CRAIG CRAWFORD

'Craig Crawford' is a writer and television political commentator based in Washington D.C., a columnist for ''Congressional Quarterly'', and the author of ''Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media'' (2005) ISBN 0-7425-3816-8 and ''The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World''] (2007) ISBN 0-7425-5250-0. He is a news analyst for the U.S. cable news channels MSNBC and CNBC. Known for his southern accent and manner, Crawford regularly appears as a guest panelist on MSNBC's ''Scarborough Country,'' ''Countdown with Keith Olbermann,'' and ''Hardball with Chris Matthews.'' Crawford’s first book, Attack the Messenger: How Politicians Turn You Against the Media ISBN 0-7425-3816-8 came out in 2005. In the book’s acknowledgments, he cites the “critical assistance,” “extreme patience,” and “attention to detail” of David Blank, the lobbyist who has been his life partner since 1987. Crawford’s second book, The Politics of Life: 25 Rules for Survival in a Brutal and Manipulative World ISBN 0-7425-5250-0 is a kind of updated Machiavelli, that has just been published by Rowman & Littlefield. [1].

Contents

Early life

Career

External links

Early life

Craig Crawford was born in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1956. His family moved to Orlando, Florida, where his parents, Toby and Bill Crawford, encouraged his interest in public affairs. While attending Oak Ridge High School, Craig developed an early devotion to Richard Nixon despite his parents allegiance to the Democratic party. While still in high school, Crawford served as a page to Republican Senator Ed Gurney. His devotion to the GOP lasted until the Watergate scandal.
In 1974, while attending Stetson University, Crawford worked on the Jimmy Carter presidential campaign. After the 1976 election, Crawford transferred to American University in Washington to intern in the Carter White House press office. Crawford graduated from Stetson University (1978) and Stetson University Law School (1981). He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1982.

Career

While beginning his law practice, he worked for Democratic candidates John Glenn and Walter Mondale. In 1982, he ran in his own right as a Democratic candidate for Florida’s state legislature. Crawford joined the staff of the Orlando Sentinel in 1985 as a legal affairs and politics reporter. In 1989 he moved to the paper's Washington bureau. In 1997, Crawford left the Sentinel to run The Hotline, until 2003 when he joined Congressional Quarterly leading to his current work for NBC, CNBC and MSNBC.
Crawford's Congressional Quarterly articles are cross posted on his blog "Crawford's List" [2].

External links

★ Crawford's Blog.

★ Column at Congressional Quarterly

★ [3] Orlando Magazine profile