Keller, Jon 1956–

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Keller, Jon 1956–

(Jon Peter Keller)

PERSONAL:

Born 1956, in Washington, DC; married; wife's name Inez; children: Barney, Jared. Education: Brandeis University, B.A. (cum laude), 1977.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Cambridge, MA.

CAREER:

Political analyst and author. WBZ-TV, Boston, MA, political analyst; WBZ NewsRadio, Boston, MA, commentator; Boston Herald, contributor; Boston magazine, contributing editor. WLVI-TV, Boston, MA, former political analyst; Boston Globe, former op-ed columnist; Boston Phoenix, former political reporter; held positions with TAB Newspapers, People magazine, and various radio stations.

AWARDS, HONORS:

New England Emmy Award for Best Reporting, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences/New England regional chapter, 1998 and 2004; twice named "Best TV Political Analyst," Boston magazine.

WRITINGS:

The Bluest State: How Democrats Created the Massachusetts Blueprint for American Political Disaster, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

In The Bluest State: How Democrats Created the Massachusetts Blueprint for American Political Disaster, political commentator Jon Keller writes about problems he feels are endemic to the Democratic Party, which has dominated the Bay State for decades. Keller, who serves as political analyst for the CBS-TV affiliate in Boston, WBZ-TV, "is widely regarded as the top political analyst in New England," declared a writer for the WBZTV.com Web site. "He is a favorite of the region's viewers because he is smart and witty, and he asks the tough questions everyone wants to have asked."

Keller sees in the Massachusetts Democratic Party a flawed model that the national Democratic Party follows to its own peril. The Bluest State, declared New York Sun contributor Seth Gitell, "contends that baby boom politicians and voters in Massachusetts have deeply damaged the political culture in the state, standing as a warning to voters nationwide of generational and ideological excesses. For Mr. Keller, Massachusetts is both the Petri dish of hot house liberalism and the locale from which its antidote can spring." "Mr. Keller," stated Guy Darst in the Wall Street Journal, "does a fine job of cataloging the ‘politically unappealing traits’—such as aloofness, arrogance, entitlement, condescension and hypocrisy—that beset the bluest of blue-state politicians." Keller addresses such issues as elitism, corruption (particularly in the management of Boston's "Big Dig," the project that reroutes the city's central freeway underground), escalating real-estate costs, job loss, and high taxes. Finally, Keller "relies heavily on interviews and anecdotes," explained a Kirkus Reviews contributor, "to make the case that Massachusetts Democrats have led their state into economic disaster because of their callous disregard for the bulk of the electorate: blue-collar workers."

Part of the reason the question of Massachusetts's liberal background is so important, Keller suggests, is because the Bay State has been long regarded as a trendsetter in national politics. "From John Adams to John Kennedy, Massachusetts has occupied a singular place in American presidential history," Guardian reviewer Dan Kennedy stated. "Twice, in 1988 (Michael Dukakis) and 2004 (John Kerry), Massachusetts political figures have won the Democratic nomination. Twice, they've blown huge leads to Republicans named Bush." At the same time, the author declares, the liberal elite has gotten woefully out of step with the general tenor of American politics. "Keller accuses liberals … of an elitism that antagonizes working-class folks both locally and nationally," explained Boston Globe writer Chuck Leddy. "And while Keller feels pocketbook and safety issues go woefully unaddressed, he points to gay marriage and abortion as central items on the state's political agenda, triggering ferocious, scorched-earth battles over issues that rarely affect working-class voters directly." Keller, reported Vanessa Bush in Booklist, "writes with passion as well as long and deep knowledge of the politics of Massachusetts and its once proud heritage in national politics."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2007, Vanessa Bush, review of The Bluest State: How Democrats Created the Massachusetts Blueprint for American Political Disaster, p. 24.

Boston Globe, October 6, 2007, Chuck Leddy, "Taking Some Swipes at Massachusetts Democrats."

Guardian (London, England), September 13, 2007, Dan Kennedy, "A State of Self-Indulgence."

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2007, review of The Bluest State.

New York Sun, September 4, 2007, Seth Gitell, review of The Bluest State.

Wall Street Journal, September 5, 2007, Guy Darst, "Bay State Blues: Massachusetts Incubates the ‘Viruses’ That Afflict the Democratic Party."