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28 March 2024

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The DMZ

Liberal Bill Scher and conservative Matt Lewis meet in the rancor-free DMZ to hash out the week’s political events.

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Mar 27, 2014 — Bill Scher & Conn Carroll
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On The DMZ, Bill and special guest Conn discuss the great Nate Silver/Paul Krugman schism. Conn plugs his new Kickstarter, Federal Baseball. Are the Democrats in serious trouble in the 2014 midterms? They consider Thomas Edsall’s critique of the Democratic Party as polarized between corporate and populist wings, and compare how blue states and red states spend federal money. Plus: Harry Reid‘s crusade against the Koch brothers.

Mar 21, 2014 — Bill Scher & Justin Green
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On The DMZ, Bill and special guest Justin discuss whether Democrats and Republicans can find common ground on Russia and Iran. Was Romney right about Russia being America’s number one political foe? Bill argues that Putin’s Russia should inspire liberals to embrace American exceptionalism, and Justin explores whether the libertarian wing of the GOP still does. How would Rand Paul‘s foreign policy positions play in the 2016 GOP primaries? Is Hillary Clinton running for president as a hawk? Is Paul Ryan‘s outreach on poverty and race going to convince anyone?

Mar 13, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, Bill and Matt discuss the GOP special election victory in Florida and whether Obamacare has become a liability for Democrats. They evaluate Obama’s decision to appear on Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. What if Chris Christie had decided to play Bridgegate for laughs? Is CPAC good for potential Republican presidential candidates? Was this year’s conference good for Ted Cruz, and is he a threat to Rand Paul? And what were the other big stories out of CPAC?

Mar 5, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Has Mitt Romney been proven right about Russia? Has the Ukraine crisis exposed Obama’s weakness? Have conservatives rediscovered interventionism—or are they attracted to Putin? Does the crisis rekindle Rubio’s 2016 hopes, or does Rand Paul’s isolationism hold sway with primary voters? Did the GOP establishment strike back against Tea Partiers in the Texas primaries? Plus: How CPAC is like show business.

Feb 19, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: McKay Coppins’s caustic profile of Donald Trump causes a stir. Matt is impressed that Coppins didn’t allow himself to be seduced by Trump. Bill argues that Bridgegate proves that MSNBC is now better than Fox News at pushing scandal narratives, but Matt wonders whether this is about anything beyond ratings. Matt makes the conservative case against a higher minimum wage, and Bill wonders whether the CBO report means that a deal to raise the minimum wage is now impossible.

Feb 13, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, Bill and Matt react to NFL prospect Michael Sam‘s decision to come out of the closet. Are the debt ceiling wars finally over? Is immigration reform alive? Why is the Tea Party out to get Mitch McConnell? Plus: Is Chris Christie back with a defense of income inequality?

Feb 5, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, post-game analysis of the boring Super Bowl leads Bill to wonder why we watch sports at all. Bill suggests that Mike Huckabee’s lead in 2016 GOP polls shows that conservatives are obsessed with fighting political correctness. Why are Democrats better at keeping internal discipline? Matt and Bill review the risks and rewards for Hillary Clinton in riding the recent wave of ’90s nostalgia. Could Republicans succeed by using economic populism against Clinton? Plus: Matt thinks the CBO’s new findings on Obamacare and employment are more of a mixed bag than either side will admit.

Jan 31, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, Bill and Matt make their Super Bowl predictions and discuss the Richard Sherman phenomenon. They then turn to new 2016 polling showing Christie down and Ryan and Walker up. Should the GOP take the lead on issues like immigration reform, or is doing nothing a viable strategy? Would legalization alone settle the immigration question, or are Democrats right to press for citizenship? Matt praises Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who gave the GOP response to the State of the Union. Plus: Is Reince Priebus‘s proposed boycott of MSNBC over an offensive tweet justified?

Jan 23, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Can Ezra Klein create an independent, high-brow news site that succeeds financially? Bill and Matt analyze Glenn Beck’s apology for “helping tear the country apart.” Should Beck be welcomed back into polite society? Why did former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, indicted this week, throw away his career? Bill notes that President Obama managed to rise through Chicago politics untainted by corruption. Was McDonnell’s sin striving to rise from humble beginnings?

Jan 17, 2014 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: How the Super Bowl could affect Chris Christie’s fortunes. What happens to the 2016 field if Christie is toast? Matt and Bill discuss why political tribalism is often rational—and how that fact exposes Christie’s weakness. Bill argues that Obama has shown the value of combining virtue and toughness. Matt warns young political operatives against the seductive pull of the dark side. Plus: Has Obama taken advice from Patrick Swayze in Road House?

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