by Matt Bai
I am in awe of Jonathan Segal, my sharp and sure-handed editor at Alfred A. Knopf. Jonathan rightly made me earn his trust by pressing me to refine my vision for the book, and then he stood by it fiercely and made it better at every turn. I’m grateful, too, to the legendary Sonny Mehta, as well as to Meghan Houser, Paul Bogaards, Erinn Hartman, Sara Eagle, Anne-Lise Spitzer, Loriel Olivier, Kim Thornton, Peter Mendelsund, and the rest of the all-star team at Knopf, which really is everything a book publisher ought to be.
I never would have pursued this project, or not for long anyway, without the unwavering conviction of my agent, Sarah Chalfant, at the Wylie Agency. She is a friend, an ally, and a fellow believer in the power of words. That Andrew Wylie weighed in with encouragement meant a lot, too; when Andrew tells you to go write a book already, you write one, and you don’t ask why.
As it turned out, I completed this book during the last of my eleven years at The New York Times Magazine, a publication of which I will always be enormously proud. I owe a huge debt to the fabulous editors and researchers who were my partners over the years, among them Paul Tough, Gerry Marzorati, Joel Lovell, Ilena Silverman, Vera Titunik, Alex Star, Chris Suellentrop, Kathy Ryan, Aaron Retica, Ann Clarke, Sarah Smith, William Lin, Renee Michael, and Charles Wilson. I also benefited from the support and wisdom of such incredible fellow writers as Jonathan Mahler, Michael Sokolove, Sara Corbett, Peter Baker, and Adam Nagourney. Hugo Lindgren and Jill Abramson granted me time to write the book without a moment’s complaint. Megan Liberman brilliantly and indefatigably edited my online columns for both the magazine and the newspaper, and then offered me the irresistible chance to begin a whole new adventure with her at Yahoo News, which is trying to reimagine political coverage for a new generation.
Thinking back on my career to this point reminded me of how grateful I am to the editors who have given me extraordinary opportunities along the way: Matt Storin, Ann McDaniel, Adam Moss, Bill Keller, and especially my friend and mentor Gerry Marzorati. They are giants of the craft, and I hope I have justified their faith.
It would be impossible to mention all the friends and relatives who sustained this project, starting with my mother, Rhea Bai, and my sisters, Dina and Caroline. None gave more of themselves, or have given more to my writing over the years, than Jon Cowan, who is both a fearless thinker and a naturally gifted editor. Our great friends Debra Rosenberg and David Lipscomb read drafts and offered wise suggestions, and Ilana and Jonathan Drimmer tormented me until I came up with a title they liked. My screenwriting partner Jay Carson inspired me with his unflagging enthusiasm, and Gina Cooper kept me going with homemade jam and wine. John and Ali Lapp and David Durman responded within seconds to my pleas for 1980s cultural references. Mary Grace Gatmaitan walled off my writing space from invading Pokemons and princesses, as she has for the last eight years.
Finally, and above all, there is the amazing Ellen Uchimiya, whose passion infuses every page of this book, including some that she bravely insisted I rip up and rewrite. If our beautiful children, Ichiro and Allegra, inherit half of Ellen’s curiosity, compassion, and blazing intellect, they’ll do just fine. That they’ve inherited her easy laughter is enough for me.
A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Bai is the national political columnist for Yahoo News. Before that, he was the chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, where he covered three presidential campaigns, and a columnist for the Times. His first book, The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics, was named a New York Times Notable Book for 2007. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland. For more, visit mattbai.com or follow @mattbai on Twitter.
