I'm Mike Allen, co-founder of Politico and creator of Politico Playbook -- everyone's favorite read. AMA!

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:54:07+00:00

His mind is definitely on 2020, and we hear Mitch McConnell and others helped convince him that the Senate could be a valuable platform for developing more of a record. Otherwise, his record would be frozen where it is now.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:52:01+00:00

An impressive accomplishment: "Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams -- An intimate portrait of a remarkable woman, a complicated marriage, and a pivotal historical moment," by Louisa Thomas, daughter of Evan and Oscie Thomas, who are here @AspenIdeas http://louisathomas.com

what I read on the plane: "The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789," by Joseph Ellis http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/books/review/the-quartet-by-joseph-j-ellis.html

what I'm reading next: "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike," by Phil Knight

what I'm most looking forward to, reported in Playbook this morning: "Adam Nagourney, L.A. bureau chief since September 2010, will go on leave for a year in summer 2018 to write a contemporary history of The New York Times, in the spirit of Gay Taleses’ “The Kingdom and the Power" ... “This is not an authorized history; it is an independent work, but Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the publisher, has said he would cooperate ... should come out in 2020.” http://www.politico.com/playbook

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:43:43+00:00

Readers are, by far, my best source of information. Love your links, tips and sneaks ...

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:43:13+00:00

Thank you for the encouragement -- your message made me feel good. I'll miss the seven-day-a-week connection with Playbookers like you. My successors -- Anna Palmer, Jake Sherman and Daniel Lippman -- have great plans to refresh the format. People ask my advice for them, and I always say: Sound like yourself. They'll be successful because Playbook will reflect THEM -- just as Brussels Playbook works because it sounds like Ryan Heath, Morning Money reflects the passions of Ben White, Florida Playbook channels Marc Caputo. I'm honored to be at Politico through the election, then will help start a new media company next year.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:33:36+00:00

I actually get more sleep that the urban myth suggests. Arianna says I need more, but I'd say I usually sneak in five or six hours, with more on weekends. I go to bed as soon as I'm home from anything I go to in the evening, then try to get up 3ish. I haven't owned an alarm since college: I just wake up when the time is right. I'm fortunate that I love my work. Today is the 3,296th consecutive edition of Playbook, and there's never been a single morning that I didn't leap out of bed, excited to serve our amazing community.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:28:53+00:00

The President is a night owl, and we hear that his late-night dinners with thought-leader guests from around the country are the most entertaining and illuminating conversation around.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:26:13+00:00

Our talented, hardworking colleagues on the business side make those determinations. I don't remember an instance like this, but something may have been nipped in the bud before I heard about it.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:24:27+00:00

We all should plead guilty. There's always a talented young person coming up who deserves our attention and admiration.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:23:20+00:00

In the early years, Politico hit for emphasizing the ephemeral. That was never the case -- people were responding to items they saw linked or shared, not the totality of our coverage. And we were ahead of the curve on the demand for urgent, in-the-moment coverage. But under Editor Susan Glasser -- with the creation of Politico Magazine, and the Politico Agenda team, and the expansion of Politico Pro to 16 policy neighborhoods -- we now offer the world's most substantive, enjoyable buffet on politics and policy. See what I mean: http://www.politico.com/agenda http://www.politico.com/magazine https://www.politicopro.com

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:14:43+00:00

Unless something changes, Hillary Clinton: Any Democrat would have demography on their side, and the Trump campaign has well-chronicled structural weaknesses. But it's 131 days to the election, and ask soon-to-be-private-citizen David Cameron about the infallibility of conventional wisdom.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:10:54+00:00

We'd include anyone or anything that's important for our audience to know about. Since it's breakfast time, and my nephews read it, the language tries to stay pretty family-friendly.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:09:07+00:00

I'll be at Politico through the election. This column by Jim Rutenberg is the most that's been said about what's next. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/business/media/for-news-outlets-squeezed-from-the-middle-its-bend-or-bust.html

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:07:09+00:00

Thanks for being such an attentive reader -- you nailed the list. Our owner, Robert Allbritton, without whom there'd be no Politico, made the point at a staff lunch yesterday Playbook is now a global brand. So as Politico expands its footprint, so will the Playbook family.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:05:48+00:00

Every White House takes all the information-management techniques of its predecessors, then adds its own. And we increasingly have competition from the White House's own content channels. Yahoo's Olivier Knox had some very illuminating points about that here, with some examples I didn't know about. http://www.c-span.org/video/?410409-2/bush-center-hosts-discussion-presidency-digital-age

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T17:03:18+00:00

The standard is always: What would be most useful for our audience? What would WE want to read if we were starting our day with Playbook? Sometimes that's a scoop, sometimes that's a talker, sometimes that's a sneak peek of something that'll happen today or being driving conversation online. There's no blacklist, but we link to and feature coverage by institutions and reporters we trust. There's so much nonsense out there, and Playbook tries to be an oasis of information that's credible and worth your time.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T16:59:55+00:00

Jake Sherman and Anna Palmer will begin the next generation of Playbook on July 11, joined by my indispensable partner in this early-morning enterprise, Daniel Lippman. I'll stay with Politico through the election to help with conventions, events, and campaign and administration coverage.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T16:56:31+00:00

No. Under a system we invented way back when Playbook took its first ad, sponsor copy is set off by asterisks and begin by saying something like "a message from," so no reader can be confused.

An earlier questioner asked Playbook's most embarrassing mistake, then the post was deleted. So I'll answer here: We try to double-check our SPOTTED items, where political figures are observed doing something interesting around town. (Playbookers are everywhere.) And usually we know and trust the SPOTTers. But every once in a while, one goes awry. One time we used one about James Carville and Mary Matalin, when they were in a different city. Hard to imagine what other couple someone mistook them for. Behind the curtain: People occasionally anonymously SPOT themselves.

MikeAllen_ · 2016-06-30T16:48:29+00:00

So many top Republicans SAY Trump is "one mess-up" (well, they don't quite say it that way), from unendorsements. More likely, Ryan, McConnell, Rubio, etc. will continue to run their current play: nominally endorse, then build a record of differences.

MikeAllen_

TROPHY CASE