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23 December 2024

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Bloggingheads.tv videos — October 2013

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Oct 31, 2013 — Glenn Loury & John McWhorter
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The Glenn Show

On The Glenn Show, the topic is the student protest at Brown University that thwarted a speech by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. Glenn accuses the protesters of “intellectual thuggery.” John says the blame ultimately lies with Brown professors who taught their students poorly, but Glenn defends Brown’s ideological heterogeneity. John argues that undergrads are not truly taught both sides on issues where race and politics intersect. Glenn and John present the more cogent case against stop-and-frisk policing. John emphasizes the performative aspect of student protests. Plus: The way in which racial debates are harder now than in 1963.

Oct 30, 2013 — Jillian C. York & Katherine Maher
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Interrobang‽

On Interrobang‽, Jillian and Katherine survey Sisi Fetish, a tumblr chronicling strange forms of adulation for Egypt’s military leader. Should liberals be wary of embracing libertarians in the fight against NSA surveillance? They discuss revelations about German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone being tapped, and how new European data protection regulations will affect US tech companies. Have the NSA revelations hurt US attempts to track terrorist financing? Jillian highlights Mark Zuckerberg’s very selective approach toward free expression. Does Facebook want to become a news platform?

Oct 29, 2013 — Dylan Matthews & Bhaskar Sunkara
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Oct 28, 2013 — Glenn Loury & Harold Pollack
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The Glenn Show
On The Glenn Show, Harold laments the “humiliating” failures of Healthcare.gov, but points to ways the Affordable Care Act has already succeeded. Could the website glitches lead to an adverse selection disaster? Apportioning blame for the problems, Harold looks at both GOP intransigence and the government’s technical ineptitude. Will this fiasco do permanent damage to Americans’ confidence in government? Glenn and Harold discuss the decision by many Republican governors to refuse Medicaid expansion. Harold shares his personal frustrations with the website’s failures. Plus: Would a certain former Republican presidential candidate have been the ideal person to manage the website rollout?
Oct 27, 2013 — Robert Wright & Sharon Salzberg
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Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Oct 26, 2013 — Glenn Loury & Steven Teles
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The Glenn Show
On The Glenn Show, Steve and Glenn revisit an earlier conversation about what’s wrong with economics—namely, that it’s too insular and overly focused on technique. But, to be fair, some contemporary research in development and behavioral economics defies this description. Steve gets meta and proposes a behavioral theory to account for these exceptions, and Glenn bemoans the field’s “intellectual infantilization.” Glenn holds up the career of Paul Samuelson as an example of how an academic discipline can be revolutionized. They close by worrying about the narrow ideological range of the president’s economic advisers.
Oct 25, 2013 — William Beutler & Steven Teles
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Oct 24, 2013 — Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis
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The DMZ
On The DMZ, Matt says that the Obamacare website failures give the GOP a chance to make a larger argument about big government. Bill and Matt take different sides in the debate between Joan Walsh and Ezra Klein over how liberal pundits should react to healthcare.gov’s glitches. Matt wants conservatives to realize that a Reagan-like savior will be not coming to rescue the movement. Will Republicans leave Reagan nostalgia behind in 2016? They ponder whether immigration reform is coming back from the dead. Plus: The meaning of Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s embrace of Medicaid expansion.
Oct 23, 2013 — Robert Wright & Joshua Greene
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Nonzero (The Wright Show)
Oct 22, 2013 — Kevin Glass & Betsy Woodruff
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Rational Actors
On Rational Actors, Kevin and Betsy discuss the political fallout from the technical failures of healthcare.gov, and consider rhetorical and political parallels between Obamacare and the Iraq war. If the website woes continue, will Obama delay the individual mandate? Kevin notes that the conservative base supports the intransigence of politicians like Sen. Ted Cruz. Could the shutdown cost the GOP the House in 2014? Finally, Betsy disputes the dominant media narrative that evangelicals are enthusiastic about immigration reform.

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