Ruth Conniff

Ruth Conniff is the Political Editor of the Progressive Magazine. A native of Madison, WIsconsin, she first joined the magazine when she was hired as a summer intern by the late Erwin Knoll after her sophomore year at Yale. Shortly after graduating from college in 1990, she came to work as Associate Editor for the Progressive, becoming Washington Editor and opening the Progressive's Washington, DC, office in 1997. During the 1990s, Conniff covered welfare reform in Wisconsin and around the country, as well as the drug war in Colombia, and other topics, including women's sports (an avid runner, Conniff coached her old high school track and cross-country teams at Madison East High School for many years).
In Washington, Conniff became a regular on TV pundit shows on CNN, Fox News, and PBS. She still appears frequently on PBS's To The Contrary and on the Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC.
Conniff was the recipient of an "Editor's Choice" award from Madison Magazine for her coverage of the Wisconsin Uprising in 2011. Her Progressive Magazine feature story on school privatization is a chapter in the book "It Happened in Wisconsin" recently published by Verso.
Today Conniff lives in Madison with her husband and three daughters, who marched on the Capitol with their teachers from the Madison Public Schools.
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Scott Walker’s Sneaky School Voucher Plan »

By Ruth Conniff, May 17, 2013

He may take vouchers statewide, even against the wishes of some legislators in his own party.read more

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Milwaukee Fast Food Workers Walk Out »

By Ruth Conniff, May 15, 2013

“We’re on strike because we’re tired of struggling just to survive.”read more

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How School Privatizers Buy Elections »

By Ruth Conniff, May 8, 2013

Check out the American Federation for Children, and how the group bragged about putting Republicans in power in Wisconsin.read more

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Move Over, Koch Brothers: A Bigger, Darker Rightwing Funder »

By Ruth Conniff, April 30, 2013

The Bradley Foundation is spearheading the assault on our public schools.read more

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After the Boston Bombings: A Police Chief for Peace »

By Ruth Conniff, April 27, 2013

Militarizing the police is no answer to terrorism.read more

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Obama Pushes Back Against Attacks on Women's Health »

By Ruth Conniff, April 26, 2013

He firmly defended Planned Parenthood and stood up for a woman’s right to choose.read more

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Surreal Scene in Boston  »

By Ruth Conniff, April 19, 2013

Our first thoughts this morning are with our friends and colleagues in Boston.read more

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Boston Bombing Overshadows Gun Vote »

By Ruth Conniff, April 17, 2013

We are living in a political and media environment that focuses endlessly on violence and terror, to the detriment of actual efforts to curb violence.read more

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Why Does It Matter If Boston Bombing Is "Terrorism"? »

By Ruth Conniff, April 16, 2013

Using the word doesn't help us heal--or keep us safe.read more

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Progressives Say They'll Primary Dems Who Vote for Chained CPI »

By Ruth Conniff, April 10, 2013

"You cannot call yourself a Democrat and support Social Security cuts."read more

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Is America Giving Up on Stopping Gun Violence? »

By Ruth Conniff, April 3, 2013

Despite the overheated rhetoric, after a tragedy like Newtown, we have to hope that at least some minimal common sense can prevail.read more

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A Win for Public Education in Wisconsin »

By Ruth Conniff, April 3, 2013

The reelection of Tony Evers as state superintendent of public instruction deals a setback to the school privatizers.read more

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Who Has Standing on Gay Marriage? »

By Ruth Conniff, March 30, 2013

If the Supreme Court punts on making a landmark decision on Prop 8 and DOMA it will likely be because the Justices decide the plaintiffs lack standing.read more

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Bernie Sanders Takes on 'Too Big To Jail' »

By Ruth Conniff, March 28, 2013

The Vermont Independent Stands Up to Eric Holder and the Big Banks.read more

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Humane Budget from the Progressive Caucus »

By Ruth Conniff, March 18, 2013

This is the budget we would have liked to see President Obama propose.read more

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