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Happy Hour Question Time
As is our custom, we occasionally throw all caution (and guests) to the wind with a show centered around the questions of the Ricochet membership. And to spice it up we’re going to do it LIVE this Friday at 6 ET/5 CT/3 PT on Zoom.
Post your questions for Rob, Peter and James in the comments and we may even choose some of them to be asked live, too. (Depending on how many adult beverages have already been consumed by all, of course.)
Keep a look out for the link to be posted at the top of page on Thursday. See you then!
Published in General
This seems like a fine occasion to momentarily shed my lurker status. The ol’ “what books would you recommend” is a Q&A standby, but (1) I think you’ve all answered it before, and (2) I’ve been on a poetry kick lately. So: do you fellas like poetry, and do you have a favorite poem/poet?
What is the best drink to have while enjoying happy hour?
You can’t ask that question here, do you want to start a rumble?
What is the best Thomas Sowell book?
When you started Ricochet a decade ago, what were you hoping to accomplish? To what extent has that vision been accomplished? What has been the hardest challenge along the way? Where do you see Ricochet in a decade from now?
Will there ever be a reform of the permanent bureaucracy. From IRS/Tea Party, FISA abuse of DOJ, the pushing of the Steele Dossier and Russia collusion and now the IRS leaking private citizens tax account, this unaccountable 4th branch never seems to let up on it’s power
If I wanted to live dangerously we can ask what really happened with the first host of the podcast before Lileks.
What drinks are your figures supposed to be holding in the picture here?
Shirley Temples . . .
Have any favorite journalists, pundits, op-ed writers? Anybody whose opinions you don’t generally agree with?
What is it that makes you follow their work?
So four months into this puppet administration the mean tweets really weren’t that bad were they?
Millions of people around the world died in 2020, because Big Pharma spiked HCQ and Ivermectin and has profited handsomely. Has any industry ever done anything more evil?
* Big abortion?
* Big tobacco? (Cigarettes involve free will of the user.)
* Big virology? (Fauci says the joy of research is worth a pandemic.)
* Atlantic slave trade?
What is the best novel of the 21st century (so far)?
For Rob: Joss Whedon appears to be a standard misogynistic Hollywood Leftist and yet created a wonderful libertarian sci-fi show in Firefly. I’ve read that a lot of that can be attributed to the writer Tim Minear. How does the process work with writing a show? How much can writers override the creator? What power do they have? Was Tim Minear a Friend of Abe?
Let’s not overlook also Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse…
Submission.
Who has a better chance of surpassing Donald Trump as the greatest President of the 21st Century, Gov. Gianforte or Gov. DeSantis?
Predicted answer: “He’s already been surpassed, by President Biden.”
I’m not as familiar with those shows. I know that the politics of Firefly don’t seem to match those of its creator and was wondering how things work behind the scenes.
Well it’s possible to see libertarianism in his other show creations/productions too. So maybe it just means that Whedon is libertarian himself, but doesn’t think the unwashed masses are capable of his quality of thought and action? i.e., like so many other liberals.
How does Hollywood come up with new ideas for movies and TV? It seems they either do a remake (I’m waiting for Titanic with Dakota Fanning and Liam Hemsworth in the leading roles) or they do the next movie in a series that already has several numbers (I’m waiting for Fast and Furious 27). Don’t they ever scour books for ideas? I thought Gone Girl and Girl on a Train were great. Why don’t they simply adapt books more, and do remakes and sequels less?
Actually I think Rob has answered that before: they remake movies/TV shows because they’re “safe,” people wanted to see them before, and so (they assume/hope) will want to see them again.
Apropos my post, does the entertainment industry, as a whole, suffer from “marketing myopia,” focusing on the medium (TV, theme parks, video-on-demand) rather than creating great stories that people love and that are profitable?
Founding trio: Most of you aren’t happy about Trump. So, okay, are you happy with Biden’s policies so far? If not, are they neutral? Moving forward, clearly you don’t like the Trump-y side of politics: what do you think is the best thing the GOP can do to right itself after Biden or even during Biden? How can the rest of the Congress get it together to see some movement away from liberal insanity?
What do you propose for the next generation of politicians that are going with the populist angle?
Also: what do you think about how Ricochet has brought so many couples together (and at least 3 marriages!)? Do you want to take credit for any of that?
Do you have your escape route planned for when the big one hits and you have to flee the cities?
If every Ricochet podcast host was stuck on an island in a Survivor style game, who’s the favorite to win (And do you give Rob Long types who host multiple podcasts extra lives?)
Supposing you’re podcasting fifty years ago, opposite Firing Line with Willam F. Buckley, Jr. Who are you getting as guests on your podcast and who would you like to get?
Supposing you’re podcasting a hundred years ago, opposite Amos & Andy. Same questions.
Why does nobody ever try the “There are no stupid questions” line on me?
Do you think think there was a certain inflection point in America that caused politics to bleed into every aspect of American life, or was it a cascade of displacing culture and religion with ideological divisions? And with that, do you think issues that have rearranged previous left-right issues such as race and class will be addressed by today’s political leaders and parties? It seems working class and poorer socioeconomic segments are used more as campaign tools instead of those things people like Oren Cass and Chris Arnade discuss are overlooked in favor of middle/upper class debates like college tuition, woke ideology in elitist schools, white collar corporate culture, etc. when issues that the right could really capitalize on – urban crime, public school education and proficiency, charter schools, are second tier in importance. Ricochet has done a great job highlighting people like Glenn Loury, Dr. Sowell, Wilfred Riley, but this is a smaller audience than they deserve (my pardons). How does the right get out this message to minorities that could really benefit and build on a working class coalition and Republicans be bold in defending traditional values that cut through race and class and leaves democrats vulnerable? (Ruy Teixeira has written on this). And one tiny, more personal question: did you ever get so discouraged professionally you almost quit? If so, what kept you going? Sorry for the long question. Looking forward to the show!
Over-under on how long Biden lives through the first term?
Does Biden run for re-election?
Assuming Biden steps aside for 2024, in the Democratic primary, who is: the leading candidate, the dark-horse, the surprise late-entry?
That’s right. It is not about the ideas thunk up (there are many), but about the ideas they are willing to finance.
And I think he’s also argued that it’s easier to escape blame for the failure of a remake etc, rather than the failure of a new idea.
We’ve all heard and are bored by the debates over the merits of Trump/Biden from a political and moral perspective, so for a change of pace: Who wins in a cage match? None of those prissy UFC rules. Biting, scratching, eye gouging. Creepy uncle Joe against the Orange Crusher. Definitive answers only. I don’t want a litany of every possible scenario. Have the strength of your convictions.
Next, let’s move on from the world of politics to that of literature: You have Yukio Mishima and Jacqueline Susann. In a fight. We’re talking hog-wild brawling to the death. I want to see bones broken and flesh torn. Who comes out on top? Who’s the cattiest? Your answers can be more playful for this one. It’s not as serious.
Also, what’s your favorite Dril tweet?