Phil Bronstein

The Original Power Couple Emerges Again With Hillary on Top...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 11.02.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

The Clinton marriage is probably less of a negotiation than a long-term range war (not without genuine affection). But surveying the battlefield, it's clear that Hillary has advanced her public personality position way ahead of his.

New York Times Responds to "Liberal" Borrowing Policy Question...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 10.20.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

I like the tussle of digital world commenting, as nasty and angry as it can get. There are also endless tips, suggestions, ideas and other useful things in comments sections that may be bad for the ego but good for journalism.

New York Times' SF Debut Gets "Liberal," But Applies to Borrowing Policy?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 10.19.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

The Times chose to invade our Western shore pretty much wearing panties and floaties instead of the full battle gear available to the national "paper of record."

Does Obama's "Bailout" Mean a Future for Print But Not Profits?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 09.21.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

Just when profit seems to be staging an improbable comeback, along comes President Obama supporting tax breaks for newspapers that are structured as non-profits.

Where Does Social Media Start, and a Mainstream Media News Cycle Die?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 09.17.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

When and how a news story begins, and what the steps are in between that moment and Jimmy Carter offering his final, funereal judgment, are interesting questions.

Why Are Kanye and All These Celebs Mad? It's in the Stars...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 09.14.2009 | Entertainment


Phil Bronstein

While you've been burying your nose in egghead tracts about health care reform and the deteriorating war in Afghanistan, the truly in-touch media, like AstrologyZone, has the details you need to know.

Obama, Not All Dropouts Grow Up to Be Rap Stars...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 11.08.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

In his address to school children, Barack Obama has revealed himself as an educationist, deeply discriminating against dropouts like, well, me.

McCain's Care Restores Health to Sickly Town Halls...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 09.26.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

John McCain is a guy who's not only on (his) message, unlike the eloquent and seemingly unprepared-for-this-battle Obama administration, but keeps his town hall audience there with him.

Robert Novak, the Prince of Darkness for better or worse...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 09.18.2009 | Home


Phil Bronstein

He was called "The Prince of Darkness," not by his enemies but by his friends because of his contacts and his power to move the D.C. discussion. But that name reminds me of something very different.

Hillary Comes Out of the Bill Closet: But How Does She Really Feel?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

I've never been a huge Hillary fan, but this was both heartbreaking and endearing, watching the cold steel of a too-often back seat passenger to power explode into the molten lava that's been percolating all these years.

Wise Latina, Meet Ricky Ricardo...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 08.15.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

Ricky Ricardo always got blindsided, then hustled by his ditzy wife. All she needed to do was apologize and maybe cry a little. Neither Sotomayor nor Senator Coburn seem like they'll be doing any weeping.

We're All the New N-word: It's Not About You, It's About Me

Phil Bronstein | Posted 08.08.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

The warm bath of public narcissism is getting crowded: The media, the people they cover and the consumers are all nicely simmering in a narcissism stew.

Hey Sanford! Did Obama Put You up to This?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 07.25.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

You think it was a coincidence that as the Governor was into the meat of his dishonor, the CNN scroll noted that President Obama was going to the Vatican to meet with the Pope?

Twitter Can't Cure Cancer! But the Right Pro-Am Mix is the Future of Journalism

Phil Bronstein | Posted 07.23.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

Look, Twitter can't cure cancer. But it's certainly part of the genetic makeup of a future vaccine to combat the transitional disease affecting professional journalism.

A Real Missed Connection: Craigslist Saves Print and Stands to Profit Even More?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 07.13.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

Rabid law enforcement agents are chasing lucrative classified sex ads from Craigslist back to old-fashioned newsprint businesses nervy enough to keep publishing them.

Love or Lust, Obama and the Fawning Press Need to Get a Room

Phil Bronstein | Posted 07.09.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

You can't blame powerful people for wanting to play the press to peddle self-perpetuating mythology. But you can blame the press for being played.

I Feel Your Pain, See Your "Empathy," and Raise You a Little EST

Phil Bronstein | Posted 07.03.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

Caught up in his own empathy epidemic, Mr. Obama is now inviting evil Iran to US embassy Fourth of July celebrations overseas. Just check the firecracker load carefully.

GOP Pols Believe in Outsourcing -- the Dirty Work

Phil Bronstein | Posted 07.02.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

The GOP is letting the conservative "entertainers" do the wet work, the dirty parts of the job, while the pols take the high road and hang onto their seats.

Obama and Cheney Don't Play Safe in Battle Over Security...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 06.21.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

The Obama-Cheney faceoff was gladiator vs. gladiator, a war of its own for the soul of national security policy and the judgment of history.

Miss CA Keeps Crown -- and a More Honest "Gay" Record Than Obama and Crist?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 06.12.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

If public toplessness and sticking to personal beliefs about same-sex marriage are good enough for Barack Obama, they should be OK for Carrie Prejean as well.

No Tricks Here: Dick Cheney Has Become Nixon 2.0

Phil Bronstein | Posted 06.11.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

Mr. Cheney has become the guy whose very existence makes some people furious and who brings to the surface all those intense and complex emotions about power and the people who wield it.

Shouldn't That Be His Royal Highness, the "Addled Lord of Print?"

Phil Bronstein | Posted 06.05.2009 | Media


Phil Bronstein

When great satire can't make it anymore in the printed newspaper world, that's not so funny here in the belly of the Chronicle and at other publications.

Robert Redford on Celebrity and the Making of All the President's Men at the SF International Film Festival

Phil Bronstein | Posted 06.04.2009 | Entertainment


Phil Bronstein

In the interview, Redford was more candid than I'd seen him in some other settings. Everything from Bob Woodward's pyromania to his dog getting hit and killed by a car right in front of him.

I'll See Your 183 Waterboardings and Raise You an Iron Maiden...

Phil Bronstein | Posted 05.21.2009 | Politics


Phil Bronstein

While so many people seemed entirely shocked at what Americans were up to in interrogations the last few years, I, on the other end, was surprised that there were any limits at all.

Obama's Measured Pirate Reaction -- Just Like a Democrat?

Phil Bronstein | Posted 05.16.2009 | World


Phil Bronstein

Maybe it's style. After all, this president is the antithesis so far of the "hah! Take that! whether-you-like-it-or-not!" arrogance.