Photo Op This week, Ricochet member Fredösphere provides the intro (coffee mug incoming, Fred, and more of the entries at the end of the show) as Troy Senik sits in for Lileks.  We’ve got a terrific line up of guests this week as Mark Levin and Larry Kudlow both enlighten us on immigration, Mississippi, the economy and a preview of the mid-terms, and why we might not be behind the 8-ball just yet.

Music from this week’s’ episode:

Los Mandados by Vicente Fernández

The opening sequence for the Ricochet Podcast was composed and produced by James Lileks.

¿Dondé está el baño, EJHill?

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There are 48 comments.

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  1. Peter Robinson Contributor
    Peter Robinson
    @PeterRobinson

    “The man with the umlaut” is a genius!  Pattering panjandrums of positivity?  Somewhere, Spiro Agnew is turning green with envy!  Thanks, Fredo.

    • #1
  2. Fredösphere Inactive
    Fredösphere
    @Fredosphere

    Thank you, Peter et al., for honoring my entry. I spent way too many hours preparing it and still ended up with a version that sounds like “puking into the mic,” as they say. Ah, well. Making that thing was a blast.

    • #2
  3. hernroth@yahoo.com Member
    hernroth@yahoo.com
    @AnnikaHernrothRothstein

    Thanks so much for the shoutout, and you even got my weird name right- very impressive! I am a Swede living in Sweden, actually, but G-d willing I will be an israeli one day..

    Thanks for a great episode and for giving me Ricochet to share my experience with all of you. 

    • #3
  4. user_1938 Inactive
    user_1938
    @AaronMiller

    Great job cleaning up the audio, Yeti. Those of us who heard it live know it could have been worse.

    • #4
  5. user_30416 Inactive
    user_30416
    @LeslieWatkins

    I hope there is a girl somewhere in the reason Rob is heading to NYC. And I agree with Peter: the umlaut guy did a fantastic job of intro-ing.

    • #5
  6. Sabrdance Member
    Sabrdance
    @Sabrdance

    Regarding the Contract With America, I don’t have the article readily at hand, but the post ’94 surveys revealed that the vast majority of voters had never heard of the Contract With America when they voted -even those who voted Republican.
     
    That doesn’t mean it didn’t matter -maybe people knew the ideas, but didn’t know they were part of a platform.  Maybe the existence of a platform and a central party pushing the points helped with candidate recruitment and performance.

    • #6
  7. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Fredösphere: Making that thing was a blast.

    Great job, Fredösphere.

    • #7
  8. thebeekeeperkissedme Inactive
    thebeekeeperkissedme
    @thebeekeeperkissedme

    Thank you for this podcast,  Not even the poor audio could dampen The Great One’s power. Such clear thinking from the guests is refreshing. More Levin please.  

    Fredö,  good jöb!

    • #8
  9. Albert Arthur Coolidge
    Albert Arthur
    @AlbertArthur

    Good job. There was hardly any keyboard clacking in this episode. ;-)

    • #9
  10. Kim K. Inactive
    Kim K.
    @KimK

    Ok, I know who Mark Levin and Larry Kudlow are, but I do not listen or read them with any regularity (almost never). Maybe that disqualifies me from commenting. I know Levin seems to have a big following here at Ricochet so don’t shoot me.  But….. he comes across as a crabby old guy who is just mad about everything. He talks about how “the American People” would do this and that but aren’t those the same people who voted the current people in? Listening to him was, frankly, depressing. After that, Kudlow was like a breath of fresh air.  The contrast couldn’t have been more stark. If the Republicans want to turn people to their side they will have to have a Kudlow-ish person in charge of messaging. 

    BTW, loved the intro.

    • #10
  11. Roberto Inactive
    Roberto
    @Roberto

    thebeekeeperkissedme:

     More Levin please.

    Fredö, good jöb!

     Strong agreement on both counts.

    • #11
  12. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Kim K.: But….. he comes across as a crabby old guy who is just mad about everything.

    Heh, Mark is not all that old; he’s ten years younger than Larry.

    • #12
  13. Kim K. Inactive
    Kim K.
    @KimK

    Arahant:

    Kim K.: But….. he comes across as a crabby old guy who is just mad about everything.

    Heh, Mark is not all that old; he’s ten years younger than Larry.

     I’m sure you are right. I was commenting about my perception. 

    • #13
  14. Arahant Member
    Arahant
    @Arahant

    Kim K.: I’m sure you are right. I was commenting about my perception.

    I happen to agree with you.  Mark is a crabby old man yelling, “Hey, kids, get off my lawn.” He does tend to be very funny in how he does it, though, which is why he has so many fans. I’ve had times as I had parked my car when I sat there until a commercial break just to hear him go on.

    • #14
  15. Ryan M Inactive
    Ryan M
    @RyanM

    wait, there was a “record an intro” contest?  Completely missed that one!  oh, well.

    • #15
  16. Ryan M Inactive
    Ryan M
    @RyanM

    Annika Hernroth-Rothstein:

    I am a Swede living in Sweden, actually, but G-d willing I will be an israeli one day..

     yes, but the thing about living in Stockholm is that you eventually come to accept it…

    (I was actually hoping for the prize that goes to the 10,000th person to make that joke.  Am I a few million too late?)

    • #16
  17. Nick Stuart Inactive
    Nick Stuart
    @NickStuart

    Larry Kudlow and every Republican running for office can each say “reduce the corporate tax rate” 10,000 times a day from now until infinity and it won’t help any Republican get elected.

    I believe they’re right it would be a big help for the economy and everyone would benefit.

    But that is not where the working poor, blue collar, and middle class live. They just know the cost of hamburger, electricity, and gasoline is too damn high and they would like someone who can offer a way to fix it (more fully exploiting oil and gas reserves in the USA, getting the EPA’s foot off the windpipe of the coal industry, and removing the ethanol in gasoline mandate would be a good start).

    • #17
  18. Pencilvania Inactive
    Pencilvania
    @Pencilvania

    Böffö intrö, Fredö!

    • #18
  19. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    Today..day…day…. I consider this… this… this… the luckiest podcast on the face of the earth… earth… earth…

    • #19
  20. Chris Member
    Chris
    @Chris

    Nick Stuart:

    Larry Kudlow and every Republican running for office can each say “reduce the corporate tax rate” 10,000 times a day from now until infinity and it won’t help any Republican get elected.

    I believe they’re right it would be a big help for the economy and everyone would benefit.

    But that is not where the working poor, blue collar, and middle class live. They just know the cost of hamburger, electricity, and gasoline is too damn high and they would like someone who can offer a way to fix it (more fully exploiting oil and gas reserves in the USA, getting the EPA’s foot off the windpipe of the coal industry, and removing the ethanol in gasoline mandate would be a good start).

     
    Amen.

    For Larry Kudlow to pooh pooh the idea of inflation reminded me of this classic moment from 2011 – “I can’t eat an iPad”.    That article is complemented nicely by a Wall Street Journal article from four days ago about the rising cost of food (“As Food Prices Rise, Fed Keeps a Watchful Eye“).

    Lies, damn lies, and statistics…

    • #20
  21. katievs Inactive
    katievs
    @katievs

    I absolutely love Mark Levin. He’s irascible, yes. But he’s irascible because he’s distressed. He’s distressed because he sees exactly what’s at stake, which so few others seem to do.

    And he’s not just yelling. He’s making very clear-headed practical proposals. I think his idea (provided for in the Constitution) is brilliant and more doable than anything else on the table. Plus, if it succeeds, it will work, whereas (he’s right, isn’t he?) even if Republicans win a majority in the Senate, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to stem the tide Obama has unleashed. They’ll say nothing can be done till we win the presidency. But we won’t. It’ll be too late.

    • #21
  22. Matede Inactive
    Matede
    @MateDe

    I think I got it. Rob Long and Ann Coulter are an item. am I right?

    • #22
  23. Albert Arthur Coolidge
    Albert Arthur
    @AlbertArthur

    katievs:

    I absolutely love Mark Levin. He’s irascible, yes. But he’s irascible because he’s distressed. He’s distressed because he sees exactly what’s at stake, which so few others seem to do.

    And he’s not just yelling. He’s making very clear-headed practical proposals. I think his idea (provided for in the Constitution) is brilliant and more doable than anything else on the table. Plus, if it succeeds, it will work, whereas (he’s right, isn’t he?) even if Republicans win a majority in the Senate, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to stem the tide Obama has unleashed. They’ll say nothing can be done till we win the presidency. But we won’t. It’ll be too late.

     I love him too. I don’t always agree with him. But then, he’s not my wife, so I’m not required to! ;-) I also really love how he loves animals.

    • #23
  24. Albert Arthur Coolidge
    Albert Arthur
    @AlbertArthur

    Matede:

    I think I got it. Rob Long and Ann Coulter are an item. am I right?

     That’s what I was thinking.

    • #24
  25. Albert Arthur Coolidge
    Albert Arthur
    @AlbertArthur

    Albert Arthur:

    Matede:

    I think I got it. Rob Long and Ann Coulter are an item. am I right?

    That’s what I was thinking.

     EJHill, GO!

    • #25
  26. Albert Arthur Coolidge
    Albert Arthur
    @AlbertArthur

    Ryan M:

    wait, there was a “record an intro” contest? Completely missed that one! oh, well.

     Don’t worry; you would have lost.

    Badumpda!

    • #26
  27. Matede Inactive
    Matede
    @MateDe

    Even if they are not , this calls for a NY Meetup

    • #27
  28. user_409996 Member
    user_409996
    @

    Lower the Corporate Tax Rate, maybe.  The Capital Gains Tax Rate, definitely.  These two, the second more so than the first, will help to create the jobs the Working Class need.

    But don’t make these tax reductions the first thing you talk about.  The people to whom such reforms matter will learn about them.

    The Poor and the Working Class need something less obscure to be converted.

    As a Christian, I am more impressed with the quality of the Doctrine, and the firmness of the Pastor and the Deacons and enough members of the Congregation to that Doctrine.  Other Christians, many if not most of them, need to know of Christ’s Love.  And I know why:  the appeal is more direct and much simpler.

    • #28
  29. user_1938 Inactive
    user_1938
    @AaronMiller

    Rob, why are you waiting to be asked to read your own book for Audible? Shouldn’t you tell them up front that you would like to narrate it? Don’t assume that they know you’re interested in narrating. The author is always the best narrator (excepting Stephen Hawking).

    • #29
  30. user_1938 Inactive
    user_1938
    @AaronMiller

    Edward Smith: But don’t make these tax reductions the first thing you talk about.  The people to whom such reforms matter will learn about them.

     When Republican make tax cuts a centerpiece of their platform, it plays into the hands of Democrats by reinforcing their accusation that the GOP is the party of the rich just trying to get richer. Better to focus the message on getting government out of the way and how that will help the poor, while including tax cuts on the policy long sheet. 

    Wealthier voters are better educated and are more experienced finding information, rather than simply waiting to be told. TV messages need to focus on the ignorant who are easily swayed by Democrats’ misinformation. 

    Republicans need to start telling poorer Americans how the Democrats are punishing them and holding them down. Take vehicle emissions standards, for example. Who is most likely to own an older used vehicle that fails those standards, requiring expensive repairs? Poorer people.

    • #30
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