Michael Tracht

Bio

Michael Tracht is a student at the New York University School of Law, and holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago. He has experience in environmental organizing and campaign finance. During college, he was a Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment with the Roosevelt Institute Campus Network.
Supreme Court Rulings 2013: SCOTUS' Gene-Patent Decision Is a Major Win For Public Health
By Michael Tracht
This May, Angelina Jolie made waves with a New York Times op-ed detailing her decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy after finding a “faulty” BRCA1 gene.  Pundits, however, were quick to point out the prohibitive cost of this genetic…
Do Prospective Students Have to Lie in Essays to Get Into College?
By Michael Tracht
Blowing up the internet is a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Suzy Lee Weiss, a high school senior from Pittsburgh. In her article, Weiss asserts that college admissions committees don't care about you unless you have “nine extracurriculars, six…
6 Senators and Representatives You Need to Call About Climate Change
By Michael Tracht
One of the beautiful things about our country's political system is that, in theory, our elected officials in Washington are supposed to respond to our concerns and fight for them on our behalf. Even President Obama calls Congress. So, let's say…
This Article's About the Environment, Here's Why You Don't Care
By Michael Tracht
When PolicyMic's Michael McCutcheon pitched this story to me, I felt a bit like Douglass Adams' cow that wants to be eaten. It seems a little twisted to get asked to write about why nobody cares about what you write about, no? But when it comes down…
State Of the Union 2013: Environmentalists Should Be Happy
By Michael Tracht
Tuesday's State of the Union address, though largely a predictable, Democratic-party-line stump speech delivered before an immense audience, included a significant discourse on energy and climate change. It's about time, Mr. President. Since the…
Obama 2013 State of the Union: LIVE Updates
By Michael Tracht
Here it is, friends: that most wonderful time of the political year, the State of the Union Address. Tuesday night, President Obama will speak to the full Congress, a cadre of customarily unenthused Supreme Court Justices, and of course millions of…
Pres. Obama finally tackles climate change: "Act before it's too late."
By Michael Tracht
Tonight's State of the Union address finally tackled clean energy and climate change.  All I can say: it's about time. Well, that's not all I can say.  The policies he advocated are a mix of old and new.  His call for a market-based solution (i.e. a…
State of the Union address is so far an Obama campaign stump speech.
By Michael Tracht
In his first major section of the State of the Union address, Pres. Obama laid out nothing new.  He has once again called on the same kind of balanced approach to deficit reduction, trumpeting the provisions of the Simpson-Bowles plan and Obamacare,…
Conservatives from Supreme Court stayed home
By Michael Tracht
As the President enters, a quick glance over the audience reveals that 6 Justices of the Supreme Court are in attendance, with only the three most conservative justices, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, and Clarence Thomas, absent from the audience.…
SOTU 2013: Climate Change Likely On the Back Burner But Could Be a Suprise
By Michael Tracht
For environmentalists the world over, hopes and dreams are riding on President Obama's second term. See, his record on the environment wasn't particularly stellar over the last four years. Despite improving fuel economy standards, the president…
SOTU 2013: a Mardi Gras for wonks
By Michael Tracht
This year, President Obama's chosen date for the State of the Union happens to be President Abraham Lincoln's 210th birthday.  It's no secret that Pres. Obama is a admirer of the sixteenth president, and I would be willing to bet that President…
Pres. Obama's address to be followed by Sens. Rubio and Paul
By Michael Tracht
As is customary in our system of two-party politics, when one party speaks, so too will the other, and that is absolutely the case tonight.  Following the president's State of the Union Address, rising GOP star Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will be giving…
State of the Union Address: why do we have these anyway?
By Michael Tracht
The State of the Union Address is a matter of tradition, coupled with as much pomp and circumstance as our country can muster. But in a country which has always been flush with media, why does the president appear before the full, joint session of…
Obama Address to Congress: Interesting Facts About Obama's Speech
By Michael Tracht
Little bit of interesting history: according to the American Presidency Project at the UC Santa Barbara, President Obama's State of the Union addresses to Congress are, on average, 7,080 words. Only one president has had a higher spoken average:…
President's speech time: 9:00 PM
By Michael Tracht
For those of you with a TV, chances are you'll run into it - it'll be on every channel with a news division.  It's hardly a surprise - like election night, the State of the Union is one of those national pastimes that, like a Super Bowl with…
3 Quick Steps To Becoming a Drone Target
By Michael Tracht
TLast week's release of a white paper on targeted drone killings naturally stirred up quite the controversy – it's not everyday you find out that your government has actively sought to define an extremely broad reasoning for which it can subvert due…
Presidential Inauguration: 3 Great Presidents Who Violated Their Oaths of Office
By Michael Tracht
Over the weekend, PolicyMic pundit Christian Rice wrote an article spearing President Obama for what he sees as failures to uphold his oath of office, reprinted here: I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of…
Ben Bernanke as Secretary of the Treasury: Could He Replace Tim Geithner?
By Michael Tracht
Today, I take up PolicyMic's series on possible replacements for outgoing Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner by considering one of the biggest economic powerhouses in this country: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Bernanke, though one…
How Hurricane Sandy and the Great Drought Will Linger in 2013
By Michael Tracht
In 2012, two major weather events dominated headlines: first, the most extensive drought of the last 25 years; and second, Hurricane Sandy. We all saw the immediate effects of these two monstrosities on the news, from dried up lake beds and dying…
Electoral College Map: Why the System Is Not Perfect, and Why It Should Remain
By Michael Tracht
Come Tuesday night, those unfamiliar with how the president is elected will likely scratch their heads over the seemingly-arbitrary goal of 270 electoral votes needed for a candidate to be elected. Never fear — this is the Electoral College at…