Two liberal writers every conservative should read

By Michael Barone, Michael Barone

Published December 20, 2015

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In the wake of CNBC's Republican debate, conservatives are complaining more than ever about the liberal bias of mainstream media. And bias there is, as my Washington Examiner colleague Tim Carney has been at some pains to explain to our MSM friends and acquaintances. But there's also some value to listening to the other side, as Paul Ryan said to his House of Representatives colleagues in his remarks on his election as speaker.

So let me nominate two liberal opinion writers whose work conscientious conservatives would do well to follow.

The first is William Galston, of the Brookings Institution, who writes a column every Wednesday for the Wall Street Journal. His latest makes the argument, one many liberals refuse to countenance and many conservatives hesitate to make, that as his headline puts it, the poverty cure is for people to get married. He is thinking especially of black Americans, and he cites the plenteous research that shows that life outcomes for children not raised by their two parents—especially boys—are highly negative. He also admits that no one has come up with a government policy that effectively encourages and strengthens marriage, something everyone should ponder.