ReConsider

What are you willing to forgive in the heroes of your story? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Agenda: - Weren’t nukes good for global stability? The idea of Mutually Assured Destruction - Game Theory and the First Strike problem of most nuclear weapons - The Dr. Strangelove scenario - Were there close calls? Yes, here are all of them - Also, the broken arrow problem - Can you actually get rid of nukes? Probably not…. - ...but can you get rid of the first strike problem? Probably! - The magic of stealth boomer submarines - Fmr. SecDef William J Perry’s modest proposal - How would you get this done? Who do you lobby? https://www.wjperryproject.org/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I finally managed to get a bunch of patrons to send me questions. Many who are eligible have still sent none, so I’m going to be doing another soon! Some GREAT questions came in this time! Enjoy! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you ever feel like your political opposition is talking right past you? As if you are having two entirely different conversations? You might be working with COMPETING FRAMES. Come learn how those work - and how to win. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

How does the United States escape spiraling political polarization? Waiting for a hero may not work. The cause of polarization is structural; the solution must be, too. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In an age of sensationalism and hyperbole for political points, words like 'insurrection' and 'coup' might make us numb. but let's dig deeper. Was the Jan 6th Capitol Riot an "Insurrection?" (Note: this episode long delayed due to potential threats to the hosts' welfare, but we're finally releasing it!) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If Trump had just decided to stay in power (and managed it), if Democracy had failed, might you have stormed the capitol? What does belief drives us to do? Do we, too, operate on false premises? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If I could convince you to spend two hours per day on certain Subreddits or other internet forums, I could probably make you a radical of any stripe I want. Knowing how this process works is the only way to avoid it. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

BTC is over $60k!? GME hit $300!? Inverted Yield Curve!? What the heck is going on? Dr. Jake Meyer returns to help us try to make... _any_ sense of this. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Weird people are moving to my neighborhood, rent is going up, and I'm not happy about it! Am I protesting gentrification, or immigration? Am I upset about both, or only one? And why? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Yes, I'll be speaking again, and yes, again, it will be awesome. Get your tickets with the discount code "reconsider" for all-day awesomeness, straight to your living room. https://www.intelligentspeechconference.com/product/intelligent-speech-spring-2021/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's happened before, and under similar stresses: American parties have shattered into splinter groups, and the ensuing land grab has led to deep realignments, and even the end of American parties. What causes these realignments, and could they happen today? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Long before the capitol riots, a few good people began working on a documentary about the best Americans working to bridge our yawning divide. They created a movie: The Reunited States. Erik asks them hard questions--not about the movie, but about America. Can we walk backwards... or somehow go forward? Three amazing Americans who have spent the last few years devoting themselves to bridging the divide answer Erik's tough questions about what next comes for a bruised and battered nation. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Richard Hanania returns to speculate with Erik about how Congress, Silicon Valley, the Republican Party, and the nation as a whole will change after the Capitol Riots. Will our DNA change in the same way that it changed after 9/11? As usual, prepare for Erik and Richard to disagree fiercely :) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Historian Mike Duncan makes a compelling case that a breakdown of the political rules of the game--mos maiorum--drove the downfall of the Roman Republic. How much is America's breakdown of political norms and cohesion like that of the Roman Republic? How do we avoid our own Civil Wars and Rubicon? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/reconsiderpodcast.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.