On The DMZ: Matt says Obama lied by saying, “If you like your plan, you can keep it.” Will he and/or the Affordable Care Act suffer politically? Matt sees Obamacare as a vindication of conservative epistemological modesty over liberal paternalism. Have shutdown cheerleaders Ted Cruz and Mike Lee changed their tune? Bill recalls Calvin Coolidge as an example of a temperamental conservative. Matt reviews the downs and ups of the recent crop of GOP politicians. Plus: Does the likely Democratic gubernatorial win in Virginia have national significance?
On The Glenn Show, the topic is the student protest at Brown University that thwarted a speech by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. Glenn accuses the protesters of “intellectual thuggery.” John says the blame ultimately lies with Brown professors who taught their students poorly, but Glenn defends Brown’s ideological heterogeneity. John argues that undergrads are not truly taught both sides on issues where race and politics intersect. Glenn and John present the more cogent case against stop-and-frisk policing. John emphasizes the performative aspect of student protests. Plus: The way in which racial debates are harder now than in 1963.
On Interrobang‽, Jillian and Katherine survey Sisi Fetish, a tumblr chronicling strange forms of adulation for Egypt’s military leader. Should liberals be wary of embracing libertarians in the fight against NSA surveillance? They discuss revelations about German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone being tapped, and how new European data protection regulations will affect US tech companies. Have the NSA revelations hurt US attempts to track terrorist financing? Jillian highlights Mark Zuckerberg’s very selective approach toward free expression. Does Facebook want to become a news platform?