Stanley Kurtz

Senior Fellow

Stanley Kurtz is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Beyond his work with Education and American Ideals, Mr. Kurtz is a key contributor to American public debates on a wide range of issues from K–12 and higher education reform, to the challenges of democratization abroad, to urban-suburban policies, to the shaping of the American left’s agenda. Mr. Kurtz has written on these and other issues for various journals, particularly National Review Online (where he is a contributing editor).

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Stanley Kurtz is a Senior Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. On a wide range of issues, from K–12 and higher education reform, to the challenges of democratization abroad, to urban-suburban policies, to the shaping of the American left’s agenda, Mr. Kurtz is a key contributor to American public debates. Mr. Kurtz has written on these and other issues for various journals, particularly National Review Online (where he is a contributing editor).

Mr. Kurtz has published two influential books on President Obama’s political history and policy agenda: Radical-in-Chief: Barack Obama and the Untold Story of American Socialism (Threshold) and Spreading the Wealth: How Obama is Robbing the Suburbs to Pay for the Cities (Sentinel). He has also led the campaign to reform federal subsidies to academic programs of “area studies” under Title VI of the Higher Education Act, and has co-authored model campus free speech legislation adopted by several states.

Mr. Kurtz’s latest book, The Lost History of Western Civilization (National Association of Scholars), offers both a critique of deconstructionist history and a new way of looking at America’s cultural conflicts. (A free pdf of the book can be downloaded here.)

Mr. Kurtz received his undergraduate degree from Haverford College and his Ph.D. in social anthropology from Harvard University. He later taught at Harvard, winning several teaching awards for his work in a Great Books Program. He was also Dewey Prize Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Chicago.

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Planting Seeds of Disaster

Stanley Kurtz

‘You've got only a couple thousand bucks in the bank. Your job pays you dog-food wages. Your credit history has…

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National Review Online / October 7, 2008

O's Dangerous Pals

Stanley Kurtz

WHAT exactly does a “community organizer” do? Barack Obama's rise has left many Americans asking themselves that question. Here's a…

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New York Post / September 29, 2008

Founding Brothers

Stanley Kurtz

New evidence strongly suggests that Barack Obama has been less than forthcoming about the role that unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist…

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National Review Online / September 24, 2008

Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools

Stanley Kurtz

Despite having authored two autobiographies, Barack Obama has never written about his most important executive experience. From 1995 to 1999,…

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Wall Street Journal / September 23, 2008

Obama's Challenge

Stanley Kurtz

Today, in a piece in the Wall Street Journal entitled, “Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools,” I offer a…

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National Review Online / September 23, 2008

Senator Stealth

Stanley Kurtz

After hearing about Barack Obama’s ties to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, Fr. Michael Pfleger, and the…

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National Review Vol. LX, No. 16 / September 1, 2008

Chicago Annenberg Challenge Shutdown?

Stanley Kurtz

The problem of Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers will not go away. Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn were…

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National Review Online / August 18, 2008

Barack Obama’s Lost Years

Stanley Kurtz

Barack Obama’s neighborhood newspaper, the Hyde Park Herald, has a longstanding tradition of opening its pages to elected officials-from Chicago…

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Not Without a Fight

Stanley Kurtz

It’s been less than a year since the phenomenon of “libel tourism” first broke into public consciousness in the United…

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True Believer

Stanley Kurtz

By this point, nobody can seriously suggest that Barack Obama was unaware of the hate-filled rhetoric emanating from the pulpit…

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No Liberation

Stanley Kurtz

Having now left Trinity United Church of Christ, can Barack Obama escape responsibility for his decades-long ties to Michael Pfleger…

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National Review Online / June 2, 2008

Inside Obama's Acorn

Stanley Kurtz

What if Barack Obama's most important radical connection has been hiding in plain sight all along? Obama has had an…

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National Review Online / May 29, 2008