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9 May 2026

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Sep 20, 2012 — Semhar Araia & Barry Malone
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Worldwise
Sep 19, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On The DMZ, Matt argues the infamous video of Romney is being overblown, but that Romney was guilty of talking like a strategist. Bill thinks Romney got caught up in the closed conservative information loop. Will this spark a serious debate about the welfare state? Could this be “you didn’t build that” in reverse? Matt wonders whether Romney has the political skills to turn the race around, and Bill sees parallels to Walter Mondale in 1984. Plus: Matt argues that Morning Joe is an important show but desperately needs to change.
Sep 18, 2012 — Robert Wright & Josh Barro
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Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Sep 18, 2012 — Glenn Loury & John McWhorter
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The Glenn Show
On The Glenn Show, Glenn and John debate whether racism has shaped Obama’s presidency. Referencing the Trayvon Martin case, Glenn argues that Obama’s race is still symbolically powerful. The discussion turns to the leaked video of Romney at a fundraiser. John is appalled by Romney’s comments, but Glenn offers a partial defense of Romney. The two then discuss the free speech implications of the YouTube video that helped trigger violence and protests in the Muslim world. Plus: Is there still the possibility of a dialogue between Islam and the West?
Sep 17, 2012 — Alyssa Rosenberg & Willa Paskin
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Critic Proof
On Critic Proof, Alyssa and Willa dive into the new television season, where women are rising and men are falling. They agree that Guys With Kids is lame and lazy, but are cautiously optimistic about Matthew Perry’s Go On. Why can’t NBC get its act together? Willa can’t believe that Revolution manages to make the post-apocalypse boring. They analyze Homeland, where Claire Danes portrays possibly the greatest female character of our era. Do fans of shows like Breaking Bad get overly obsessed with “plausibility”? Plus: A spoiler-filled discussion of Gillian Flynn’s novel Gone Girl.
Sep 17, 2012 — Conor Friedersdorf & Peter Suderman
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Friedersdorf
Conor and Peter try to make sense of QE3, the Federal Reserve’s effort to kick-start the economy. Turning to the political fallout from the embassy attacks, Peter argues that Romney thinks about foreign policy like a management consultant. Though they both believe in the primacy of free speech, Conor isn’t bothered by diplomats criticizing offensive videos. Peter talks about what Romney would actually do about health care if elected. If Romney wins the election, will the Tea Party ever trust him? Plus: Conor describes the album he’d love Jay-Z to make.
Sep 16, 2012 — Matthew Duss & Carey Cavanaugh
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Foreign Entanglements
On Foreign Entanglements, Matt talks to Carey about Ambassador Chris Stevens and the three other Americans killed in Benghazi. Carey disputes the idea that diplomats get “captured” by their host countries. Matt asks Carey about the impact of the 2011 WikiLeaks cables, and Carey goes on to explain the difficulties of diplomacy in the age of Twitter. Matt asks Carey about his experience establishing the embassy in post-Soviet Georgia, and Carey closes by offering lessons for Libya and Egypt today.
Sep 15, 2012 — Heather Hurlburt & Matt Welch
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The Good Fight round 1
On The Good Fight, Heather and Matt reflect on the wave of protests and violence sweeping the Arab world. Matt argues that it was naive of Democrats to assume they could put a kinder, gentler face on US foreign policy. Heather counters that Obama has significantly boosted global public opinion of America. Should the US government try to stop private citizens from posting incendiary content online? Heather points out that it’s hard to explain free speech to countries that don’t have it. Finally, Matt asks whether Obama was right to say Egypt isn’t a US ally anymore.
Sep 14, 2012 — Robert Wright & Robert Becker
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Worldwise
Sep 14, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On The DMZ, Bill and Matt debate what the embassy attacks in Egypt and Libya tell us about Obama’s policies in the Arab world. Has the Arab Spring been a positive or a negative development? Bill suggests neither Obama nor Romney wants to engage in a general debate about foreign policy. They disagree over whether it makes sense to compare Obama to Jimmy Carter. Matt argues that despite Obama’s post-convention bounce, the election will still come down to the wire. Plus: Are Obama and Romney introverts?

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