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Ricochet Podcast #103: Take It Easy
We’ve got a full boat this week with author, screenwriter, and video columnist Andrew Klavan and everybody’s favorite Republican strategist and observer Mike Murphy. Go ahead — applaud. This isn’t an NBC debate. Of course we cover the race, so we won’t synopsize that here. But then we take a hard turn into pop culture and delve into a fascinating conversation about the Oscars and the changing landscape of entertainment. A welcome respite from Newt Romney.
Music from this week’s episode:
- This Is Why We Fight by The Decemberists
- Take It Easy by Jackson Browne
Here’s the direct link to this week’s episode (but use our new audio player below!), however the best way to hear the podcast is to subscribe! Visit our Feedburner page for a number of other subscription options. Or better yet, use Stitcher.
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The Ricochet Podcast is proudly sponsored by Encounter Books. This week’s featured title is The World Turned Upside Down by Melanie Phillips w/ a new foreward by David Mamet. Available at EncounterBooks.com and Amazon.com.
At 26:30 Lileks said “the color of a candidate.” Sound race alarms.
Yay re Mike Murphy! I love every podcast he’s on, he’s clever and amusing. Speaking of which, I heard some guy named Goldberg is funny too, you may have heard of him. . . . . . . ? :)
Wait! Did I just hear “What would it be like if you had more debt than your income?” Isn’t that called a home mortgage? I mean who actually makes as much money in a year as their house is worth?
Our problem is not that we have 15 trillion of debt but that we keep adding more and more debt.
Mike Murphy! Now there’s a Krakken!
Music from this week’s episode:
This Is Why We Fight by The Decemberists
Be careful with the Decemberists.
Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter: “Well, I actually did have the pleasure of giving a vehement ‘no’ to Dennis Miller recently. He wanted to use ‘Sons and Daughers’ for the outro to his comedy show. It gave me an opportunity to not only say ‘no’ but also to draft a little e-mail explaining in detail why it’s because he is a right-wing, bigoted blow-hard.”
Even though Dennis Miller has always supported gay marriage and is a rather nice guy, he is not viewed very favorably by the Left.
Our problem is not that we have 15 trillion of debt but that we keep adding more and more debt. ·32 minutes ago
I agree with your fault with the analogy, and agree that destroying the deficit without destroying the debt would be good enough; almost no one in modern politics recommends actually paying down the debt in the foreseeable future.
You go too far, though, in suggesting that the $15t is not a problem in itself. It’s an genuine burden on growth, stability, and prosperity.
I’m only 3:58 into the podcast and I have the overwhelming feeling I should just keep drinking until November 2012 and come out of rehab when Lindsay Lohan does.
I can’t believe EJ hasn’t come up with the Rinochet logo yet.
@Prawn … A guy has to make a living you know. Busy doing hoops tonight.
My big fear is that in the current contest between Buzz Lightyear and Woody a brokered convention will simply give us Stinky Pete.
Roger that. Do you do any hockey?
Getting ricotinis in rehab is trés difficile. Maybe an outpatient program?
The opposition is plainly Sid.
@Prawn. No local team where I live. Used to do a lot. Lots of college sports… Some NBA.
Valiuth: Wait! Did I just hear “What would it be like if you had more debt than your income?” Isn’t that called a home mortgage? I mean who actually makes as much money in a year as their house is worth?
Our problem is not that we have 15 trillion of debt but that we keep adding more and more debt. ·32 minutes ago
You go too far, though, in suggesting that the $15t is not a problem in itself. It’s an genuine burden on growth, stability, and prosperity. ·1 hour ago
Your right but the only way to pay off the 15T is to stop adding to it. In fact the very act of not increasing the debt will lead to a reduction in the overall debt since we pay down on the 15T every year (like a mortgage). This isn’t that hard to figure out its just not popular with politicians.
Re: Artist control and capitalism in the arts, I thought of this line from Kevin Williamson:
Is there a downside and perhaps a coarsening of the culture when the “professionals” are removed from the equation?
I think he’s referring to the color Orange.
Your right but the only way to pay off the 15T is to stop adding to it. In fact the very act of not increasing the debt will lead to a reduction in the overall debt since we pay down on the 15T every year (like a mortgage). This isn’t that hard to figure out its just not popular with politicians. ·21 minutes ago
Picking nits, a Treasury authorized to borrow to a given level will not be below that level for very long. Even though the debt ceiling stops flying sky high, only an explicit lowering of the debt ceiling would force the Treasury (under a law abiding administration) to actually lower the debt.
I’m 36:23 in and I’m feeling better now that Mike Murphy as called us “kooky”. Its pretty obvious he would have run Mitt’s campaign completely differently so I think Mitt’s capable of turning around the campaign if he gets his Bloodless Bain subroutine going. It still leaves him the Romneycare question to deal with but its a lot better to be entering a debate with perhaps your fly unzipped than to not be wearing any pants at all.
I think Mike Murphy makes these podcasts GREAT!! I love his fast talking and funny insider analysis. Debate on Jupiter in 3D — greatness. Keep him coming back. Ricochet would be worth two (2) grande non-fat lattes at the flagship Starbucks in Seattle with more Mike Murphy. All those who disagree — please remember the Ricochet code of conduct :)
Loved the movie analysis too. Thought I wouldn’t but it was very entertaining as well.
hippopotomoetc, Murphy’s comment about the Charles Lindbergh Airport having direct flights to Berlin (months ago) still makes me laugh. I agree, I like the podcasts more when they are pop culture/politics blend rather than pure (political) horserace analysis
Murphy speaks truth to power. You can hope he’s wrong, but you can’t ignore his perspective. He lives outside the Rico-bubble and I find his insights both refreshing as well as entertaining. Yes he is cynical but his perspective is pragmatic rather than ideological. We all speak of Obama’s socialist utopianism, but are equally guilty on this site of pressing for a similarly unrealistic conservative ideal. Murphy lives in the real world. He made me like Mitt more — I hope he ends up running that campaign.
@Trace: You have to go sit in the corner for 10 minutes for using the phrase “truth to power.”
And Murphy does not live in the real world, he lives in California.
Trace Urdan – agree re bubble thingy. I just talked to a very nice person who said that Obama’s SOTU was inspiring. No rational argument could dissuade her. Reminds me about Murphy’s line about yelling at the cab driver . . . .
And Murphy does not live in the real world, he lives in California. ·2 minutes ago
Touche.
The second half of the podcast was better than the first half. Anyone can be an amateur political pundit. Of the regular contributors only Peter Robinson has real experience in this area. But when you turn Long, Klaven, and Lileks loose on the arts, the podcast provides superb insights based on experience.
Absolutely love Mike Murphy. I admit he probably drives the idealists nuts, including my wife, who probably would wince at what he might have had to say about Palin, but he’s part of what makes Ricochet “center-right” and diverse. Please keep having him on!
Oh, my goodness, Mike Murphy is so difficult to listen to. Fast-talking, not funny insider inanities passing for wisdom? James, Peter, Rob, I’m sorry, I don’t get it. Don’t you think he’s much more part of the problem than the solution?
Here, here! I feel that Peter should have been providing Drew with some desk-pounding for that great soliloquy of the irrelevance of today’s movies.
By the way I feel that Drew and James should put together a list of the greatest movies anyone should see (perhaps there’s been a previous post on this). I remember see ‘The Best Years Of Our Lives” after it was discussed and thinking, ‘wow, i really must be missing a lot.”