Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Benjamin Ginsberg
The latest essay every day.
Ask the average American adult what he thinks of promoting “action civics” in the public school curriculum and his response is likely to be “Why not? Sounds like a good idea.
Eagle Archives, Feb. 27, 1976: Lee man's record gifts of life aid himself as well as others
LEE — George D. Rubin of East Center Street stands as testament to the conviction of the Middle Ages that bloodletting is the ultimate cure for what ails the body. Having eschewed the leeches of the Middle Ages for the more contemporary and sanitary needle, Rubin has given nearly 20 gallons of blood — a Lee, Berkshire County, and perhaps state and national record. The robust and healthy 57-year-old father of four attributes his salubrious state to his 36-year-old love affair with blood giving.
Patriotism starts at home, so teach your children well
OPINION: American citizenship is being unmade in schools and on social media before our very eyes. It is unlikely to survive unless Americans of good faith find a way to reconnect with their country. If a sense of American citizenship is to be restored, then the American people must take the lead themselves.
Eagle Archives, Nov. 12, 1975: Mama Frasca hosts some friends
BECKET — A few fellow singers named Dylan, Baez, Guthrie and Elliot, a poet they know named Ginsberg, and about 60 of their traveling companions decided to drop in on local chef and amateur crooner Mama Maria Frasca at the Dream Away Lodge here for dinner last Friday. "They're all old friends of ours," said Terry Deming, Mrs. Frasca's daughter and a bartender at the County Road restaurant, bar and motel.
Eagle Archives, July 19, 1975: Alice finds Washington food scene easier to crack than Stockbridge pols
GLENDALE — Alice Brock is having an easier time these days convincing the hierarchy of the Ford administration in Washington of her culinary powers than she is persuading the Stockbridge Selectmen to let her enlarge the place where she practices these powers.
Benjamin L. Ginsberg: Echoes of Gore’s Florida recount in Griffin’s attempt to toss ballots - Salisbury Post
By Benjamin L. Ginsberg Jefferson Griffin’s attempts to invalidate 60,000 North Carolina voters bear haunting parallels to what Al Gore supporters tried to do late in the 2000 Florida recount to take away George W. Bush’s victory. I was the Bush-Cheney campaign’s national counsel, and as Republicans, we were outraged by the unprincipled attempts to disenfranchise voters to steal a win.
Eagle Archives, Jan. 24, 1975: Nellie's history of Otis is a labor of love
OTIS — As a 7-year-old girl working behind the counter of her parents' general store, Lynn Humason Wood knew Nellie Haskell as an outspoken 90-year-old with ankle-length dresses and an intense pride in her native Otis. Looking through her grandmother's scrapbook one day last year, Mrs. Wood, now 33 and a resident of Somers, Conn., came upon an old newspaper clipping about Nellie Haskell. The article said Miss Haskell, who died in 1949, was writing a history of Otis. That kindled Mrs.
Safeguarding Democracy Project Event: "Are We Ready For A Fair And Legitimate Election?"
MyHoover delivers a personalized experience at Hoover.org. In a few easy steps, create an account and receive the most recent analysis from Hoover fellows tailored to your specific policy interests. Watch this video for an overview of MyHoover. Create Account
Why So Many Students Hate Israel | Benjamin Ginsberg
Oct. 7 marks the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, an action that resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 Israelis and provoked a ferocious Israeli response that has produced thousands of casualties in Gaza. Over the past year, some Americans have sought to celebrate this atrocity. Weve seen numerous demonstrations demonizing Israel and demanding the destruction of both Israel and the United States.
Why so many students hate Israel
Oct. 7 marks the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, an action that resulted in the deaths of some 1,200 Israelis and provoked a ferocious Israeli response that has produced thousands of casualties in Gaza. Over the past year, some Americans have sought to celebrate this atrocity. We’ve seen numerous demonstrations demonizing Israel and demanding the destruction of both Israel and the United States.
Eagle Archives, Sept. 7, 1976: 10,000 crowd into Lee to watch one more 1976 parade, muster
LEE — The Lee Volunteer Fire Department helped prove that in this bicentennial year the appetites of Berkshire County residents for lively parades and competitive firemen's musters are hard to satiate. Although the summer has seen a celebration almost every weekend since late May, the main streets here were thronged Sunday for the Lee Firemen's Muster and Parade. Police Chief John J.
Eagle Archives, July 10, 1976: Miss Deely's 110th is like the rest - the crystal stays in the cupboard
The heavily-laden dining room table at Bridget M. Deely's 110th birthday party yesterday at her Center Street home here was stocked with bottles of champagne, snacks, delectable cakes, 20 paper cups and one elegant crystal goblet. "We wanted to serve the champagne in these," Alice Deely Pearson, a niece, said pointing to a bureau containing a set of exquisite glasses. "But Aunt Bid said, 'No, you're not going to use the fine crystal, that's too much.' And what she says goes." So Bridget M.
Restoring Confidence In American Elections
Tom Church: Howdy. I'm Tom Church, I'm the policy fellow at the Hoover Institution, and today I'm trying to figure out why some states call their results the night of a presidential election and other states cannot, so to figure out this question, I'm talking to Ben Ginsberg. Ben, thanks for chatting with me today. Ben Ginsberg: Tom, great to be here. Thanks. Tom Church: So, you have a bunch of titles. I'm just going to try and get them right without reading them.
The Radical Calculus of Campus Encampments: A Closer Look at Left-Liberal Protest Tactics: How university presidents dismantle these forcing beds of radicalism matters. | Benjamin Ginsberg
The hallmark of campus demonstrations by pro-Palestinian groups has been the construction of encampments where protesters can listen to radical speakers, present demands to campus administrators, and practice the latest chants. The hint of rebellion and the whiff of danger in the encampment can be a heady experience for immature kids and will draw some from the fringes toward the center of the fight against Jewish imperialism, and other alleged evils.
Uncivic Education: Many of those who know little or nothing about the seemingly relevant facts, nevertheless have opinions, sometimes even strong opinions, about public matters. | Benjamin Ginsberg
In November 2023, the late terrorist leader Osama bin Ladens infamous Letter to America, justifying his 2001 attack on the World Trade Center that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, was reposted on TikTok. Apparently, quite a few young Americans did not know much about bin Laden or the 9/11 terror attack and were willing to give credence to his screed.
It is time for Jews to rethink loyalty to Democratic Party
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. "You vote for the Democrats," he declared, "to show the rest of us that you're not as smart as we think you are." I should have been offended.
Two Views: Time for US Jews to rethink their Democratic loyalties
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. “You vote for the Democrats,” he declared, “to show the rest of us that you’re not as smart as we think you are.” I should have been offended.
Point: Time for U.S. Jews to rethink their Democratic loyalties
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. “You vote for the Democrats,” he declared, “to show the rest of us that you’re not as smart as we think you are.” I should have been offended.
Point: Time for US Jews to rethink their Democratic loyalties
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. “You vote for the Democrats,” he declared, “to show the rest of us that you’re not as smart as we think you are.” I should have been offended.
Point: Time for U.S. Jews to Rethink Their Democratic Loyalties – DC Journal - InsideSources
For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: A False Equivalence: Antisemitism on the Right and Left.” I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. “You vote for the Democrats,” he declared, “to show the rest of us that you’re not as smart as we think you are.” I should have been offended.
Time for US Jews to rethink their Democratic loyalties
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. "You vote for the Democrats," he declared, "to show the rest of us that you're not as smart as we think you are." I should have been offended.
Time for U.S. Jews to Rethink Their Democratic Loyalties | Benjamin Ginsberg
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. You vote for the Democrats, he declared, to show the rest of us that youre not as smart as we think you are. I should have been offended.
Who Should Govern Our Cowardly, Antisemitic Colleges? | Benjamin Ginsberg
Many Americans, including some of our most prominent business executives, politicians and journalists, continue to express shock at the virulent anti-Israel protests that have disrupted our college campuses and major cities since Israels military began responding to Hamas Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.
Who should govern our cowardly, antisemitic colleges?
OPINION: Many Americans, including some of our most prominent business executives, politicians and journalists, continue to express shock at the virulent anti-Israel protests that have disrupted college campuses and major U.S. cities since Israel’s military began responding to Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.
Lost, Not Stolen: The Conservative Case that Trump Lost and Biden Won the 2020 Presidential Election
MyHoover delivers a personalized experience at Hoover.org. In a few easy steps, create an account and receive the most recent analysis from Hoover fellows tailored to your specific policy interests. Watch this video for an overview of MyHoover. Create Account
Matters Of Policy & Politics: 2024’s Elephant Parade: Who Plays the Trump Card? | Bill Whalen and Ben Ginsberg | Hoover Institution
Should he formalize his candidacy, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott would be the fifth Republican looking to unseat President Biden in 2024. How many other Republicans will join the field – and what are their odds of denying Donald Trump the GOP nomination?
New Laws Target Election Workers
[On the May 13, 2022 episode of The Bulwark’s “Beg to Differ” podcast, guest Ben Ginsberg discussed the potential threats of criminal prosecution that election officials may face for just doing their jobs.] Mona Charen: You’ve also raised the alarm about the number of experienced election officials who are saying they are planning to leave their jobs—about 25 percent. . . .
The fool's gold of Trump's decertification plan
Jefferson E. Davis, spokesman for a group pushing for a broad review of the 2020 presidential election in Wisconsin, holds a copy of the Declaration of Independence on Sept. 10, 2021, in Madison, Wis. (Scott Bauer/AP)Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years, representing Republican candidates and parties and is a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
Eagle Archives, Feb. 19, 1977: Lee firemen retrieve part of town's history
LEE — An old member of the Lee Fire Department's family has returned to the fold after a 30-year hiatus. A vintage 1881 steamer that was the department's property through World War II has recently been purchased from the Longmeadow Fire Department. Local fire fighters won't say how much they paid for the horse-drawn steamer. As best the current members of the department can trace the history, the steamer left Lee during the war years for parts unknown.
Republicans in Congress Should Update the Electoral Count Act Before It’s Too Late | National Review
Boxes containing state Electoral College votes are opened as a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to confirm the Electoral College vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., January 6, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/Pool via Reuters) Amending such an essential democratic safeguard is in the country’s best interest. NRPLUS MEMBER ARTICLE D onald Trump should want the Electoral Count Act of 1887 amended.
Why Violence Works - By Benjamin Ginsberg
Humans, and perhaps their prehuman ancestors, have engaged in murder and mayhem, as individuals and in groups, for hundreds of thousands of years. And, at least since the advent of recorded history, violence and politics have been intimately related. Nation-states use violence against internal and external foes. Dissidents engage in violence against states. Competing political forces inflict violence on one another.
Benjamin L. Ginsberg: Don't be afraid of the election audits - they may be our only ticket out of this mess
By Benjamin L. Ginsberg Special to the Washington Post Really. As a Republican election lawyer who has participated in more than 30 post-election recounts, contests and audits, I am extremely confident: They won’t find anything. The massive fraud that former president Donald Trump claims tarnished the 2020 election has been and will remain illusory – because it didn’t exist.
Don’t be afraid of the election audits - they may be our only ticket out of this mess - The Washington Post
Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years. He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration and is a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. Really. As a Republican election lawyer who has participated in more than 30 post-election recounts, contests and audits, I am extremely confident: They won’t find anything.
Opinion | Election officials need our legal help against repressive laws and personal threats
Bob Bauer served as White House counsel during the Obama administration and is a professor at the New York University School of Law. Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years representing Republican candidates and parties and is a distinguished visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. They are co-chairs of the Election Official Legal Defense Network. Election officials are coming under unprecedented attack for doing their jobs.
We needed an Arizona election audit, but now it's a farce. Here's how to end it responsibly
Opinion: Cyber Ninjas' haphazard procedures have ruined Arizona's election audit. Here's how the Senate should move forward now. Benjamin Ginsberg opinion contributor Karen Fann and Arizona Senate Republicans had reason to call for an audit of the 2020 election. When more than half your constituents and more than a quarter of voters nationwide don’t believe the results of the last election, the situation is a ticking time bomb for our democracy.
Benjamin Ginsberg and Rick Hasen with Pam Fessler
Benjamin Ginsberg is a renowned election lawyer, spending most of his career representing the Republican candidates and causes as well as the Republican party. Rick Hasen is an American legal scholar and expert in legislation, election law and campaign finance. He is currently Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.
Republican lawyer: Here's what to expect when Trump supporters in Congress object to counting electors (opinion) Original
Benjamin L. Ginsberg is a longtime Republican election lawyer who co-chaired the Presidential Commission on Election Administration. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion articles on CNN. (CNN)With the House's Democratic majority and enough Republican senators rejecting the President's plea to ignore the Constitution in the counting of the Electoral College, those objecting to any state's slate of electors have no chance of overturning the election result.
Benjamin L. Ginsberg: America may not be so lucky next time
The country was lucky that President Donald Trump and his reelection campaign were so inept. He ultimately lost by a wide margin, and his challenges to the results have been farcical. His rhetoric ramped up in inverse proportion to his ability to produce evidence supporting his charges of systemic “fraud” or “rigged” elections. The United States might not be so lucky next time.
Ben Ginsberg: Here are the election reforms we need, because America won’t be so lucky next time - The Washington Post
Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years. He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration. The country was lucky that President Trump and his reelection campaign were so inept. He ultimately lost by a wide margin, and his challenges to the results have been farcical. His rhetoric ramped up in inverse proportion to his ability to produce evidence supporting his charges of systemic “fraud” or “rigged” elections.
I represented George W. Bush in 2000. Michigan must certify for Biden. | Opinion
As a longtime Republican election lawyer, I have sympathy for what the Republican members of the Board of State Canvassers are going through. President Donald Trump and his allies are putting enormous pressure on them to do something clearly contrary to their duties. They must resist that pressure and certify Michigan's election results Monday. Here’s why I believe that.
I represented George W. Bush in 2000. Michigan must certify for Biden. – HotAir
It must do so. The certification process is a ministerial one. Board members are required to sign off, provided they have received the final canvass from each of Michigan’s 83 counties — and they have. A refusal by the board to certify the results now would risk disenfranchising the state’s voters — an unconscionable outcome antithetical to American democracy. It also means the board would likely not be able to certify any other races on the Nov.
Electoral system is built to handle challenges like this
By Benjamin L. Ginsberg and Bob Bauer Published 9:26 am EST, Monday, November 2, 2020 We are members of different parties, but we share a commitment to the health and integrity of our voting system. Based on our time leading the Presidential Commission on Election Administration and each of our four decades of work in U.S. elections, we believe our electoral system is strong and will deliver the reliable results required for the peaceful transfer of power that is foundational to our democracy.
Benjamin L. Ginsberg: I’m a leading GOP election lawyer. The world should be ashamed of my party’s voter suppression tactics. - The Washington Post
Democracy Dies in Darkness November 1, 2020 at 4:35 p.m. EST Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years. He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration. President Trump has failed the test of leadership. His bid for reelection is foundering.
Opinion | Trust our electoral system. It’s built to handle challenges like this.
Benjamin L. Ginsberg and Bob Bauer were co-chairs of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration in 2013. Bauer serves as senior adviser to the Biden campaign. We are members of different parties, but we share a commitment to the health and integrity of our voting system.
Opinion | How Trump’s remark about poll watchers threatens another election norm
Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years. He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration. President Trump’s hints in last week’s presidential debate that he would weaponize the traditional role of poll watchers should send shock waves through all Americans. Poll watchers are fundamental to the electoral process. Political parties and campaigns place them in voting locations as their eyes and ears monitoring the casting and counting of ballots.
Opinion | How Trump’s evidence-free attacks on elections damage the Republican Party
Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years. He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration. President Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power threatens collateral damage to Republican senators, the Republican Party and any Republican candidates who find themselves clinging to small post-election leads.
Republicans have insufficient evidence to call elections 'rigged' and 'fraudulent'
Placeholder while article actions load Benjamin L. Ginsberg practiced election law for 38 years. He co-chaired the bipartisan 2013 Presidential Commission on Election Administration Sign up for a weekly roundup of thought-provoking ideas and debates ArrowRight . Legions of Republican lawyers have searched in vain over four decades for fraudulent double voting. At long last, they have a blatant example of a major politician urging his supporters to illegally vote twice.
Republicans Have Insufficient Evidence To Call Elections ‘Rigged’ And ‘Fraudulent’
by Benjamin L. Ginsberg Legions of Republican lawyers have searched in vain over four decades for fraudulent double voting. At long last, they have a blatant example of a major politician urging his supporters to illegally vote twice. The only hitch is that the candidate is President Trump. The president, who has been arguing that our elections are “rigged” and “fraudulent,” last week instructed voters to act in a way that would fulfill that prophecy.
‘Because I said So’: The Changing Role of the Presidency
By Matthew Crenson and Benjamin Ginsberg The presidency is an exclusive club, and its members are not above bending the rules. Over time, however, the executive branch has tried to consolidate its own power at the expense of the Constitution. In October 2002, both houses of Congress voted overwhelmingly to authorize the use of military force against Iraq. The measure originated with President George W.
Putting the Ivory Tower Together Again: Identifying and Fixing the Faults - Panel II: Where We Are Today
There are myriad perceived problems with American higher education, from potentially bloated faculty, administration, or both, to unbridled greed. How many problems truly infest the ivory tower?
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Benjamin
Contact Benjamin, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack