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?
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.
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?
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.
On The DMZ, Bill and Matt discuss the failed attempt to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. What lessons should Democrats, Republicans, and the labor movement draw? Why didn’t President Obama come out more strongly in favor of the Democratic candidate? Speaking of Obama’s reelection campaign, why is Bill Clinton suddenly off-message? Should Obama be on Clinton’s message? And Matt’s big idea: cable news as we know it won’t survive.
On Foreign Entanglements, Matt and Eric discuss the surprising results of Egypt’s recent elections. Eric is skeptical that Islamist parties offer a way forward for Egyptian democracy. Matt asks whether the Muslim Brotherhood is a typical religious right party, and Eric argues that they’re something far more dangerous. Matt pushes back, and Eric suggests that Egypt’s future will be one of perpetual instability between the Brotherhood and the military. The two discuss the options facing US foreign policymakers regarding Egypt going forward. Finally, they debate whether it’s possible to regard the new Egypt as a true democracy.