Bio

Troy Senik, Senior Editor at Ricochet, is a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. Prior to his tenure at the White House, he also served as a writer for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Troy is currently a columnist and member of the editorial board at the Orange County Register, a Senior Fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom and a contributing author for the Manhattan Institute. He is also the host of Ricochet's "Law Talk" podcast with Richard Epstein and John Yoo.

His writing has appeared in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Examiner, The Tennesseean, The Press-Enterprise, The Richmond Times Dispatch, RealClearPolitics, City Journal, RealClearMarkets, National Affairs, The Daily Caller, and RealClearWorld. 

Troy holds a bachelor's degree, with honors, from Belmont University, where he studied political science and philosophy, and a master's degree in public policy from Pepperdine University, where he had concentrations in economics and international relations.

When temporarily ignoring politics for the sake of his sanity, Troy can be found living and dying by Seattle Seahawks and USC football, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball, Nashville Predators hockey, and Los Angeles Lakers and Belmont basketball.

He splits his time between Southern California's Palos Verdes Peninsula and Nashville, and can usually be found in the company of his sidekick, Beauregard the French Bulldog.


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Troy Senik, Ed.'s Profile

Troy Senik, Ed.
Name:
Troy Senik, Ed.
Hometown:
Los Angeles/Nashville
Joined:
Dec 5, 2010
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Recent Comments

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Re: Under Oath

Troy Senik, Ed.
SMatthewStolte: Where can I see the portrait that was mentioned? · 1 hour ago
RichardPortrait
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Re: Summer Swan Song

Troy Senik, Ed.

Still wondering why the hell I consented to including a photo section in that book.

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Re: "It Matters"

Troy Senik, Ed.

T-Fiks: I still think the reason for the lack of resonance for this whole story is that, unlike the Watergate break-in and coverup, there's no easily-understood ugly motive. The public understands  the removal of security, inaction during the event, and misleading reports afterward as understandably poor management in the rush of events.

To really care about this event, one has to understand that the administration's discounting of the jihadist threat before, during and after the attack was motivated by dishonorable campaign considerations. I don't think the typical low-information voter cares enough to work through the facts and reach that kind of conclusion, and the media certainly won't help them do it. · 6 hours ago

Edited 5 hours ago

This is as good (and succinct) an analysis as I've seen of this anywhere. This strikes me as precisely correct. These days, a scandal has to fit into a soundbite to have any wider resonance.

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Re: Technology and the Message

Troy Senik, Ed.

It says nothing good about me that my first reaction was "No help if you're the child of an abusive midget."

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Re: Conservatism's Best

Troy Senik, Ed.

BrentB67: What is the conservative fascination with one of George W. Bush's budget directors?

There are good debates to be had about President Bush's conservative credentials on foreign policy, but who thinks his presidency was even remotely conservative from a spending, add'l debt, or expanding federal government perspective.

I have no doubt Mitch Daniels is a fine man and leader, but do we really hold up one of the architects of Bush budget policy as conservative? · 4 minutes ago

It's not an unreasonable question to ask, but one thing to remember about anyone who's served in a presidential administration is that their influence is always no more than what the president allows it to be. You serve at his pleasure and you do as he requests.

If you want to judge Mitch on the merits, I think you have to start with situations where he was in charge. And by virtue of his tenure in Indiana alone, he's surely deserving.

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Re: A Weekend Bar Conversation For Those Of Us Who Don't Go To Bars Much Anymore

Troy Senik, Ed.
thelonious: I love Johnny Cash version of the 9 Inch Nails Song "Hurt."

Was going to make the exact same nomination. Also an extraordinarily gripping video.

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Re: A Weekend Bar Conversation For Those Of Us Who Don't Go To Bars Much Anymore

Troy Senik, Ed.

Knotwise the Poet: "With a Little Help from My Friends"- Beatles (original) vs. Joe Cocker.  Win goes to Joe Cocker.

"The Letter"- The Box Tops (original) vs. Joe Cocker.  Win goes to Joe Cocker (I think I pretty much always go with Joe Cocker when he covers something)

Agree with both and with the Cocker principle in general. The most recent album of Carlos Santana collaborations has Cocker doing a version of "Little Wing" that blows away the Hendrix original. That album also has a version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with India Arie and Yo-Yo Ma that deviates substantially from the original but is beautiful nonetheless.

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Re: Shirking Their 'Duty'?

Troy Senik, Ed.
Frederick Key: For example, I'm sure George W. Bush was a great believer in the duties of office, but maybe his crackerjack speechwriters (!) knew that the D-word wouldn't cut that much ice with the electorate.

I see what you did there.

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Re: The 'Joy' of Coachella?

Troy Senik, Ed.
FeliciaB: Nope.  Still don't want to go.  I mean, it is in the Inland Empire, isn't it?  'Nuff said. · 35 minutes ago

Growing up in Riverside, we'd have denizens of Orange County refer to us as "The Dirt People." Never would I have thought Felicia capable of comparable venom ;)

Then again, it's not like I decided to stay living there either.

Edited on April 21, 2013 at 2:01am
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Re: Got Caption? : The Situation in the Situation Room

Troy Senik, Ed.

"Look, I knew if I went 22 for 22 from the field it would just make the kids feel bad about themselves. It's called public service, guys!"

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Re: Attention, Red State Knuckle Draggers: Surrender

Troy Senik, Ed.

C.J. Box

Xennady: Over the years I've seen these folks bleat about Wyoming on multiple occasions.

I don't know why they've singled out that state for special animus but it just seems to be that way. Whatevs.

The answer is pretty simple.  Wyoming always ranks extremely high per capita in gun ownership, #1 in pickup trucks per capita, and has a Republican governor, legislature, two Republican senators, and all-R congresswoman (meaning one). 

Plus, the red hordes were finally turned back in Wyoming in the movieRed Dawn(the good one, not the recent one).

We drive them crazy. · 2 hours ago

You forgot one thing. Wyoming also has C.J. Box.

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Re: Margaret Thatcher, Ruddered

Troy Senik, Ed.
Joseph Eagar: What evidence is there that conviction politicians produce better policy and better outcomes than process politicians?  Even Reagan was hardly bound by his convictions, certainly not by modern standards. · 55 minutes ago

I don't know that the designation "conviction politician" is quite adequate to capture what we find special about the Reagans and Thatchers of the world. I'd point you towards the concept of prudence -- of not only understanding desirable ends but also of harnessing necessary means. This will, by necessity, dictate compromise at times. But there's a special art in knowing when and how to compromise in order to best effectuate the closest possible approximation of your desired ends.

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Re: Our Week In News

Troy Senik, Ed.

Yeah, I originally had plans to do a "Week in Review" this week -- then I thought it might just be quicker to shove a pencil in my eye.

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Re: What Should Conservatives Do with the Bush Years?

Troy Senik, Ed.
M.D. Wenzel: During the Bush years there was a lot policy wise I disagreed with; Medicare part D and the general failure to reduce spending for example.  As far as the great recession I wish he had pushed harder to reign in Fannie and Freddie, but aside from that the housing bubble had its roots in bad policy decisions made prior to his administration

There's plenty of grounds for legitimate criticism of the Bush Administration on the domestic front, but reforming Fannie and Freddie was surely not one of them. It didn't get much press at the time, but the Bush White House made a big push on this. Without a news hook -- and, more significantly, with the complete intractability of Chris Dodd and Barney Frank -- it went nowhere. But on that particular fight, the Bush Administration was on the side of the angels.

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Re: Seven Decades of Awesome

Troy Senik, Ed.

Aloha Johnny,

You'll get a new podcast later this week. And in the meantime, the lost Fordham show has emerged via bootleg.

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Re: Seven Decades of Awesome

Troy Senik, Ed.

Yeah...ok.: I may have heard Troy make this reference.

Trying to moderate Richard is like trying to catch a knuckleball; you wait until it stops rolling and then you pick it up. · 9 minutes ago

Not mine, but I collect these and this is a good one. 

I also like John's "Debating Richard is like guarding Michael Jordan. You just throw up an arm and hope for the best."

Also a favorite: "Richard Epstein doesn't have conversations. He's just had a series of interruptions to a 70 year monologue"

Edited on April 18, 2013 at 2:16am
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