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Ross Barkan

Columnist, Intelligencer

Ross Barkan is a novelist and essayist. He frequently covers local and national politics for Intelligencer and The New York Times Magazine. His work has appeared in The Nation, The Atlantic, and The Guardian, among others. His books include The Night Burns Bright and The Prince, and he writes a Substack newsletter, Political Currents.

  1. the discourse
    Donald Trump’s Fake ImperialismThe Gulf of America is embarrassing. But it could be worse.
  2. trump watch
    Donald Trump Is a Weak President Who Acts StrongEverything we know about Trump suggests his legacy will be fainter than his reputation suggests.
  3. los angeles wildfires
    Will the L.A. Fires Sink Bass, Newsom – and the Olympics?All natural disasters are also political tests.
  4. the discourse
    What Mark Zuckerberg Gets Right About Fact-Checking and Content ModerationEven if he’s acting for the wrong reasons.
  5. early and often
    The Congestion-Pricing Haters Need to Get a GripReasonable skepticism makes sense, but opponents of New York’s watered-down program have become unhinged.
  6. early and often
    For Trump and MAGA, It Will Never Be This Good AgainNow are the days of wine and roses. On January 21, Trump becomes a lame duck facing brutal political challenges.
  7. the discourse
    Will Democrats Ever Reckon With Their Biden Groupthink?The party and its allies were both blind and dishonest. Grappling with that fact is hard but necessary.
  8. early and often
    San Francisco Mayor London Breed Concedes
    Democrats Can’t Offer Voters Less for MoreIn super-expensive places like San Francisco and New York, voters have the right to ask what they’re getting in return.
  9. baseball
    Aaron Judge Will Have a Very Long WinterNo Yankees icon has been so good for so long — while failing when it mattered most.
  10. baseball
    New York Mets v. New York Yankees
    Will We Finally Get Another Subway Series?Here’s how the underdog Mets and the overdue Yankees can make it happen.
  11. baseball
    Aaron Judge Is the Most Impressive Hitter We’ve Ever SeenWhat he’s doing right now has never been done before. Now if only his team would cooperate.
  12. early and often
    Jamaal Bowman’s Loss Is the Start of a New EraPro-Israel forces now have a blueprint to driving critics out of Congress.
  13. early and often
    TOPSHOT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-CONFLICT-POLITICS-CEASEFIRE
    The Most Endangered Democrat in AmericaJamaal Bowman might lose his job over Israel.
  14. baseball
    MLB Spring Training Game New York Yankees Against Toronto Blue Jays
    An Optimist’s Case for the 2024 Yankees and MetsLast year was a disaster for New York baseball. This year could — could — be better.
  15. baseball
    DodgerFest a celebration of the upcoming season at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
    The Shohei Ohtani Gambling Story Doesn’t Make SenseMajor League Baseball desperately wants this all to go away, but it must answer a series of uncomfortable questions.
  16. the city politic
    Scott Stringer Is Coming for Eric AdamsProgressive, experienced, but dogged by sexual-misconduct allegations, he is the mayor’s first challenger.
  17. israel-hamas war
    The Pro-Palestinian Left Is BoomingFar from being doomed, groups like DSA are being energized in a way unseen since the racial-justice protests of 2020.
  18. baseball
    Stop Whining About Baseball’s Playoff FormatThe best regular-season teams all flamed out early this year. That’s no one’s fault but their own.
  19. baseball
    The Yankees Might Be Staring Down a Lost DecadeUnless risk-averse ownership makes some big moves, this miserable team isn’t going anywhere soon.
  20. comebacks
    Baseball Finally Feels Vital AgainThe venerable sport is making a comeback this year, thanks in part to MLB’s unpopular commissioner.
  21. sports
    The Yankees Aren’t Just Mediocre — They’re BoringGeorge Steinbrenner would have blown up this team a long time ago.
  22. the city politic
    London Breed and Eric Adams Built Their Own Doom LoopBoth mayors may end up paying a price for telling voters that crime was worse in their cities than it actually was.
  23. early and often
    The Progressive Takeover of Big Cities Is Nearly CompletePhiladelphia may soon join Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles in electing a left-wing mayor. This would put Eric Adams on notice.
  24. early and often
    Bring Back the Public Option!Biden’s “battle for the soul of America” rerun won’t be enough against Trump in 2024. He needs to give voters something real.
  25. early and often
    The Many Enemies of Affordable HousingNew York has lost the opportunity to build more and protect tenants. Blaming Kathy Hochul is only a start.
  26. windy city heat
    The Fiercest Fight in Democratic Politics Is in ChicagoA left-wing former teacher and a centrist former schools boss may only agree that the other would ruin the city as mayor.
  27. windy city heat
    How Lori Lightfoot Lost ChicagoThe city threw out a Democratic mayor for the first time in decades. Yet it may not be a loss for the left.
  28. early and often
    How Did Donald Trump Beat Pete Buttigieg to East Palestine, Ohio?Democratic flailing gives Republicans — no friends of the environment or rail safety — an easy victory.
  29. early and often
    Who Wants to Be Mayor?Chicago’s boss is in danger of being thrown from office, in a warning sign for other Democrats.
  30. the city politic
    The Left’s Self-Defeating Fight Over Policing in the CityThe City Council’s Progressive Caucus is splintered about funding the police when it should be united about the rent being too damn high.
  31. state of the city
    Working for New York City When Everyone Else Is LeavingEmpty cubicles, giant caseloads that leave low-income tenants without rent aid, and “no end in sight.”
  32. early and often
    Kathy Hochul Just Picked the Toughest Fight in PoliticsAffordable housing means shattering the suburban consensus.
  33. foreign interests
    Israel’s Illiberal Rightward Turn Is a WarningNetanyahu is back, leading an extreme-right government that leaves both Israel and America’s left in an impossible bind.
  34. the city politic
    What Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer Could Do for New YorkBail out the subway, for starters.
  35. early and often
    The Data That Shows Progressives Can Win on CrimeNew polling explains why some Democrats beat back Republican attacks, and it comes down to one word: prevention.
  36. the city politic
    Meet New York’s New Republican VotersCrime and schools are causing a political realignment in the city, led by communities of recent immigrants.
  37. early and often
    The Last Time the Republican Establishment Tried to Stop TrumpIf you think Trump is finished, remember the 2016 primaries.
  38. early and often
    Democrats Have Some Solid Options If Biden Doesn’t Run in 2024The Democratic Party’s bench of potentially successful presidential candidates is suddenly looking pretty deep.
  39. early and often
    New York Does Not Have a Democratic PartyThe midterms show the statewide organization is worse than ineffective; it is practically nonexistent when it comes to electing candidates.
  40. 2022 midterms
    Ron Johnson Survives, AgainThe most-frustrating Republican senator to Democrats defeats Mandela Barnes, thanks in no small part to highlighting his liberal past.
  41. 2022 midterms
    Republicans Actually Had an Excellent Night in New YorkLee Zeldin lost, but he helped his party win major victories around the state.
  42. early and often
    Tim Ryan Thinks Polls Are Wrong, Republicans Are Wrong, and Democrats Are WrongA Democrat pursues the elusive white working-class Trump voter.
  43. early and often
    The Extreme Makeover That Could Swing the SenateDon Bolduc was gaffe-prone before a few million dollars’ worth of discipline.
  44. early and often
    Kari Lake Is the Ultimate Test for DemocratsArizona will try the idea that Trumpified politics are poison without their namesake.
  45. early and often
    If Democrats Can’t Save Catherine Cortez Masto, What Hope Do They Have?The Nevada senator and Harry Reid protégé trails her GOP rival Adam Laxalt. Her defeat could be devastating for Biden’s agenda and her party’s future.
  46. early and often
    Who Thought Putting a Casino in Everyone’s Pocket Was a Good Idea?Lately, Democrats are rushing to promote more legalized gambling in their campaigns with no apparent regard for manufacturing a generation of addicts.
  47. early and often
    Left-Wing Challengers Have a Hard Road AheadAfter shock victories in 2018 and 2020, progressive challengers are having a harder time pulling off AOC-like upsets.
  48. sports
    Aaron Judge Could be the Crossover Star Baseball Desperately NeedsThere’s nothing like a home-run chase to get normal people interested in the sport again.
  49. early and often
    The MAGA House Will Make the Tea Party Look TameFor all the attention on the Senate, Democrats are almost certainly going to lose the House. When they do, it will be insane.
  50. early and often
    Biden Is Right to Declare the ‘Pandemic Is Over’COVID is not killing like it once was, and that is worth celebrating — we can’t remain on a war footing forever.
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