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19 April 2026

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May 20, 2012 — Mark Schmitt & Jamelle Bouie
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Fireside Chats

On Fireside Chats, Mark and Jamelle talk about Jamelle’s American Prospect cover story arguing that Mitt Romney would be a very conservative president. But would the GOP really push the button on radical spending cuts? Jamelle thinks Romney should back off his recent rhetorical embrace of Bill Clinton. Mark and Jamelle are skeptical of a Romney adviser’s argument that states should compete like corporations to provide the best services.  The two discuss the implications of a new super PAC plan that describes Obama as a “black, metrosexual Abraham Lincoln.” Finally, they talk about the demise of Americans Elect, which tried to use the Internet to recruit a third-party presidential candidate.

May 19, 2012 — Robert Wright & Matthew Hutson
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Nonzero (The Wright Show)
May 18, 2012 — Matthew Duss & Hussein Ibish
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Foreign Entanglements
On Foreign Entanglements, Hussein offers his take on the Egyptian presidential election and predicts that Egypt’s voters will opt for a balance between the presidency and parliament. Is presidential candidate Aboul Fatouh an Islamist that liberals can love? Turning to Israel, Matt and Hussein try to figure out why Kadima’s Mofaz joined Netanyahu’s government only days after calling Bibi a liar. An American congressman has urged Israel to annex the West Bank—is this at all realistic? Matt argues that Israel’s Gaza closure has strengthened Hamas. Finally, will the Arab Spring help or hurt Hamas?
May 17, 2012 — Glenn Loury & Ann Althouse
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The Glenn Show
On The Glenn Show, Glenn and Ann discuss the politics of President Obama’s recent endorsement of gay marriage. The two professors, both of whom have gay sons, defend the religious opponents of gay marriage against the charge of “bigotry.” They argue that religion can be a force for positive social change, such as during the civil rights movement. Ann laments that politicians so often feel they must demonize their opponents, and Glenn defends Mitt Romney’s background in private equity. Ann and Glenn compare the Occupy movement with the Tea Party and find the former lacking. Finally, they celebrate “the leisure of the theory class” and compare their different approaches to vacationing.
May 16, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On The DMZ: Did Sarah Palin get underdog Deb Fischer the Senate nomination from Nebraska? And is Palin favoring gender over ideology? Should the GOP change itself to appeal to women and minority voters? Plus, is Ross Douthat right about the danger of politics becoming religion?
May 15, 2012 — Conor Friedersdorf & James Poulos
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Friedersdorf
Conor and James kick things off by musing on what the most radical social experiment in American history might be (hint: it’s not same-sex marriage). James argues that Europe is suffering from a crisis of political leadership and legitimacy, and that countries like Greece have been subsidizing their nationalism. Are idiosyncratic customs like the Spanish siesta doomed? James explains that being a parent is very different than he expected. Will we ever arrive at a science of raising children? Conor argues, contra Tom Friedman, that advertising makes America a more egalitarian country than it would otherwise be. And James explains how to go about being a rock star.
May 14, 2012 — Sarah Posner & Sarah Pulliam Bailey
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The Posner Show
On The Posner Show, Sarah speaks with Sarah Pulliam Bailey about Mitt Romney’s commencement speech at Liberty University and how evangelicals are dealing with Romney’s Mormonism. How much will President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage impact white evangelical turnout, or black or Latino enthusiasm? They also dissect the theology of Obama’s new support for same-sex marriage, the reactions of his spiritual advisors, and whether his new position will hurt him with “new” evangelicals who say they care about more issues than just the culture wars. Are “anti-gay rights” and “anti-gay” the same thing? Plus: The generational divide over same-sex marriage—will megachurches start to lose members?
May 13, 2012 — Michael Brendan Dougherty & Daniel McCarthy
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Washington Squares
On Washington Squares, Michael and Daniel discuss the dilemma that same-sex marriage presents to conservatives. Daniel lays out how civil equality has replaced religious virtue as the basis for marriage. Has gay marriage exposed a philosophical conflict between liberalism and democracy? Daniel counsels Christians to focus on preserving their way of life rather than seeking political power. The discussion then turns to the presidential election and the choice facing anti-war conservatives. Finally, the two discuss how to build effective conservative institutions in Washington.
May 11, 2012 — Robert Wright & David Frum
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Nonzero (The Wright Show)
May 10, 2012 — Robert Farley & Matthew Yglesias
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Foreign Entanglements
On Foreign Entanglements, Rob and Matt discuss the election of François Hollande in France and how it will affect the future of the European Union. Matt suggests that a face-saving deal may be in the works to paper over differences between France and Germany. Matt explains how a Greek exit from the Eurozone could cause the whole thing to collapse, while Rob questions why many on the American left seem to favor Greece over the EU. Matt and Rob talk about the effects of another Euro crisis on the global economy (not to mention the US election), and whether foreign leaders should be campaigning for each other. They conclude with some thoughts about punctuation.

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