Digital Fellow

Cory Bennett

Digital Fellow

Cory Bennett is a digital fellow with NationalJournal.com. Bennett is originally from Chicago, but has been slowly working his way along the East Coast since leaving the Midwest for college. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Government from Cornell University and later his Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University before coming to the National Journal. In between college and graduate school, Cory worked in Boston and New York City for two years. His work has also appeared in Newsday, the Charlotte Observer, the Gotham Gazette, the Poughkeespie Journal, the Ithaca Journal and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Cory Bennett's Latest Posts

Life in Politics Can Be Comic

By Cory Bennett

While tens of thousands of people make a living in politics, Darren Davis seems to have discovered a niche in political comics. Read More »

What You Need to Know About Chechnya

By Matt Vasilogambros, Cory Bennett and Niraj Chokshi

With the troubled Russian region in the news, here's a primer on a violent region that has long struggled against Russian hegemony. Read More »

Time Running Short for Congress to Keep Student-Loan Rates From Doubling

By Cory Bennett

Student-loan reform has emerged as one of the few bipartisan bridges in a budget battle marked by stark divides. But there is little agreement on solutions. Read More »

Proposed 'Sin Tax' on Cigarettes Sparks Hope for Preschools

By Cory Bennett

But given the partisan climate and belt-tightening rhetoric in Washington, not to mention tobacco lobbyists, implementation will be a slog. Read More »

Can Obama Go It Alone After His Inaugural Address?

By Cory Bennett

On this week's podcast: How successful will President Obama's new lobbying organization be at pushing through the progressive agenda unveiled during the Inaugural Address? Also, Inauguration Day historian Jim Bendat shares some quir...

Colbert: Finally, French 'Truffle Huffing Surrender Monkeys' Step Up in War on Terrorism

By Cory Bennett

With Friends Like Chuck Norris and Donald Trump, How Did Netanyahu Not Do Better?

By Cory Bennett

The Inauguration Was Great and All, but Where Was the Hopelessness?

By Cory Bennett

Designing Women, Fruit Ninja, Ranch Dressing: Mitt Romney's Inauguration Day

By Cory Bennett

How the Filibuster Both Ruined the Senate and Made It Great

By Cory Bennett

On this week's podcast, competing views through history on whether the filibuster is the greatest or worst thing to happen to the Senate. What's the true story behind Mr. Smith Goes to Washington ? And next week, when the Sena...

Obama: Tyrant or 'King Gun Snatcher the Magnificent'?

By Cory Bennett

Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms: A 'Traditional Southern Wedding Gift'

By Cory Bennett

Americans Against Context Attack Obama on Gun Control

By Cory Bennett

Stretching and a Grass Clippings Disguise, or How to Protect Yourself From the Government

By Cory Bennett

The Political Landscape Was Off Last Week, Will Move to Thursday Moving Forward

By Cory Bennett

After a week off, National Journal's weekly podcast, The Political Landscape, is moving from its weekend release to a Thursday afternoon release. You can be sure to get all future episodes of The Political Landscape by subscribing o...

CONGRESS

The 112th Congress Addresses Gun Control

By National Journal Staff

Since the 112th Congress convened on Jan. 3, 2011, several high-profile mass shootings have occurred. Here are some notable gun-control bills introduced by the 112th Congress. Read More »

PODCAST

Learning to Understand His Son's Autism, Discovering Federal Policy Gaps

By Cory Bennett

On this week's podcast, autism, Asperger's, and the changing federal policy for children with these challenges. Gary Mayerson, an Autism Speaks board member, explains the current gaps in federal policy regarding children with a...

PODCAST

Will Increased Competition in Health Care Exchanges Actually Raise Costs?

By Cory Bennett

In theory health care exchanges allow two things. One, it gives insurers an easy way to promote their plans. And two, it gives consumers an easy way to price compare. According to basic economic theory, this should lower prices.&nbs...

PODCAST

Drones and Data Mining: After Petraeus, After the Election

By Cory Bennett

On this week’s podcast, drone strikes and data mining. How will U.S. drone strike policy move forward with leadership changing in the CIA and Department of Defense? And for all the talk of data mining during the campaigns, did kno...

PODCAST

Election Recap: A Party in Flux, a Changed Electorate, a Divided House, Senate

By Cory Bennett

While the presidential election got the most focus this week, there were far-reaching implications from results up and down the ballots across the country. Listen to Molly Ball of the Atlantic, and Jennifer Duffy and David Wasserman...

New York, 8th House District

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries was easily elected in New York’s 8th District, which includes the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. Jeffries will replace Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., who is retiring after 20 years in Congress....

PODCAST

Colbert, Cocaine, Clinton and the History of Politicians on Comedy Programs

By Cory Bennett

In recent weeks, President Barack Obama has been making the late-night show rounds. The barriers are breaking down between the public and politicians. And Obama is by no means the first president to use comedic appearances to try an...

The Last Redskins Preelection Home Game Result Might Determine the Election

By Cory Bennett

The Redskins have been a professional football team since 1933, when the Boston Braves changed their name to the Boston Redskins. In 1936, the Redskins played their first game during an election year. It's likely no one noticed at t...

CAMPAIGN 2012

GOP Descends on Ohio for Final Romney Push

By Cory Bennett

Talk about party unity. On Friday, almost anyone who could be considered a Republican Party leader will converge on Ohio to kick off one last, four-day push for GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney in advance of Tuesday’s election. Read More »

Minnesota, 8th House District

Former Rep. Rick Nolan returns to the House after a three-decade absence, having beaten tea party-backed freshman Republican Chip Cravaack. Nolan quit in 1981, telling The Washington Post, “Congress is relatively impotent to make ...

Illinois, 13th House District

When Republican Rep. Tim Johnson abruptly announced that he was stepping down after winning his primary, Illinois GOP leaders chose Rodney Davis in May to replace him on the ballot. Davis has long had his eye on elected office. He h...

All Politics Is Local: Detention Center Looms in Biggert-Foster Race

By Cory Bennett

Big-ticket items like tax rates and the future of Medicare dominate most congressional races these days. But local issues still play a critical role, especially in tight contests like the one in Illinois's 11th District, w...

Missouri, 2nd House District

As a Republican National Committee cochair, Ann Wagner earned a reputation as an indefatigable, well-connected fundraiser, bringing in more than $100,000 for President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign. So it was hardly su...

CAMPAIGN 2012

Swing State Early Voting Tally

By Cory Bennett

What can we glean from the early voting to this point in key swing states? Unfortunately for prognosticators, not much. Still, looking at voting trends thus far in several swing states and comparing those numbers with the 2008 early...

PODCAST

Foreign Policy Lessons from JFK's Secret Cuban Missile Crisis Tapes

By Cory Bennett

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the release of new extensive analysis of the secret tapings President Kennedy was doing during the entire ordeal. Are they the best example of foreign policy leade...

PODCAST

Paul Ryan's Mixed Fiscal Congressional Record

By Cory Bennett

This week, we’re discussing Paul Ryan’s voting record in Congress with Matt Cooper, editor of National Journal Daily. Ryan is widely touted as an intellectual fiscal hawk. But as Cooper noted this week, his congressional record ...

DDC Advocacy Names Two New Executives

By Cory Bennett

Lobbying consulting firm DDC Advocacy announced Friday two executive promotions to oversee client outreach and advocacy campaign strategy. Read More »

PODCAST

Why Mitt Romney Can't Honestly Say His Tax Plan Will Create 7 Million Jobs

By Cory Bennett

This week we have Jim Tankersley here to discuss Mitt Romney’s Tax Plan. In a recent piece, Jim interviewed economist John Diamond about his analysis of Romney’s tax plan, which found that the Romney tax plan has the potential t...

A Century of Droughts

By Cory Bennett and Peter Bell

AGRICULTURE

Voices From the Drought

By Cory Bennett, Brian Resnick and Ryan Morris

House Dems Battle for Social Media Supremacy

By Cory Bennett

For the third year in a row, House Democrats held a competition to pull themselves into the social media age. For three weeks, Democratic representatives tried to pile up as many new followers as possible across various social medi...

PODCAST

What Does Mitt Romney's No. 2 Choice in '02 Tell Us About '12?

By Cory Bennett

This week on the National Journal Political Landscape, we have Jim O’Sullivan calling in on his first day of a well-deserved vacation to discuss his recent piece on Mitt Romney’s run for governor in 2002. In the piece, O'Sulliv...

New Mental Health America CEO, Toyota Creates Post For Ex-House Science Committee Staffer

By Cory Bennett

Hilary Cain will become Toyota 's national manager of technology and innovation policy, a new position the company created for Cain. Cain has been at the House Science, Space and Technology Committee since November 2008....

Kerry Hosts Cleland B-Day Bash

By Cory Bennett

Cleland started in politics in 1971, three years after he returned from his service in the Vietnam War. As a U.S. Army captain, Cleland won a bronze and silver star before a battle wound forced the amputation of both his legs. In hi...

PODCAST

Major Garrett Explains Obama's Executive Authority on Gun Control

By Cory Bennett

National Journal White House correspondent Major Garrett is here to discuss his recent column, “3 Simple Steps,” where he lays out the executive authorities Barack Obama has available to circumvent congress and enact strict...

'Kosher Caucus' Battles for NY Deli Supremacy

By Cory Bennett

Retiring Democrat Rep. Gary Ackerman passed the torch Thursday night in the "Best of New York Delis Throwdown." New York Democrats Steve Israel and Jerry Nadler hosted Ackerman's famous 30-year-old fundraiser and Acke...

Today's Influence Ads: Consumer Electronics Association's 'Elect Innovation'

By Cory Bennett

The Consumer Electronics Association has a new ad today promoting the "Elect Innovation" campaign, which calls on voters to support candidates who back innovation friendly policies. The National Association of Manufacturer...

American Association of Museums Hires Former Shaheen Aide

By Cory Bennett

Ben Kershaw joins the American Association of Museums as the assistant director for congressional relations. He will leave his legislative assistant position with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen , D-N.H. Museum advocacy association AA...

Where Congress Stands On Chick-fil-A

By Cory Bennett

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi isn't taking her orders from some chicken-lovin' cow . Read More »

PEOPLE

Total Spectrum Adds Former Chase Exec. and Md. State Senator

By Cory Bennett

Total Spectrum LLC is adding two partners. Eugene Swanzey and Dennis Rasmussen will bring their public and private business experience to the political and public affairs firm. Swanzey took an early retirement from Cha...

Pelosi's Late Night Olympic Habit

By Cory Bennett

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi revealed a reason, other than legislative gridlock, that she might be running on fumes. Pelosi was going through her talking points after the House voted down the Democratic tax pro...

Human Rights Activist Chen Visits Hill

By Cory Bennett

In a visit to Capitol Hill today, human rights activist Chen Guangcheng called for continued attention to human rights abuses in China, including the ones inflicted on his family by the Chinese government. "If a case ...

Progressive Caucus Proposes Budget 'Deal for All'

By Cory Bennett

Speaking to a near empty room, members of the Congressional Progressive Congress unveiled the broad strokes of its vision for America's budget: protecting social security, medicare and medicaid, raising taxes on the wealthiest, cre...

Movin' On Up In Shuster's Office

By Cory Bennett

Rep. Bill Shuster 's chief of staff is leaving to take a political consulting gig, leading to a very Jeffersonian (not that kind , this kind ) turn of events within the office. Read More »

INFLUENCE

Energy Advocates Push House to Restore LIHEAP Funding

By Cory Bennett

Energy companies will join charitable organizations on the Hill today to push members of Congress to restore funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). Some of the biggest energy and utility companies i...