Phil Chroniger
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Phillip Andrew "Phil" Chroniger is an American op-ed columnist and sociopolitical commentator. He generally writes about politics and social issues, with minor focus on pop-culture and entertainment. He is most noted for his series of columns entitled "Now at the Podium".
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[edit] Early life
Chroniger was born January 17, 1983 in Takoma Park, Maryland. Chroniger's father was a firefighter of Dutch-Irish descent in the District of Columbia Fire Department in Washington, D.C. His mother was a Brazilian immigrant who ran a wedding cake bakery out of the family home.
According to Chroniger, he had a strong interest in writing on various topics from an early age. This, combined with an interest in web design, led to him becoming the first student webmaster in his high school's history.
Chroniger attended a community college near Winchester, Virginia, but dropped out of college only a few credits shy of his Associate's Degree, citing "classroom fatigue" and "overly-liberal preaching in non-political classes" as his reason for not finishing.
[edit] "Your Daily Mental Floss"
His first notable series of writings came in the form of a blog on Myspace called "Your Daily Mental Floss". Chroniger wrote numerous blogs on topics ranging from politics to relationships to everyday events. His relationship articles gained notable attention in the Myspace community, as he would parlay personal experiences into "life lessons"(as he called them), and gained a small, but relatively strong following amongst his readers.
His blogs were also noted for their random bursts of various emotions and detailed storytelling. Sometimes overly-profane, sometimes somber and subdued, Chroniger attracted readers with his open, honest approach to each entry. One example was a recounting of a particular romantic relationship, where he described how close he had come to making a life-long commitment to her, only to have it collapse due to reasons beyond his control. Another example of this was a profanity-laced tirade in which he lambasted co-workers of his for not providing for their children but providing for themselves. Chroniger's blog was widely-read at his job during this time, and the blog entry led to an investigation of the couple through local child services.
[edit] Departure from Myspace and "Now At The Podium"
In mid-2006, Chroniger announced his departure from Myspace, citing employment difficulties in his private life. Chroniger stated that his attention was needed in other areas of his life besides blogging.
Chroniger returned in the fall of 2006 as a weekly op-ed columnist for the Augusta Free Press, a regional publication in Virginia whose online version is has a relatively large readership nationally. Chroniger's column, "Now at the Podium", is a politically- and socially-based series of writings that came about after several of Chroniger's "letter's to the editor" were published in quick succession. Chroniger's first article was considered a controversial success, as he commented on the 2006 Midterm Elections and challenged pro-liberal columnists that shared print space with Chroniger to debate his statements and positions with him, as he directly challenged ecological and liberal columnist Erik Curren with a few remarks in the same initial column.
In November of 2006, Chroniger came under some criticism for his critical opinion on House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's questionable "slavish" remarks towards former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Michael Steele
On New Year's Day, 2007, the Augusta Free Press was re-branded as The New Dominion, with Chroniger still retaining his weekly column.
In January of 2007, Chroniger received much criticism for an op-ed piece about the unsolved mysterious disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba, in which he opined on the case while stating erroneous facts, and questioned the character of the victim. Chroniger later apologized for using incorrect information in his article.
[edit] Political and social views
Chroniger considers his viewpoints as being centrist-libertarian. Some of his most notable "rants"(as he calls them) are very anti-liberal and anti-mass media. Some have speculated that Chroniger is more Chroniger himself states "I'm not so much 'pro-Republican', as I am 'anti-Democrat'." Chroniger has made statements that espouse the belief that most of the American media is pro-liberal, and that they intentionally slant news reporting to promote their ideals.
[edit] Personal life
Chroniger resides in Strasburg, Virginia with his wife and son. Besides writing, Chroniger works for a large financial holding company.
He is an avid Washington Redskins and Maryland Terrapins fan. Some suspect his support for the University of Maryland's athletics program will lead to banter between himself and the editors of the Augusta Free Press, whose sports coverage is very much in-favor of the rival University of Virginia Cavaliers.
[edit] External links
- http://www.augustafreepress.com/ - Augusta Free Press, where Chroniger's "Now at the Podium" columns from 2006 are archived.
- http://www.thenewdominion.com - The New Dominion website, the re-branded version of the Augusta Free Press where Chroniger's column is now posted weekly.
