Bloggingheads.tv (audio)

Mark Schmitt & Jamelle Bouie

Bloggingheads.tv — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:02:36 +0000

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.

Robert Wright & Matthew Hutson

Bloggingheads.tv — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:18:57 +0000

Matt's new book, "The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking"...The psychology of knocking on wood...Is it irrational to want to have a legacy after you die?...Treating objects like women (or men)...Everything doesn't happen for a reason...Is magical thinking good for us?...

Matthew Duss & Hussein Ibish

Bloggingheads.tv — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:34:01 +0000

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?

Glenn Loury & Ann Althouse

Bloggingheads.tv — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:13:50 +0000

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.

Bill Scher & Matt K. Lewis

Bloggingheads.tv — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:42:38 +0000

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?

Conor Friedersdorf & James Poulos

Bloggingheads.tv — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:43:01 +0000

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.

Sarah Posner & Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Bloggingheads.tv — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:34:14 +0000

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?

Michael Brendan Dougherty & Daniel McCarthy

Bloggingheads.tv — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:55:47 +0000

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.

Robert Wright & David Frum

Bloggingheads.tv — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:58:03 +0000

David's new book, "Patriots"...Partisanship: ideologues vs. cynics...The demise of meritocracy, and of the middle class...Have elites lost their sense of responsibility?...David responds to his critics...The virtue of fiction, and a new way of publishing...

Robert Farley & Matthew Yglesias

Bloggingheads.tv — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:04:41 +0000

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.