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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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Apr 5, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Why political pundits should read more history. What books do conservatives read to understand Reagan? Should Republicans bet on Dr. Ben Carson for 2016? Is Hillary Clinton starting to look less inevitable? And are Republicans ready for the Mark Sanford comeback?

Mar 28, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Why you don’t have to watch the Sunday shows anymore. As the Supreme Court considers marriage equality, are conservatives surrendering the culture war? Matt and Bill give serious thought to the polygamy argument. Does Obama need a “grand bargain” for his legacy? And does Ron Swanson help or hurt conservatism?

Mar 21, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, Bill and Matt suggest Harry Reid’s abandonment of an assault weapon ban isn’t as big a loss as some gun-control advocates think. Post-CPAC, Matt believes big changes are coming to the conservative movement. Bill explores the tensions between the “three legs” of the movement: social, fiscal, and national security conservatives. Is Matt a social conservative? Has Rand Paul stolen Marco Rubio’s thunder on immigration reform? And will the GOP always default to the establishment presidential candidate?

Mar 14, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, Bill and Matt consider whether CPAC is helping the conservative movement by featuring Sarah Palin and Donald Trump. Can Rand Paul win over younger voters to the GOP? Bill asks what conservatism stands for, and Matt acknowledges that the movement is at a crossroads. Is Obama’s charm offensive aimed at congressional Republicans for real or just for show? Matt explores the testy relationship between newer conservative media outlets and the mainstream media, and Bill draws a distinction between problems specific to conservative media and problems afflicting all new media.

Mar 6, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Do liberals love the late Hugo Chavez? Why are both parties calling a sequester cease-fire? Is the media starting to turn on Obama? Did Obama fail to stop the sequester because of bad leadership, or because presidents are not omnipotent? And should Jeb Bush just go away?

Feb 28, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Can Republicans beat Obama on the sequester? Or has the president broken their will? What will it take for conservatism to make a comeback? Were Republicans smart to put so much effort into the failed attempt to block Chuck Hagel’s nomination? Plus: CPAC and the conservative movement’s identity crisis.

Feb 21, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Was Calvin Coolidge a better conservative than Herbert Hoover? Is S.E. Cupp a better conservative than Rush Limbaugh? Has the decline of Catholicism hurt conservatism? Matt and Bill revisit Rand Paul vs. Marco Rubio, and consider whether Rubio and Obama secretly want immigration reform to fail. Plus: Why does the White House press corps care about covering a golf game?

Feb 15, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Did Marco Rubio’s gulp of water endear him even more to the conservative base? Does Rand Paul’s Tea Party response make him the man to beat in the 2016 GOP primary? What would a Rubio-Paul foreign policy debate look like? And will Obama’s State of the Union cement the liberal trajectory for America beyond his presidency, or are the Democrats burdened by a weak bench for 2016?

Feb 6, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ: Drone strikes—have liberals been looking the other way? Bill argues that drone warfare is less lethal than the alternatives, but Matt wants to see a formalized process to prevent abuse. Are drone strikes the kind of warfare that Americans want? Turning to domestic politics, Matt decries Karl Rove’s new effort to meddle in GOP Senate primaries, while Bill thinks that absolutism and unwillingness to compromise have hurt GOP candidates the most.

Jan 23, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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On The DMZ, Matt and Bill review the inaugural. How can Obama avoid the “second-term curse“? Are liberals being too hubristic? Did liberalism triumph in 2012, or is Obama a unique figure? They next look at 2016—if Hillary runs, would Biden challenge her? Matt argues that Marco Rubio is the GOP’s best shot at retaking the presidency, and Bill thinks Chris Christie wouldn’t play nationally. Plus: Wildly speculative Super Bowl predictions!

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