiences can tap into a wealth of information, and chuckle a little in the process. You'll soon see what's so funny about Washington -- intentionally and unintentionally.
American Politics and Health Policy
Starting with his book Intensive Care: How Congress Shapes Health Policy, Ornstein has closely followed the changes in health policy wrought by Washington’s political actors, including via the Affordable Care Act. Where do we go from here? His knowledge of policy, politics and politicians leaves him uniquely suited to address those questions.
Norman Ornstein Books
One Nation After Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate, and the Not-Yet Deported
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It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism
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Vital Statistics on Congress 2008
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The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track
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Norman Ornstein Speaker Testimonials
Norm Ornstein was the perfect choice for a post-election analyst. He used humor to relate to our student population, and provided thoughtful insight regarding ways in which the president-elect can unify the country. Feedback has been extremely positive.
- Bucknell University |
Ornstein was very well received by our members, and numerous people have commented how much they enjoyed his presentations.
- Aerospace Industries Association |
Things went very well! Norm was funny and engaging both as a speaker and also as part of the panel. The crowd seemed to really like him.
- McKesson Pharmaceuticals |
Norm did an awesome job and I've gotten some great feedback. His opinions were valued by all.
- Kaiser Foundation Health Plan |
