Podcasts by A Few Reasonable Words
A Few Reasonable Words…A weekly podcast from three professors trying desperately to soothe the frayed nerves of the American public with the comforting balm of political science. With every episode we include a segment called "Civics for Grownups" and some "Recommended Reading." Want more information? https://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com/
Further podcasts by Professors Casey Dominguez, Cory Gooding, and Timothy McCarty, University of San Diego
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All episodes
Ep. 88: What to Expect on Election Night from 2020-11-02T08:50:05
We are back! And just in time to give you a rundown of what might be in store for us come Tuesday, and beyond. Democracy, y'all: it's a trip!
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Ep. 87: Structural Racism&Law Enforcement from 2020-07-01T06:55:49
Amidst nationwide protests against police brutality & structural racism, we ask: what exactly is structural racism & how does it relate to problems in law enforcement? What does the scholarship ...
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Ep. 86: Plato vs. Democracy? from 2020-04-03T22:26:54
What exactly is Plato's beef with democracy? Can it teach us anything about the problems our democracy might be facing today? And is Plato really an enemy of democracy, or is it more complicated...
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Ep. 85: The Iowa Kerfuffle from 2020-02-08T00:42:25
What happened in the Iowa caucus? And is it actually a big deal? Why do we nominate presidential candidates with this complicated system of caucuses and primaries? And what is the deal with Iowa...
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Ep. 84: The Democratic Primaries (Live @ University of the Third Age) from 2020-02-03T22:52:29
SPECIAL LIVE EPISODE! How do political scientists think about primaries? How should someone who wants to think like a political scientist think about the current Democratic primary? (nb: spotty ...
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Ep. 83: Articles of Impeachment from 2019-12-18T07:22:45
The House is considering two Articles of Impeachment against President Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of congress. What does that mean, and how should we think about charges like this aga...
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Ep. 82: Universal Basic Income from 2019-11-28T02:24:06
What exactly is the Universal Basic Income? Is it a good idea? We take a trip back to the Political Science Reform Corner to find out.
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Ep. 81: How to Think About Impeachment from 2019-10-20T06:34:29
Impeachment is in the air, but what does impeachment really mean? How should we think about impeachment as a political phenomenon and what can the history of impeachment tell us about our curren...
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Ep. 80: Trump's Primary Challengers from 2019-09-30T04:02:36
At least three semi-serious candidates are challenging President Trump for the 2020 Republican nomination. Is that weird? How common are primary challenges to incumbent presidents? What does the...
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Ep. 79: How to Think About Health Care Debates from 2019-09-08T08:52:48
Debates about health care policy are all the rage among 2020 Presidential candidates. How should a thoughtful voter think about these discussions? And why exactly are we still talking about heal...
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Ep. 78: What's in the House Democrats' Big Reform Bill? from 2019-08-11T17:48:20
The Dems took over the House of Representatives with an ambitious legislative agenda, but what are they actually proposing? And does it have any chance to pass? Why even suggest big, sweeping le...
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Ep. 77: Electability! from 2019-07-30T16:29:43
Seems like everybody's talking about electability, but what does that really mean? What can we actually know about a candidate's electability, and is thinking about it a good way to make decisio...
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Ep. 76: What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? from 2019-07-04T04:02:23
Happy Independence Day! To celebrate, we examine Frederick Douglass' "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" and discuss how it remains relevant to the ways we think about patriotism, traditi...
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Ep. 75: The Enormous Democratic Primary Field! from 2019-06-26T20:26:55
We're back just in time for the enormous Democratic primary field's two-part debate extravaganza! Why are there so many candidates? Is it a good thing, or something to be fret about? Let AFRW gu...
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Ep. 74: Voting Day as National Holiday (Reform Corner #4) from 2019-02-03T05:20:06
Should election day be a national holiday? Maybe! We put the proposal through our reform corner ringer to see whether or not it would be a good idea to establish a Voting Day holiday.
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Ep. 73: Partisan Power Grabs from 2019-01-04T21:56:37
How should we feel about sneaky partisan power maneuvers? Is it the beginnings of a tyrannical overthrow of democracy itself or just the normal push-and-pull of democratic politics? We explore r...
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Ep. 72: Legitimacy! from 2018-12-11T07:39:30
Questions about legitimacy (stolen elections, fraud, voter suppression) have surrounded reactions to the recent election here in the U.S. What does it means to have a legitimate election and why...
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Ep. 71: Midterms! from 2018-11-03T23:59:27
It's election time, America! You've certainly heard from the pundits and the campaigns, but what do political scientists think about midterm elections in general and this midterm election in par...
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Ep. 70: Mandatory Voting (Live @ USD Humanities Center) from 2018-10-18T18:09:14
Our first ever live episode! In front of an audience of real live human beings, we discuss the idea of mandatory voting. What is compulsory voting? Do other countries require their citizens to v...
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Ep. 69: Instant Runoff Voting (Reform Corner #3) from 2018-09-22T04:05:51
Instant Runoff Voting or Ranked-Choice Voting: What is it, who does it, and is it a good idea? We'll answer all your questions in our most recent trip to the political science reform corner.
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Ep. 68: Automatic/Same-Day Voter Registration (Reform Corner #2) from 2018-08-24T21:47:45
Why does voter registration to be a hassle? Can reforms like Automatic Voter Registration or Same Day Voter Registration make it easier for folks to vote? Is there any downside to making it easi...
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Ep. 67: Vote By Mail (Political Science Reform Corner #1) from 2018-08-14T05:49:51
Vote By Mail: Is it a good idea? We take a trip to the Political Science Reform Corner to find out.
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Ep. 66: Corruption! from 2018-07-25T06:40:55
Everyone complains about corrupt politicians, but what does corruption really mean in democratic politics? What is the difference between the complicated, messy, and unsatisfying business of eve...
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Ep. 65: What Does it Mean to be an American? from 2018-07-03T21:45:57
It's America's birthday! But what exactly does it mean to be an American? We explore theories of what it means to be an American - is it a kind of national identity, a commitment to particular i...
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Ep. 64: A Primer on Primaries from 2018-06-25T05:53:16
What's the deal with primaries? Why do they happen? Why do they matter? Do we really have to pay attention to them? Do I really have to vote twice this year? (Hint: Yes!) And what is the role of...
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Ep. 63: Politics of the Census from 2018-05-26T08:20:42
What's political about the census? Everything from the apportionment of representatives to the distribution of public resources to the construction of racial, ethnic, & civic identities. It's a ...
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Ep. 62: How to Think About the Media (Part 3: Professional Norms) from 2018-05-17T21:32:12
We're back (finally)! In our third installment of our long-gestating media discussion, we look at the professional norms of the political media and how understanding them can help us comprehend ...
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Ep. 61: How to Think About the Media (Part 2: Partisanship&Bias) from 2018-02-28T10:14:24
The news media in America has a complicated relationship to partisan politics and political ideology. The mainstream news media continues to prize ideals of objectivity & neutrality, but countle...
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Ep. 60: Guns, NRA,&the Politics of Interest Groups (Re-Run) from 2018-02-20T00:07:17
Despite enjoying popular support, federal gun control legislation seems all but impossible. Is the NRA really bribing representatives? Not exactly, but they have an awful lot of influence, and w...
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Ep. 59: How to Think about the Media (Part 1: The Economics of News) from 2018-02-12T08:49:20
In the first of our series on how to think about the media, we explore the economics of the news business. Who owns the media? How does the profit motive explain much of what you see, hear, and ...
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Ep. 58: What is FISA Anyway? from 2018-02-03T07:17:04
In light of FISA reauthorization earlier this year and the FISA-related accusations leveled against the FBI & the Obama Administration in the Nunes memo, it’s a good time to remind ourselves wha...
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Ep. 57: Why are Government Shutdowns a Thing? from 2018-01-19T07:11:35
What happens when there's a government shutdown? Why do we shut the government down, anyway? Do all countries shut down their governments, or is this just a silly thing America does?
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Ep. 56: Our Political Science Christmas Wishes from 2017-12-25T01:43:57
In our special holiday episode, we share our Christmas wish lists: what we're asking to get from Political Science Santa. That's a thing, right?
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Ep. 55: Tax Cut Fever Hits Washington! from 2017-12-22T05:30:07
Congress met their goal of passing a tax cut bill before Christmas, which means its to talk about the basics of taxation, the highlights of the bill, and what is likely to follow from the most s...
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Ep. 54: Alabama elects a Democrat? from 2017-12-14T08:19:50
Alabama elected a Democratic Senator! Democrats ran the tables in Virginia! How did that happen? What does this mean for the Democrats? What does this mean for the Republicans? Did Doug Jones re...
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Ep. 53: Diplomacy! from 2017-12-04T08:35:25
What is diplomacy, why is it important, and how does it work? How can we know if diplomacy has been successful? Is it just when we’re not currently at war, or is it more complicated than that? S...
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Ep. 52: Russian Interference from 2017-11-04T08:06
What exactly do we know about Russian interference in the election? There is a lot of news about Russian interference, shady dealings, meetings, fake news, bots, and all manner of complicated go...
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Ep. 51: Lobbying! from 2017-10-28T06:08:10
What's the deal with lobbying? How powerful are lobbyists, really? Nobody seems to like it, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Should we be mad about that, or is the public image of lobby...
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Ep. 50: Guns, NRA,&the Politics of Interest Groups from 2017-10-17T02:58:22
Despite enjoying popular support, federal gun control legislation seems all but impossible. Is the NRA really bribing representatives? Not exactly, but they have an awful lot of influence, and w...
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Ep. 49: How Free Should Speech Be? from 2017-10-03T06:45:12
What do NFL Players & tiki-torch wielding Nazis have in common? They put our ideas of freedom of speech to the test! How far do (or should) the legal protections of free speech extend? What exac...
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Ep. 48: What's Federalism Got to Do with It? from 2017-09-25T22:35:15
From sanctuary states to repealing Obamacare, How should we think about conflicts between the federal government & state governments? Is there any clear way to determine who has the right to set...
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Ep. 47: Political Ignorance from 2017-09-19T07:03:33
How worried should we be about civic ignorance? Most Americans know very little about government, but is that a problem for democracy? And if so, what should we do about it?
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Ep. 46: On DACA from 2017-09-12T06:17:16
What is (was) DACA? Who is affected by the program? And how well do the administration's claims about needing to rescind DACA for separation of powers reasons hold up to scrutiny?
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We're Taking a (short) Vacation from 2017-07-26T07:21:53
Congress gets a recess and our students get summer break, so we figured we could take a vacation as well.
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Ep. 45: The Permanent Campaign from 2017-07-11T04:32:08
Why do politicians seem to never stop campaigning? Has our democracy lost touch with the difference between governing and electioneering? Should we be mad about all this? And if it is a bad thin...
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Ep. 44: Breaking Down the Declaration of Independence from 2017-07-03T18:47:29
Everybody knows the Declaration of Independence, but there’s nothing quite like political scientists nerding out on founding documents, so grab a hot dog and check out the fireworks while we bre...
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Ep. 43: Lawmaking 101 (re-run) from 2017-06-24T17:44:29
The Senate finally released their super-secret bill for restructuring the American Health Care system, so we’ve decided to re-run our “Lawmaking 101” episode in hopes of getting everybody back u...
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Ep. 42: What is Executive Privilege? from 2017-06-15T07:35:29
What does it mean for the President to invoke executive privilege? Is executive privilege actually in the Constitution? Do Presidents only invoke executive privilege when they have something to ...
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Ep. 41: Should We Care About Presidential Tweets? from 2017-06-10T04:13:35
Folks wring their hands about our President’s use of social media, but how much do his tweets really matter for politics, policymaking, or the presidency? How does Twitter compare to previous te...
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Ep. 40: What Makes Special Prosecutors So Special? from 2017-06-03T08:32:05
We believe in the rule of law. We believe the president is above the law. But how do we hold the executive branch accountable for wrongdoing when it’s the executi...
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Ep. 39: The Rule of Law from 2017-05-20T22:58:47
What is the rule of law, exactly? Where did the idea of the rule of law come from and why do we care about it so much? Does it just mean following whatever the la...
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Ep. 38: What is Trumpism? from 2017-05-13T06:56:09
What is Trumpism? Is it even a thing? How does it relate to American Conservatism? Is it at all distinct from the cult of personality around Trump himself? If in 20 years, we see politicians cal...
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Ep. 37: What is Conservatism? from 2017-05-05T23:26:01
What is conservatism? What is its history? Is it a set of ideas or a kind of temperament? What are its core ideas? What are the differences among conservative thinkers? Is it right to call the G...
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Ep. 36: Trump's First 100 Days from 2017-04-29T03:26:51
Donald Trump has been President for 100 days! Has it really only been that long? Why do we fixate on a President's first 100 days? How successful has Trump been, and how does he match up with ot...
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Ep. 35: Protest on Campus from 2017-04-23T20:49:14
Why are college students always protesting? What is the history of campus protest? When are campus protests effective? How do ideals like academic freedom and free speech relate to protesting on...
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Ep. 34: Protests! from 2017-04-15T07:08:16
Folks seem to be in a protesting mood these days, but how much do we really know about protests? What are the varieties of protests? What are the rights of protesters? How effective are protests...
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Ep. 33: Filibusters! from 2017-04-06T02:54:14
What's the deal with filibusters? How do they really work & why do we have them? Do they only happen in the Senate? And why don't they still have to stand & talk to keep them going?
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Ep. 32: Ethics of Immigration from 2017-03-27T23:10:32
What are the ethics of immigration? How can moral philosophy help us think about immigration policy? Is there such a thing as a right to immigrate? Do states have the right to exclude migrants? ...
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Ep. 31: How to think about Immigration from 2017-03-22T07:07:48
What do political scientists know about immigration? What is the history of our immigration laws and policies? How does immigration really affect the economy & national security? Do the presiden...
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Ep. 30: Lawmaking 101 from 2017-03-16T07:16:39
We haven't talked much about lawmaking because Congress hasn’t tried to do anything! Now Congress has a big agenda and the leadership is trying to act quickly on it. So let’s get everyone up to ...
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Ep. 29: How do Parties Really Work? from 2017-03-06T07:38:56
We hear a lot about the DNC & the RNC, but how much power do the national organizations really have? And are parties really driven by ideology, or is winning elections the only thing that actual...
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Ep. 28: What's the Deal with Gerrymandering? from 2017-02-27T06:05:36
What is gerrymandering and why are people (especially if they are democrats) so mad about it? Is it really to blame for all our problems? If not, what should we think about it? And where on Eart...
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Ep. 27: Does Competence Matter? from 2017-02-21T07:13:22
How important is competence in government? What is the civil service anyway? Are the Trump administration's early stumbles evidence of incompetence, or just the normal learning curve of a new pr...
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Ep. 26: Conspiracies! from 2017-02-13T09:20:05
With a President openly trafficking in conspiracy theories and his opponents developing their own about him, we explore the attraction to conspiratorial thinking. Why do folks believe conspiracy...
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Ep. 25: Nominations, Advice,&Consent from 2017-02-06T06:26:33
Now that we've got a slate of cabinet nominees and a Trump Supreme Court nominee, how should we expect the Senate to advise & consent? Will (& should) Democrats play nice, or will they take the ...
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Ep. 24: Presidential Power&the Unitary Executive from 2017-01-30T08:45:43
What are the president’s powers? Can the president make or defy the law? What is the unitary executive theory, and what is the evidence supporting it? Listen
Ep. 23: Considering Identity Politics Anew from 2017-01-24T03:13:42
Final installment of our month-long series on politics & identity. Knowing what we do about racial identity & structural racism, how should Democrats and Republicans think about the role of iden...
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Ep. 22: What is Institutional Racism? from 2017-01-15T07:33:44
We continue our month-long series on race, identity, & democracy with a look at institutional (or structural or systemic) racism, what kind of evidence there is for its existence, how we ought t...
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Ep. 21: How do In-Group&Out-Group Attitudes Work? from 2017-01-08T23:42:18
We continue our a month-long discussion of the connections between race, racial attitudes, and politics in the United States today. This episode explores how identity groups form and relate to e...
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Ep. 20: Why Do People Develop Group Identity&Group Consciousness? from 2017-01-01T20:50:42
We continue our a month-long discussion of the connections between race, racial attitudes, and politics in the United States today. Today we talk about how and wh...
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Ep. 19: What's the Deal with Identity Politics? from 2016-12-17T09:01:35
This week we begin a month-long discussion of the connections between race, racial attitudes, and politics in the United States today. As our introduction we cons...
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Sorry for the Delay (&A Request for Feedback) from 2016-12-04T17:28:21
New episodes coming soon! In the meantime, we want to hear your questions & ideas! Email afewreasonablewords@gmail.com or tweet to @afrwpod
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Ep. 18: Why can’t Red&Blue America agree on what just happened? from 2016-11-20T18:29:34
Today we discuss partisanship and how it affects our views of politics, the world, and the Election of 2016. In case you’ve missed it, Democrats and Republicans h...
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Ep 17: What Just Happened? from 2016-11-10T00:46:45
Election 2016: What happened? How should we understand the surprising results? Why were the polls wrong? Why did Trump and the Republicans win? What does it mean ...
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Ep. 16: What's up with the Electoral College? from 2016-11-06T03:14:50
What is the Electoral College? Why do we have it? Where did it come from? Is it a good thing? Or is it anti-democratic? What would happen if we got rid of it and went with a national popular vot...
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Ep. 15: Should I Vote? (Part 4: Ethics of Voting) from 2016-10-29T07:20:07
Should I vote, and if so, how should I vote? If my vote won't determine the election, does it matter if I vote? Do citizens have a civic duty to vote? If so, is there an ethical duty to vote a c...
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Ep. 14: Should I Vote? (Part 3: Third Parties) from 2016-10-25T02:56:18
This week we continue a month long series considering the question, “Should I vote?” This week, we consider the questions: Should I vote for a third party candida...
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Ep. 13: Should I Vote? (Part 2: Downballot) from 2016-10-15T05:06:25
This week we continue a month long series considering the question, “Should I vote?” We make the case that partisan margins in Congress matter at least as much as...
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Ep. 12: Should I Vote? (Part 1: The President) from 2016-10-08T06:59:18
This week we begin a month long series considering the question, “Should I vote?” We begin with the presidency. Is the presidency even that big a deal? Does the p...
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Ep. 11: Is the Media the Problem? from 2016-09-30T22:38:30
Do the news media give American voters the information we need in order to make informed choices? If not, is it really the news media’s fault? Is there anything w...
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Ep. 10: Debates - Democracy in Action or Meaningless Spectacle? from 2016-09-23T08:10:53
What does research tell us about the effects of presidential debates? Do they actually affect voters’ perceptions of the candidates? Do they affect election outco...
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Ep. 9: Should We Believe Campaign Promises? from 2016-09-17T05:41:27
Do candidates really intend to follow through with their campaign promises? Do they actually follow through? When they don’t, why don’t they? Are they lying to us...
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Ep. 8: Truth, Lies, and BS from 2016-09-10T21:38:10
Ep. 8: Is there more to political communication than truth and lies? We consider Harry Frankfurt’s famous essay, “On Bullshit” and expand our repertoire for discu...
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Ep. 7: What's the Deal with Voter ID? from 2016-09-02T04:17:50
This week, we ask: What is the case for voter id laws? What is the case against them? Who do they affect disproportionately and why? For more episodes, check out ...
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Ep 6: Who Can Vote in America? from 2016-08-27T01:00:23
This week, we ask: Should we make it harder or easier to vote? We discuss the history of restrictions on voting in the US, ways that current law makes it harder o...
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Ep. 5: Will the Election be Rigged? from 2016-08-20T01:01:13
This week, we ask: Are our elections are rigged? We provide evidence that they are not, and then discuss why that claim is a serious one, and how it gets confused...
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Ep. 4: The Case for Party Elites from 2016-08-12T07:50:47
Should primary elections be open to everyone? Should superdelegates be eliminated completely? Or are there good reasons for peer review of candidates for politica...
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Episode 3: The 2016 Democratic Party Platform from 2016-08-05T06:34:50
In this week's show, we look for clues in the Democratic Party platform about what may be changing in the Democratic party, what remains the same, and what all of...
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Ep. 2: The 2016 GOP Platform from 2016-07-29T04:48:21
In this week's show, we look for clues in the Republican Party platform about what may be changing in the Republican party, what remains the same, and what all of...
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Ep. 1: Platforms! from 2016-07-29T04:12:03
In this, the inaugural episode of A Few Reasonable Words, three political scientists discuss political party platforms--their history and their purpose--and make the case that it's actually wort...
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