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19 December 2025

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May 24, 2012 — Heather Hurlburt & Daniel Drezner
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May 23, 2012 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On a very special episode of The DMZ, Matt explains why he’s happy that he’s making fewer TV appearances, and offers some practical advice for young writers. Responding to a commenter’s question, Bill and Matt discuss whether they would have the same politics if they lived in a different historical era—would Matt have voted for JFK? Matt weighs the tension between his epistemological modesty and his impulse to seek the good. Bill explains why his temperament leads him toward practical liberalism—and made him a college conservative. They close by discussing Cory Booker, Chris Matthews, and what it means to be a political surrogate.
May 22, 2012 — Walter Frick & Derek Thompson
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In the wake of Facebook’s public offering, Walter and Derek talk about startups. Is overinvestment in social media harming potentially more fruitful endeavors? They lay out what government must do to foster innovation. Derek makes the case that, despite high costs, a college education is still worth it. Walter and Derek discuss the pros and cons of “crowdfunding,” where a new company raises money through many small investors. Finally, they try to figure out why Facebook’s stock didn’t pop.
May 21, 2012 — Sarah Wildman & Marc Tracy
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The Posner Show
Guest-hosting on The Posner Show, Sarah talks to Marc about the controversy over whether the 2012 Olympics should memorialize the Israeli athletes murdered forty years ago in Munich. Is anything involving Israel inevitably political? Marc and Sarah move on to the recurring question of whether Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to peace. Is this the year when the two-state solution will die? What, if anything, should liberal American Jews do about Israel? They close by analyzing the constant hand-wringing over the Jewish vote.
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 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 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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