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Oct 19, 2012 — Matthew Duss & Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Foreign Entanglements

On Foreign Entanglements, Matt and Daveed talk Benghazi. Daveed argues that reports of Al Qaeda’s death have been greatly exaggerated. What did Al Qaeda learn from Iraq about governing? They move on to the presidential debate—was Candy Crowley right to factcheck Romney? Daveed and Matt describe what they’d like to see in Monday’s foreign policy debate, and highlight a big divide between Romney and Obama on international institutions. Plus: Daveed explains why the first debate was much better than the second.

Oct 18, 2012 — Glenn Loury & John McWhorter

The Glenn Show

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and John discuss the presidential debates. John was shocked that the president seemed in need of a teleprompter in the first debate. Glenn, citing Bayesian statistics, explains why Obama’s poor performance rightly hurt his credibility with undecided voters. Is what happens in debates actually relevant to the performance of presidential duties? John and Glenn discuss the merits of the Obama campaign’s “we inherited a mess” argument. Glenn laments the powerful influence of political advertising. John admires Joe Biden’s debating skills, while Glenn thinks Biden was obnoxious and patronizing. The two conclude with their forecast of the outcome of the coming election.

Oct 17, 2012 — Timothy Noah & Joshua Trevino

The Good Fight round 1

Oct 17, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis

The DMZ

On The DMZ, Bill and Matt recap the second presidential debate and Candy Crowley’s moderating. Was Crowley right to reject the rules agreed upon before the debate? And were any of the attendees in Long Island actually undecided voters? They discuss the implications of Romney’s attempt to distance himself from George W. Bush. Bill attacks Romney’s tax plan, and Matt points out that the entire debate felt uncomfortably confrontational.

Oct 17, 2012 — Robert Wright & Liz Mair

Nonzero (The Wright Show)

Oct 16, 2012 — Isaac Stone Fish & Stephanie Kleine-Ahlbrandt

Worldwise

Oct 15, 2012 — Sarah Posner & Grant Gallicho

The Posner Show

On The Posner Show, Sarah and Grant discuss Catholics and the election. Why did the vice-presidential candidates get asked about their Catholicism only in terms of their views on abortion? They discuss the reasons the Obama campaign has scaled back religious outreach. Is there really such a thing as the Catholic vote, anyway? Sarah asks Grant about the “On All of Our Shoulders” letter, a critique by Catholic theologians of Paul Ryan’s economic policy. Does Catholic doctrine support the conservative conception of smaller government? Grant sheds light on an effort by a Republican political operative to claim that the Obama campaign is calling voters with an anti-Mormon message. Plus: Lightning round on the baseball postseason.

Oct 15, 2012 — Glenn Loury & Harold Pollack

The Glenn Show

On The Glenn Show, Glenn and Harold clash over the reason for Obama’s weak debate performance. They debate the privatization of Social Security and the need to raise the retirement age. The conversation turns to a heated debate about personal versus social responsibility. Glenn asks why it would be wrong to return control of social programs to the states via federal block grants, and then answers his own question. Glenn gives Harold the “Biden Rorschach Test.” Harold reveals that he has produced with his own personal funds a political advertisement now up on YouTube.

Oct 14, 2012 — Mark Leon Goldberg & Wycliffe Muga