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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Romney's Choice of Paul Ryan Should Scare You »

By Ruth Conniff, August 11, 2012

When Mitt Romney announced that he had chosen Paul Ryan as his running mate, there was a collective gasp from Wisconsin.read more

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Time to Stand Up to the Gun Nuts »

The week Wisconsin's new concealed carry law passed, "no guns allowed" signs started going up all over town.read more

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Tragedy in Wisconsin »

by Ruth Conniff, August 6, 2012

The shooting rampage Sunday at the Wisconsin Sikh Temple outside Milwaukee has got to prompt serious soul-searching about our out-of-control gun policies in this country.read more

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What Mitt Romney's Gaffes Tell Us »

by Ruth Conniff, July 31, 2012

As much outrage as Romney managed to provoke abroad with his Ugly American routine, citizens of the United States should be the most worried.read more

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Wisconsin Dem's Defection May Cost His Party Control of State Senate »

By Ruth Conniff, July 24, 2012

On Tuesday afternoon state senator Tim Cullen of Janesville sent an email to Democratic colleagues announcing his resignation from the Democratic Caucus.read more

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Billy Bragg Brings the Spirit of Woody Guthrie to Madison »

By Ruth Conniff, July 11, 2012

Bragg's message--of optimism, of our place in the long, historic struggle for justice, and of compassion and solidarity--struck a chord with the crowd.read more

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Republicans For No Health Care »

By Ruth Conniff, July 2, 2012

Despite the Supreme Court's affirmation of the Affordable Care Act, the national Republican Party is going into November railing against health care reform and resisting implementation of the new law.read more

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Olympic Fantasy: Good or Bad for Kids? »

By Ruth Conniff, June 27, 2012

Do I want my girls to feel like champions, to have sports heroes, to joyfully play, compete, and enjoy their bodies? You bet. Do I think it's a good idea for our family to revolve around their peewee league wins and losses? Nope.read more

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Will Labor Learn Recall's Lessons in Battleground States? »

By Ruth Conniff, June 19, 2012

As SEIU gears up for November, it needs to attend to what happened in Wisconsin.read more

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The Recall Is Not the End »

By Ruth Conniff, June 7, 2012

We have to make the case for solidarity to our increasingly insecure, angry, non-union workers.read more

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What the Recall Today Is Really About »

By Ruth Conniff, June 5, 2011

It’s not about the Democratic Party. It is not about Tom Barrett. It is certainly not about the Obama campaign. It’s about us, our future, our community.read more

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Legal cloud gathers over Scott Walker as recall election approaches »

by Ruth Conniff on Sunday 06/03/2012 9:43 am

With the recall election less than two days away, federal prosecutors are closing in on Governor Scott Walker, according to veteran political reporter David Shuster, former Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager, and former district attorney Bob Jambois.read more

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Legal Cloud Gathers Over Walker »

By Ruth Conniff, June 3, 2011

“I stand by my reporting 100 percent,” Shuster said in the conference call. “It’s clear to me that he is, in fact, a target in a Federal investigation.”read more

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$100,000 to Walker's criminal defense fund, $100,000 to Dems for GOTV »

by Ruth Conniff on Wednesday 05/30/2012 1:21 pm

After the Government Accountability Board filings late Tuesday, the Barrett campaign drew attention to new information showing that Governor Walker has transferred $100,000 to his John Doe criminal defense fund in the last several weeks.read more

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Wisconsin recall fever: Fundraising, rallies, and an Obama petition »

by Ruth Conniff on Wednesday 05/30/2012 12:07 pm

With the polls tightening and the energy picking up, the recall drive against Gov. Scott Walker has shifted into high gear with six days to go before the June 5 election.read more

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CURRENT ISSUE: June 2013

June 2013

Preserving Our Home on Earth

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