David Pakman

David Pakman
Pakman in 2012
Born	(1984-02-02) February 2, 1984 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Residence	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Citizenship	United States, Argentina
Education	MBA - Bentley University BA - University of Massachusetts Amherst
Alma mater	University of Massachusetts Amherst (BA) Bentley University (MBA)
Occupation	Syndicated television, radio and Internet talk show host, political pundit, political analyst
Known for	The David Pakman Show

David Pakman (born February 2, 1984, in Argentina) is an Argentinian-American television and radio host, political commentator, Internet personality, and political activist. He is best known as the host of the internationally syndicated political television and talk radio program The David Pakman Show. He also is the managing director of Vivid Edge Media Group, which produces The David Pakman Show. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Pakman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was raised from age 5 in the United States. Pakman is self-described liberal/progressive.^[1]

In addition to hosting The David Pakman Show, Pakman has appeared on numerous national, regional, local, and international media outlets providing political commentary.^[2][3][4][5] Pakman also works as a new media consultant, often working with independent programs and broadcast platforms. Pakman's first appearance on cable news was on Fox News Channel on April 4, 2014, when he discussed the resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich.^[2] Pakman has appeared on CNN,^[6] HLN's Nancy Grace program,^[7] and HLN's Dr Drew on Call,^[8] and was featured in Mother Jones^[9] and the Boston Herald.^[5][10]

Early life and education

Pakman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina,^[11] and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1989, when he was 5 years old. He grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Northampton High School. Pakman attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts, where he majored in economics and communications. He earned an MBA degree from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Pakman worked several jobs as a high-school and university student,^[12] and he has detailed his employment at now-defunct electronics retailer Circuit City.^[13][14]

With the move of The David Pakman Show to New York City, Pakman also moved there in August 2013. As of November 2015, the show has relocated to Boston.^[15]

Political views

Pakman, through his hosting of The David Pakman Show, has been outspoken in his belief that money in politics and the general campaign finance system, in connection with the dominance of corporate media over the national dialogue about political issues, are the preeminent issue with the American political system.

On social issues, Pakman has said he supports LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage, and is pro-choice. Pakman has advocated the liberalization of drug laws, especially marijuana. He has been a critic of the War on Drugs and of the use of drug criminalization to disproportionately imprison minorities and poor people in the United States. Pakman also has said he is opposed to capital punishment due to the combination of lack of deterrent value, multiple exonerations of death row inmates, disproportionate application to poor people and minorities, and for additional reasons.^[16] He also supports strict gun control.

While a regular Democratic voter, Pakman is registered as an independent. Pakman has said that while there are significant differences between Democrats and Republicans, elected officials in both parties are typically part of the plutocratic system of government that he identifies on The David Pakman Show. Pakman has said he does not advocate abstention from voting, stating that as bad as the status quo is, the Republican Party wants to keep voter turnout low, because higher voter turnout traditionally leads to more progressive victories in elections.

The David Pakman Show

Pakman hosts The David Pakman Show, which is a television, radio, and Internet political program. Begun in 2005 on a local radio station as a "hobby," according to Pakman, by 2011 the show aired on 100 stations,^[1] and on more than 160 television and radio outlets in 2014,^[17] including DirecTV and DISH Network through Free Speech TV, on YouTube, and via podcasts. The program first aired in August 2005 on WXOJ-LP ("Valley Free Radio"), located in Northampton, Massachusetts, as Midweek Politics with David Pakman, and has since been nationally syndicated.

Misidentification

On January 24, 2013, Pakman realized he had been identified in the documentary film Minnesota Nice as a gay teenager who had committed suicide.^[18] Pakman corrected the misunderstanding in a YouTube video^[18] and said he was not gay, not a teenager, and obviously not dead.

On the April 15, 2014, edition of HLN's Dr. Drew On Call, Pakman was misidentified as former Neo-Nazi and Ku Klux Klan member Frank Meeink.^[19] Pakman was scheduled to be interviewed on that program.^[20]

Personal life

While his sexuality has been a topic of The David Pakman Show,^[21] Pakman has said he is heterosexual and that he considers himself a straight ally of the LGBT rights movement.^[22] Pakman says that he received "a relatively secular Jewish upbringing, but I’ve always been highly involved with my Jewish background, socially and culturally; I’m part of a local Jewish group and I attend their events. It’s just generally how I identify."^[11]

References

External links

• Official website
• David Pakman's channel on YouTube