He was allowed to finish his Harvard juris doctor degree through courses at the evening program at George Washington University Law School.

That column was reprinted in a variety of newspaper op-ed pages, including The Washington Post, and made Kinsley's reputation as a leading political writer.

Representing the liberal position in the televised political debates, Kinsley combined a dry wit with nerdy demeanor and analytical skills.

In January 1995, Kinsley had a cameo on the first episode of the TV sitcom Women of the House, in which the show's main character, Suzanne Sugarbaker, was a guest on Crossfire.

[18] After leaving Crossfire in 1995, Kinsley returned to his editorial roots, relocating to Seattle to become founding editor of Microsoft's online journal, Slate.

[23] On September 9, 2010, Kinsley and MSNBC pundit Joe Scarborough joined the staff of Politico as the publication's first opinion columnists.

[25] In 2002, Kinsley married Patty Stonesifer, a longtime top executive at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

[26] In 2002, Kinsley revealed that he had Parkinson's disease,[27] and on July 12, 2006, he underwent deep brain stimulation, a type of surgery designed to reduce its symptoms.