TPM Media
Main page of Talking Points Memo as of August 2010
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Type of site
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Political blog, news, discussion forum |
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| Available in | English |
| Owner | Josh Marshall |
| Created by | Josh Marshall |
| Editor | Josh Marshall |
| Website | TalkingPointsMemo.com |
| Alexa rank |
 2909 (September 2016[update]) |
| Commercial | Advertising supported |
| Registration | For discussion forum |
| Launched | November 12, 2000 |
| Current status | Active |
Talking Points Memo (or TPM) is a web-based political journalism website created and run by Josh Marshall, a journalist, liberal blogger and historian. It debuted on November 12, 2000. The name is a reference to the memo (short list) with the issues (points) discussed by one's side in a debate or used to support a position taken on an issue. By 2007, TPM received an average of 400,000 page views every weekday.
During George W. Bush's first term, the blog frequently discussed foreign policy and was especially critical of administration policy towards Iraq and North Korea. After the 2004 election, posts began to focus on the Bush administration's proposal to privatize Social Security. In addition to criticizing the substance of the proposals, Marshall argued that a unified front in the Democratic Party would deny Republicans political cover and force a loss for them on Social Security. Talking Points Memo closely tracked the positions of members of Congress on the issue throughout 2005. It asked readers to monitor local media for comments from their own members of congress, and public categories were created for politicians on this issue: wavering Democrats were the "Faint-hearted Faction" and Republicans who doubted the President's plan were the "Conscience Caucus". Marshall also coined the term "Bamboozlepalooza", in reference to President Bush's 60-day (it was extended) tour promoting social security privatization. Other terms that Marshall has coined while criticizing the Bush administration include "Up-is-downism" and "Mumbojumbocrats".
Guest bloggers have included Matthew Yglesias, Robert Reich, Dean Baker, Michael Crowley, and, briefly, Vice-Presidential candidate John Edwards. Beginning in the summer of 2006, many weekend postings were provided by anonymous blogger DK. On November 11, 2006, DK was revealed to be lawyer David Kurtz, who now openly posts under his name.
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