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1 May 2024

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Jun 18, 2012 — Conor Friedersdorf & Noah Smith
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Friedersdorf

On Friedersdorf, Noah begins by accusing libertarians of turning a blind eye to the Bush-Obama national security state. Conor argues that supporting the Libertarian Party in a two-party system is not quixotic, even though libertarianism has an image problem. Moving to the debate over higher education, Noah suggests that a college degree doesn’t just signal intelligence, but that education actually transforms students. Conor, on the other hand, worries that college might cost society more than it’s worth.

Jun 15, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On The DMZ, the topic of salad bar etiquette leads Bill and Matt to discuss David Brooks’s latest column. Does Brooks have a point about respecting authority, or is he just annoyed at sharing the media stage with bloggers? Do we even have real authority figures anymore? And are bloggers too sensitive about their status? Why isn’t America debating drones? Is the end of John King’s and Dylan Ratigan’s TV shows more evidence of the demise of cable news?
Jun 14, 2012 — Mark Schmitt & Richard Yeselson
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Fireside Chats
On Fireside Chats, Mark talks with Rich Yeselson, a veteran of the labor movement, about the Wisconsin recall election and the decline of organized labor. Do Americans hate unions, or are they just indifferent? Are we all just free-riders on the benefits unions obtained for us? Was it a mistake to go after Scott Walker? Have unions put too much faith in electoral politics? Why does the more affluent, liberal wing of the Democratic Party find itself at cross purposes with unions? Rich argues that while it’s great that liberals like Paul Krugman, Timothy Noah, and Mark finally appreciate unions, bloggers and academics are no substitute for a broad social movement.
Jun 12, 2012 — Sarah Posner & Anna Clark
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The Posner Show
On The Posner Show, Sarah talks with Anna about whether the financial troubles faced by The American Prospect, and the recent editorial firings at GOOD magazine, signal a troubling trend for progressive media. Anna and Sarah debate whether journalism should be tied to political activism. Turning to presidential campaign coverage, are political reporters starved for material and obsessed with overanalyzing gaffes? Sarah thinks that campaign coverage has become like TV episode recapping. Sarah criticizes media coverage of Obama and Romney’s religious beliefs. Plus: When will we ever be done talking about the byline gender gap?
Jun 11, 2012 — Glenn Loury & John Tomasi
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The Glenn Show
On The Glenn Show, Glenn interviews his colleague John Tomasi about his new book, Free Market Fairness. John explains how economic liberties have been downplayed by political philosophers since the days of John Stuart Mill, and then suggests that John Rawls and Friedrich Hayek would have agreed on some fundamental principles of justice. In the long run, would robust economic rights be the best way to promote social justice? Glenn wants to know why, if Rawls and Hayek were in basic agreement, Rawlsians and Hayekians are today at each others’ throats. Finally, John explains how one can support both economic liberty and social justice.
Jun 10, 2012 — Mike Konczal & Sarah Leonard
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Fireside Chats
On Fireside Chats, Mike and Sarah talk about the possibilities for left publications when print is declining, then discuss the concept of “precarity” in work, and what it means for the future of organized labor. Sarah argues that recent college graduates, with unpaid internships and large student debt, are more like indentured servants than you might think. Then Sarah describes the new frontiers of progressive politics, and she and Mike talk about how feminism’s relationship to economics has changed over the last 40 years. Finally, Sarah attacks Sex and the City feminism, and gives a more substantial alternative.

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