MICHAEL BARONE

Washington, D.C.

Michael Barone is a Columnist of the Creators Syndicate.

Mr. Barone is a senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner and a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Latest Articles

Lenin and Stalin at Gorki in 1922. — Via Wikimedia Commons

Soviet Union’s Early Years Offer Disturbing Preview of DSA’s Agenda

Stephen Kotkin’s biography of Stalin is a reminder that unlikely-seeming threats can prove disastrous.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Sep 8, 2026|

Opinion

Demonstrators raise their mobile phone lights during a protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at New York in July 2020. — AP/John Minchillo

Democrats in 2028 Could Have Trouble Shaking the Far-Left Baggage of the ‘Woke 1’ Era

AOC obviously has a motive to brush aside, as she does with a charmingly self-deprecatory laugh, the exotic positions she and other liberals took on the issues.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Aug 31, 2026|

Opinion

The Democratic nominee for Senate from Florida, Angie Nixon, on August 17, 2026 at Hallandale Beach. — Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida’s Primary Results Echo Far-Left Takeover of Democratic Party in McGovern Era

Then as now a protest movement incubated on college and university campuses shows its dominance.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Aug 21, 2026|

Columnists

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong talks during a primary debate at Milwaukee, July 28, 2026. — AP/Nam Y. Huh

Midwest Primary Results Could Foretell Rise of a DSA-Backed Presidential Nominee in 2028

Turmoil in the Democratic Party echoes the changes in the GOP’s constituencies ahead of Trump’s candidacy.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Aug 16, 2026|

Columnists

Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on August 5, 2026, at Detroit's Majestic Theatre. — AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson

El-Sayed’s Triumph Echoes Jesse Jackson’s Surprise Michigan Primary Win in 1988

The germs were there all along, but the disease has unmistakably broken out only now.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Aug 8, 2026|

Opinion

The chairman of the World War I-era War Industries Board, Bernard Baruch. — Via Wikimedia Commons

Today’s Socialists Ignore Failed Federal Takeover of Economy

Progressive reformers at the time were convinced that experts could do better than seemingly chaotic markets in running the economy.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Aug 4, 2026|

Columnists

A soldier of Ukraine's National Guard 15th Brigade carries a reconnaissance drone near the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, July 29, 2024. — AP/Andriy Andriyenko

Unexpected Course of Ukraine’s War Invites a Reappraisal of America’s Military Outlook

Drone-equipped defense is prevailing, with enormous implications for how the Pentagon does business.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Jul 27, 2026|

Opinion

Senator Lindsey Graham. — Ting Shen/pool via AP

Reflecting on Lindsey Graham’s Churchillian Legacy

Palmetto State solon understood the leading Anglosphere nation’s responsibility to oppose hegemonic dictatorial powers emerging in the landmass of Eurasia.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Jul 20, 2026|

Opinion

Senate candidate Graham Platner after winning the Democratic nomination on June 9, 2026, at Blue Hill, Maine. — AP/Robert F. Bukaty

The Left’s New Habit of Dropping Candidates Signals Trouble Across the Anglosphere

Nostalgia for a working-class politics that hasn’t existed for two generations can produce bad strategy.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Jul 11, 2026|

Opinion

Folarin Balogun celebrates scoring America’s third goal against Paraguay during a World Cup soccer match at Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. — Andre Penner/AP

World Cup Tourism Sheds New Light on America’s ‘Multicultural Miracle’

Cultural diversity dates to colonial days and through the Revolution and the first tenuous years of independence.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Jul 6, 2026|

Opinion

Detail of Nicolas de Largillière's portrait of James II, whose ouster paved the way for the American Revolution. — Via Wikimedia Commons

The ‘Glorious’ British Revolution That Underpins American Independence

The ouster of a king with a clear hereditary claim inspires stirrings of rebellion in the 13 Colonies.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Jun 26, 2026|

Opinion

George Peter Alexander Healy's 1846 portrait of President Polk, detail. — National Portrait Gallery via Wikimedia Commons

Trump, Wavering on Iran, Fails To Follow Polk’s Example in Mexican War

Declaring an incomplete victory, well short of the essential objective, and just getting the heck out of there is the road not taken by the 11th president.

By MICHAEL BARONE

|Jun 20, 2026|

Columnists