Biography of Morton Kondracke

Morton Kondracke, a 37-year veteran journalist, joined the FOX team in October 1996 and became co-host of The Beltway Boys, along with Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard.  Kondracke is also a regular contributor on FOX News Channel's Special Report with Brit Hume.

He served 16 years as a regular panelist on the NBC/PBS public affairs show, The McLaughlin Group, seen on over 350 stations nationwide.

Before becoming the executive editor and columnist of Roll Call, Kondracke served as executive editor and senior editor of The New Republic from 1977-91.

He was the Washington bureau chief of Newsweek, a regular panelist on This Week with David Brinkley, and a columnist for The Wall Street Journal. In addition, Kondracke received the Washington Post "Crystal Ball Award" in 1994 for predicting the Republican takeover of Congress and was runner-up in 1996.

Kondracke chronicled his wife Milly's struggle with Parkinson’s disease in his 2001 book entitled Saving Milly. Personally and professionally dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease, he is a member of both the Parkinson's Action Network and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Kondracke graduated from Dartmouth College and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

Speech Topics

A View From Washington
Mort Kondracke gives an up-to-the-minute look at American politics and foreign policy. As a Washington journalist since the early '60s, Mort's observations and amusing anecdotes have the weight of his considerable experience. He'll tell you what's going on in Washington and what changes the next elections might bring. On request he will address your organization's legislative prospects.

Saving Milly: Love, Politics, and Parkinson's Disease
In this inspiring and informative presentation based on his The New York Times best seller of the same name, Mort Kondracke gives audiences a glimpse into a side of American life that is usually left behind closed doors. He shares the story of his own family’s struggle with Parkinson’s disease - a debilitating condition that struck his wife in her middle years. Kondracke describes his transformation from careerist to caregiver and disease activist, and explores the realities of "disease politics" in the campaign to find a cure for Parkinson's and other diseases. He also discusses the need for the U.S. government to re-double its minuscule investment in medical research.

America's Health Agenda
Mort Kondracke has a special interest and indepth knowledge about the condition of health care in the United States. He discusses why health care should be at the top of the national agenda, while exploring: health policy, rising costs, Medicare prescription drugs, prospects for the uninsured, and other issues that are relevant to your audience.