Tom Cotton and The 30 Percent Chance

After a week off, we’re back and putting our best foot forward with guests Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and our good friend and podcaster Professor Richard Epstein. The Senator talks to us about Iran, Guantanamo, and his controversial “endorsement” of Bernie Sanders. Speaking of Sanders, our hosts explain why they admire him and wish Republicans would emulate him. Yes, you read that right. Later, Richard Epstein stops by to explain why Ted Cruz can run for President despite being born in Canada and the surprising chances the gives that a certain Democratic Presidential candidate gets indicted. Finally, a long time ago in a far away place (Switzerland), Peter Robinson had dinner with David Bowie. Yes, you read that right too.

Music from this week’s episode:

Take It Easy by The Eagles

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

Ziggy played guitar, EJHill.

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There are 31 comments.

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  1. EJHill Podcaster
    EJHill
    @EJHill

    Bowie and Robinson – A duet for the ages….

    image

    • #1
  2. Blue Yeti Admin
    Blue Yeti
    @BlueYeti

    anonymous:

    Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK)

    Tom Cotton is a senator from Arkansas (AR), not Alaska (AK).

    Fixed!

    • #2
  3. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Is that the diner on old Route 23 which is ten minutes away from wherever it is I happen to live?

    Because if it is, I’ll be right over.

    • #3
  4. kgrant67 Inactive
    kgrant67
    @kgrant67

    Is that Richard or Tom playing Ziggy?

    • #4
  5. 1967mustangman Inactive
    1967mustangman
    @1967mustangman

    anonymous:

    Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK)

    Tom Cotton is a senator from Arkansas (AR), not Alaska (AK).

    Beat me to it!  Good eye John.

    • #5
  6. EThompson Member
    EThompson
    @

    Nice choice of Bowie song Yeti; a definite favorite!

    • #6
  7. Proud Skeptic Inactive
    Proud Skeptic
    @ProudSkeptic

    Lileks missed the follow on question…He asked what the odds of an indictment are.  The better question is “what are the odds of a recommendation to indict by the FBI?”

    • #7
  8. Tom Riehl Member
    Tom Riehl
    @

    Hoping that we know that mandating saying Merry Christmas is another expected shot at Trump supporters.

    The ethanol question is not under presidential control either.   Maybe our congress will get back in the game.

    • #8
  9. Max Ledoux Coolidge
    Max Ledoux
    @Max

    I like Sarah Palin.

    • #9
  10. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    I love the opening!

    It’s fantastic that you had Tom Cotton as the guest. Nice going.

    Great podcast.

    Thank you.

    • #10
  11. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    Former Ricochet member DC McAllister on Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Trump:

    Her support of Trump might also be good old-fashioned horse trading. The king of “making the deal” might have offered something to the former Alaskan governor to garner her support—a vice presidential spot (don’t rule it out!) or a cabinet position?

    That seems the most likely reason. It’s also possible that, whatever her reasoning, Palin thinks Trump would have better odds in the main election than Cruz or Rubio would.

    By the way, what’s the opposite of populism? Aristocracy? These days, our representatives have representatives. When did we vote for that situation? My point is that, while populism is surely dangerous in extreme, it is good and necessary in moderation. Citizens should believe they are adequately represented.

    I don’t believe Trump serves that need. But let’s not respond to one extreme with another by pretending this trend toward populism arose out of nowhere. It is a response to real problems, such as the negotiation of legislation by a mere handful of elected representatives and the ability of a felon to run for President because political leverage makes her untouchable.

    • #11
  12. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Max Ledoux:I like Sarah Palin.

    I did.

    Oh, heck – I still do.  I’m just not listening to her anymore.

    • #12
  13. James Lileks Contributor
    James Lileks
    @jameslileks

    Tom Riehl: Hoping that we know that mandating saying Merry Christmas is another expected shot at Trump supporters.

    Not sure I understand the point. My point, if I was unclear, was based on this blizzard of rhetorical chaff:

    “I’ll give you an example. You go into a department store now, right,” he said. “When was the last time you saw ‘Merry Christmas?’ You don’t see it any more. They want to be politically correct. If I’m president, you’re going to see ‘Merry Christmas’ in department stores, believe me, believe me. You’re going to see it.”

    “You’re going to see a lot of things. You’re going to see beyond. You’re going to see a lot of things but that’s one example. You go shopping today, you hardly see it anymore. You hardly see anything. You see a wall that’s painted red. Oh, great, that’s wonderful. We’re going to be saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again.”

    It’s a common theme: the mere fact of his election will be sufficient to cow the entire social and political culture of liberalism. In the instances where his elevation does not bring about Change, he will make it happen, because he knows how and your head will spin there will be so much winning. People either cheer the remarks because department stores returning to “Merry Christmas” ad campaigns is a good idea, or because it’s a good idea they actually think his election will accomplish. The first is concurrence; the second is  fantasy.

    Believe me, believe me. You’re going to see a lot of things. You’re going to see beyond.

    • #13
  14. RightTurn Inactive
    RightTurn
    @user_503489

    This piece on Vox.com about David Bowie’s 1987 performance at the Berlin Wall, just a week before a certain speech, is well worth reading (at least until the final two paragraphs, which are predictably stinting on credit where credit is due).

    • #14
  15. Peter Boot Inactive
    Peter Boot
    @PeterBoot

    Guys just a tip, the best way to ruin a good podcast is to get Richard Epstein on & let him talk endlessly without taking a breath. Next time it happens I’m requesting a refund on the remainder of my subscription

    • #15
  16. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Clearly, Peter had at least one more one-more-question for Tom Cotton.  But Rob cut him off.

    • #16
  17. Mate De Inactive
    Mate De
    @MateDe

    It is obvious that after the 2008 election and our president almost a reality show star himself. Obama has been on Bear Grylls’ show, every late night show, SNL, Marc Maron’s podcast, Between two ferns, etc….. This has deminished the office of president to what it is now, a celebrity job, like movie or rock star. The presidential election has turned into a popularity contest. Who’s the coolest, who had the best dance moves on Ellen, who had the best zingers on the Tonight show. The media creates a high school mentality, we’re the cool kids and run stuff and those guys are losers so don’t be friends with them or let them run anything.

    This sad but true and Trump is a result of what the president has become, another celebrity.

    • #17
  18. Lazy_Millennial Inactive
    Lazy_Millennial
    @LazyMillennial

    Wow, really disappointed by Senator Cotton’s answer on encryption. Any “front door” would be abused by the malicious, including our national-security apparatus. Being one of government’s legitimate functions does not make them immune from the natural bureaucratic tendencies towards abuse of power and mission creep. The high-end criminals would just use better-encrypted means of communication, and our terrorism-protection apparatus failed to notice the San Bernardino shooter’s use of unencrypted communication.

    On a different note, glad the guys appreciate how pure Sanders is. I completely disagree that he’d flame out in the general though. Sanders is consistent, authentic, experienced in politics, and “an outsider”. He is literally everything voters want in a candidate. We all underestimated Obama and Trump. There’s a significant chance Bernie wins the nomination, and a significant chance that if he’s the nominee, he’ll beat our guy. Especially when Republican incompetence, Obama’s get-out-the-vote machine, and the media shield on Dems are accounted for.

    • #18
  19. 1967mustangman Inactive
    1967mustangman
    @1967mustangman

    Max Ledoux:I like Sarah Palin.

    Of course you would you liberal NE Republican you……..I bet you liked Lincoln Chaffee and Lowell Weicker.

    • #19
  20. Terry Mott Member
    Terry Mott
    @TerryMott

    Peter Boot:Guys just a tip, the best way to ruin a good podcast is to get Richard Epstein on & let him talk endlessly without taking a breath. Next time it happens I’m requesting a refund on the remainder of my subscription

    Funny.  I was going to suggest that, if you’re going to have Richard Epstein on, you know he’s going to launch into these long-winded streams of consciousness, but you can never tell what interesting things are going come out of them.  Let him run with them and don’t cut him off.  He’ll roll to a stop, eventually.

    • #20
  21. Terry Mott Member
    Terry Mott
    @TerryMott

    Idea for the Blue Yeti:

    Could someone code up a pool for the members, guessing how many minutes into each podcast before someone asks a guest to define “establishment”?  Maybe the winner gets a free month’s membership.

    We could make it a drinking game, but that might be too hard on our livers.

    • #21
  22. Judge Mental Member
    Judge Mental
    @JudgeMental

    Proud Skeptic:Lileks missed the follow on question…He asked what the odds of an indictment are. The better question is “what are the odds of a recommendation to indict by the FBI?”

    Or the question after that… if the FBI recommends indictment but the Justice Dept. doesn’t indict, what does that do to her politically?  With the feeling among the public that government acts mostly to help itself, that could end up being worse than pleading guilty to a couple of ‘oops’ style misdemeanors.

    • #22
  23. Max Ledoux Coolidge
    Max Ledoux
    @Max

    1967mustangman:

    Max Ledoux:I like Sarah Palin.

    Of course you would you liberal NE Republican you……..I bet you liked Lincoln Chaffee and Lowell Weicker.

    LOL.

    • #23
  24. Majestyk Member
    Majestyk
    @Majestyk

    So, how did we get to the point in American politics where the ambient conditions stink so badly that a Cranky Old Coot like Bernie Sanders can break wind upstream of the body politic and we say, “Thank God for that breath of fresh air!”?

    Add to this the fact that Hillary Clinton has completely failed to articulate any sort of a credible difference between herself (an allegedly mainstream Democrat) and a man who is an avowed socialist – Other than possessing an extra X Chromosome, that is.

    The question is merely one of degree.

    • #24
  25. Nick Stuart Inactive
    Nick Stuart
    @NickStuart

    The main feed podcasters and writers seem to not like Trump, or anything connected with him. OK, neither do I although probably not to the same extent. But FFS, it’s becoming tedious.

    • #25
  26. Hank Rhody Contributor
    Hank Rhody
    @HankRhody

    Terry Mott:

    Peter Boot:Guys just a tip, the best way to ruin a good podcast is to get Richard Epstein on & let him talk endlessly without taking a breath. Next time it happens I’m requesting a refund on the remainder of my subscription

    Funny. I was going to suggest that, if you’re going to have Richard Epstein on, you know he’s going to launch into these long-winded streams of consciousness, but you can never tell what interesting things are going come out of them. Let him run with them and don’t cut him off. He’ll roll to a stop, eventually.

    Optimist

    • #26
  27. Hartmann von Aue Member
    Hartmann von Aue
    @HartmannvonAue

    Peter’s remark about David Bowie made me like him and Bowie both more.

    • #27
  28. Hank Rhody Contributor
    Hank Rhody
    @HankRhody

    Lazy_Millennial: Wow, really disappointed by Senator Cotton’s answer on encryption. Any “front door” would be abused by the malicious, including our national-security apparatus. Being one of government’s legitimate functions does not make them immune from the natural bureaucratic tendencies towards abuse of power and mission creep. The high-end criminals would just use better-encrypted means of communication, and our terrorism-protection apparatus failed to notice the San Bernardino shooter’s use of unencrypted communication.

    Agreed. Even assuming the government doesn’t succumb to abuse of power and mission creep, any key put in to allow an appropriate government authority to access data will be used by malicious third (fourth?) parties to access that data.

    • #28
  29. Casey Inactive
    Casey
    @Casey

    I’m guessing there’s a 30 percent chance Peter has heard a Bowie song. But I’m with him on the reaction. He just seemed like a guy who was around. Not someone people liked. So that surprised me.

    • #29
  30. Benjamin Glaser Inactive
    Benjamin Glaser
    @BenjaminGlaser

    I agree with Peter Robinson. #evergreenpost

    • #30
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