The Federalist Radio Hour

Brian Reich is the author of The Imagination Gap: Stop Thinking the Way You Should and Start Making Extraordinary Things Happen. Reich joins Federalist Radio to discuss how the human imagination, or lack thereof, can impact political campaigns, Hollywood, space exploration, and the American institution of Playboy. Imagination is embracing this idea that theres a world or theres an opportunity out there that we didnt think was possible, that we dont know how to get to, Reich said. And that thats ok... we shouldnt be satisfied with just the incremental gains or just the output. As part of the team charged with creating a new look and purpose for Playboy magazine, Reich shared some of the successes and failures from the roll-out. They were trying to think beyond tradition magazines and a traditional business model for media, he said. I think this is a case study in corporate America paying lip service to the idea of actually using your imagination.

Senior Editors Mollie Hemingway and David Harsanyi discuss an array of topics from this week including: President Trumps first joint address to Congress, the new DNC chairman, issues within the Democratic Party, the Lenten season, Russia, and the Academy Awards. After the stories surrounding Senator Sessions this week, the media continues to double down on their obsession with Russia and the intel community. Its very frustrating to be in a media environment where you have an entire paranoid, conspiratorial, hysterical, McCarthyite Red Scare going on without a single named source, without a single allegation of wrong-doing, Hemingway said. I just demand more than that. I demand some evidence. Later in the hour, Hemingway and Harsanyi give their entertainment round-up of recent television, movies, and Oscar winners. Im sick of shows giving me twists every five minutes. I want a show that gives me what I want and thats Poldark, Harsanyi said.

Jonah Goldberg, senior editor at National Review and a fellow at AEI, discusses media incentives, directions of the conservative movement, and the latest problematic outrages with the moon and artificial intelligence. Reporters jumping to accusations of perjury over Senator Jeff Sessions interactions with the Russian Ambassador is this weeks newest trent in media freak-outs.  The whole point of journalism properly understood is to present facts to the reader. Not elide over the facts so you can get the reader to draw certain conclusions, Goldberg said. After Elon Musk announced his plans to sell consumers on trips to the moon, concerns were expressed that this opened doors to dangerous moon rock catapults and more. This idea was so holistically stupid, that to call in question to disagree with any part of it, any embedded premise, is to pay tribute the idiocy of it, Goldberg said.

Music writer and enthusiast, Billy Rosenbeck, joins Ben on this episode of Federalist Radio to discuss the music industry, music curation, the elements of modern rock bands, various artists like Josh Ritter and other up-and-coming bands. Were in this playlist generation where everything comes at us really quickly and the shuffle button is always available, Rosenbeck said. Theres so much coming at you all the time that you kind of have to find your place, and its out there but it takes some work to sort through it all. Rosenbeck suggests music has swung towards an era of the singer and songwriter, as opposed to the arena rock bands of the last few decades. When we think of those big rock bands of the past, you knew the lead singer and you knew the lead guitar player, he said. Now there are few guitar players that really play in a recognizable way. Rosenbeck is the host of a podcast called, Lets Drink 3 or 4 Beers and Talk About How Good Josh Ritter Is.

Suzanne Venker is a cultural critic and author of the new book, The Alpha Females Guide to Men and Marriage: How Love Works. Mary Katharine Ham and Joy Pullmann interview Suzanne on the Federalist Radio Hour about how strong women can learn to make their marriages less competitive and more complementary. Venker discusses some of the differences between the sexes and how some of ways women empower or assert themselves in the workplace, may cause conflict in their relationships. Its not that men cant handle strong women. Its that theres a difference between strong and being strong-willed, where you refuse to back down, she said. Your strength is wonderful for [men], but not when its used against them. Later in the hour, writer and author Amelia Hamilton joins Mary Katharine in studio to discuss what she saw at CPAC last week and what it says about the future for conservatives.

Robby Soave, editor at Reason Magazine, joins Ben Domenech to discuss CPAC, the Oscars, and the latest crazy tales of sexual assault accusations on college campuses. With speakers like Dog the Bounty Hunter and Sheriff Clarke at CPAC this year, has the gathering has become more about the spectacle than conservative ideals?  Im concerned that the right does not have a very deep bench when it comes to conservative intellectual thinkers who can articulate the case for conservatism, Soave said. Domenech and Soave discussed drama from this years Academy Awards and the upcoming White House Correspondents Dinner. I think the [White House Correspondents Dinner] disgusts real people who arent in the bubble of DC, so Im not that outraged that Trump is skipping it, Soave said. Except that hes skipping it because he cant take a joke.

James Poulos is a senior contributor at the Federalist and author of the new book, The Art of Being Free: How Alexis de Tocqueville Can Save Us from Ourselves. He joins Federalist Radio to explains what Tocqueville might have to tell us about Brittany Spears, death, dating, sex, and living lives of freedom. The way forward is obscure, whether in the small details or in the big picture, Poulos said. In a strange way [Tocqueville] is even more relevant to our pain and awkward anxiety in this moment than he was to his own time. Poulos offers some optimism in light of cultural challenges facing American institutions and religion. There is still enough in the American character of that unreasonable yearning for rebirth and renewal...personally and together with those you care about and those may be strangers to you, he said.

Erica Grieder, Texas-based journalist and author, joins Federalist Radio to discuss CPAC, conservative media, Rick Perry, and the nuances of Texas politics. Donald Trumps lack of ideology and tendency towards ethno-nationalist populism is a poor fit with republicans in Texas, Greider said. Even our democrats are not very populist in Texas, she said. Trump was a weak candidate in Texas. He underperformed there. He lost the primary by 17 points to Ted Cruz. Domenech and Greider discuss how the 2016 election results are reflective of both media bias and the differences between conservatives in red states and blue states. Youre talking on some level about the differences between states where people have strong community ties and neighborhoods, where they feel they are part of a community that can solve its own problems, and those who feel like theyre disenfranchised or communities are falling apart, Domenech said.

Steven F. Hayward is a professor at UC Berkeley and the author of the new book, Patriotism Is Not Enough: Harry Jaffa, Walter Berns, and the Arguments that Redefined American Conservatism. He joins the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss the thinkers and writers who shaped the conservative movement and how they fit into Americas intellectual history. Hayward explains how the students of Leo Strauss, such as Harry Jaffa and Walter Berns, focused on American political thought as opposed to European. They argued more profoundly than anyone else that people like Madison and Hamilton...and the philosophy of the American founding... although it has some similarities to European conservatism, it also has some distinctive new things that it has to offer the world, he said. Later in the hour, they discuss whether the ideas of Strauss and other conservative philosophers will be able find their way into the Trump administration.

David Frum, senior editor at The Atlantic, joins Federalist Radio to discuss issues stirring inside the White House, House Republicans healthcare plan, and how Donald Trump could build an autocracy in America. Frum makes the case that we know enough about Donald Trump to know what type of President he will be. There are positive things that could happen in the next four years. There are some bad things that could happen. The way you maximize the positive and overt the negative is by acting now, he said. Frums latest Atlantic cover story explores the preconditions for what Trump could do as president and how autocracy would work in a fully developed country. There are a lot of stops on the train of bad before you get to Hitler station, and I tried to think, what if we go the Viktor Orban route, he said. andnbsp;

Tyler Cowen, economist and professor at George Mason University, joins Federalist Radio to discuss his new book, The Complacent Class: The Self-Defeating Quest for the American Dream. Weve had the unquestioned presumption that more safety is always better and you want to dig yourself in and have a nice life, Cowen said. And yes, that makes sense for most individuals, but when we do that socially and give up on risk-taking, we end up with up with a kind of stultification and that leaves us with what I call the complacent class. Domenech and Cowen discussed the ways technology, education, and American productivity have not progressed or improved and how this has lead to citizens protesting and rioting in the streets. This is the age of the traffic jam and the horrendous commute, and that says so much about our lives, Cowen said. Its a sign were neglecting this notion of getting around... over time we are going to see a reassertion of the dimension of the physical. andnbsp;

Sarah Westwood, White House correspondent at the Washington Examiner, joins Mary Katharine Ham in studio to give some insight into the White House briefing room and media groupthink. They recap Trumps attack of the media in Thursdays press conference and how he addressed the few policy questions that were asked. andnbsp; I think the press underestimates how little they are liked and trusted, and how much people enjoy watching them get a little bit of their own medicine, Ham said. Westwood explained how Sean Spicer has broken press conference protocol and why members of the media are upset. Its had the effect of changing up the kinds of questions we see in the briefing room, which is whatever the trending topic is that day, she said. andnbsp;

Ashley McGuire is the author of the new book Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female. McGuire explores some the areas in which culture attempts to deny any differences between sexes and how gender neutrality is harming children. McGuires book covers a range of sex and biology issues including bathroom bills, women in the military, childrens toys, and womens competitive sports. I think we have second wave feminists to blame for getting us to this point because they were the ones who pushed this idea in the first place, she said. They pushed the argument that our maleness and our femaleness is something thats socialized, that these are arbitrary categories...and we need to eradicate the biological differences. From 50 Shades of Grey to John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Hollywood knows no limit to double standards. Suddenly when you have Beyonce or other female stars literally glamorizing violence against women... we are left without any tools to say this is disempowering women when were told that whatever choice a women makes, its our job to support it, she said.

Cal Newport, author of Deep Work, returns to the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss his concept of digital minimalism and the psychology of social media. Evaluating the way we use technological tools can increase productivity and improve systems of work flow. Social media users are often unaware how their behavior is manipulated and used for gain by those in Silicon Valley. We have to differentiate between information, the internet and its possibilities, and these very specific large conglomerates, he said. A lot of the issues we have comes from the behavior of these companies, not necessarily the information itself. Newport explains how when it comes to systems of workflow, complexity should not be the enemy. We have to reject the tyranny of convenience and realize that if were willing to put more structure into the work place, think harder about how people should be working and how they can produce the most value...theres a huge competitive advantage for those who are willing to get out there first, he said. andnbsp;

Richard Torregrossa is the author of Cary Grant: A Celebration of Style and joins Federalist Radio Hour to discuss mens style and how the fashion choices of figures like presidents and news anchors has an impact on their message. It says something about [Trumps] aggression, and I think the way President Obama dresses also says something about his lack of aggression, Torregrossa said. President Trump uses that size as a part his language. Later in the hour, Domenech and Torregrossa discuss the biggest mistakes most men make in their wardrobes and the key elements they should consider when upgrading their style. The suit is the main event and everything else should be toned down, he said. andnbsp;