Virtually Speaking

Pitchforks, student debt and  GunFAIL, Dave Dayen & Dave Waldman discuss the hollowing out of the middle class in a slow growth economy, a solution for the absurdly high college tuitiions and student loan burdens as an example of counterproductive public policy. Also David Waldman's #GunFAIL project--and the NYTimes departure from that beat.   Political satirist Culture of Truth adds the most ridiculous moment from the Sunday morning talk shows. Follow @kagrox @ddayen @jayackroyd @bobblespeak    

Former Kossack know as ThereIsNoSpoon, David blogs at Digby's Hullabaloo, Alternet and the Washington Monthly. He's a local elected official and Democratic party officer in Southern California, and joins us to discuss the Senate runoff in Mississippi, involving Thad Cochrane's seat. "RedState editor and super hardline conservative Erick Erickson is steaming mad over longtime incumbent Thad Cochran's victory in Mississippi by reaching out to Democratic voters in the open primary." http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/06/wherein-i-sympathize-with-erick.html

How the Democratic leadership is sabotaging the Democratic Party. Shortsighted centrism empowers republicans while implementing bad policy. Triangulation backfires, as with immigration or misses opportunities, as with the ACA, SS benefit cuts, gay marriage. Policy and political concerns would be much more successful if widely popular, effective polices were adopted. Instead, we get Rahm's memo. Follow @Avedon_Says @DCJohnson @JayAckroyd The 2014 Virtually Speaking Media Panel: Avedon Carol, Cliff Schecter, David Dayen, Dave Johnson, David Waldman, digby, Gaius Publius, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, RJ Eskow, Stuart Zechman

Emily Willingham - Research scientist and science writer – York Times, Forbes, Slate, Wired, and Discover – recounts the inaugural Women in Science Writing Solutions Summit. Willingham was the chief organizer of the Summit, which featured a first-ever collection of data regarding women in the science profession, and was funded by the National Association of Science Writers and hosted by MIT." #womeninscience #harassment, discrimination, science writing, #ripplesofdoubt Follow @ejwillingham @rocza

Marcy Wheeler & BMAZ will talk about Chelsea Manning's op-ed, Iraq and how our (U.S.) stupid secrecy rules lead us to do boneheaded things. http://t.co/X8hQR0LeaL Then HR 3361 USA Freedom Act, aka the USA Freedumber Act. http://www.emptywheel.net/2014/06/12/usa-freedumber-reverses-john-bates-attempts-at-oversight/

How gay activists – led by GetEQUAL and Serivce Members United – won in the Obama era, when other progressive communities were stymied by Democratic inaction and hostility. AmericaBlog former Deputy Editor Joe Sudbay talks with Contributing Editor Gaius Publius.  Follow @Gaius_Publius @JoeSudbay

Jacquelyn Morie – All These Worlds, LLC – on identity and virtual worlds. A conversation with science writer Jennifer Ouellette.  Virtually Speaking Science episodes are hosted by Alan Boyle, Kelly Hills, Tom Levenson & Jennifer Ouellette

Gamechangers: Antarctic ice shelf melting; Piketty; Princeton/Northwestern "oligarchy study;" Jeremy Rifkin's Zero Marginal Cost (capitalism and emerging technologies). Then; Idaho and the return of Sgt Bowie Bergdahl. And, a little on net neutrality. Follow @Joan McCarter & @DCJohnson. The 2014 Virtually Speaking Media Panel: Avedon Carol, Cliff Schecter, David Dayen, Dave Johnson, David Waldman, digby, Gaius Publius, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, RJ Eskow, Stuart Zechman    

David Margolick, senior contributor at Vanity Fair, discusses his book Strange Fruit: The Biography of a Song.  He takes us back to  1939 when Billie Holiday first performed, and then recorded, one of the most extraordinary songs of the 20th century. The book reflects wide-ranging interviews, from Lena Horne to Pete Seeger, all of which describe how they were affected by the song.  The song, of course, is about lynchings in the south; the fruit are the victims.

“Humankind hasn’t had an experience like this–an encounter with a new planet–in a long time,” said Alan Stern, New Horizons’ principal investigator. “Everything we see on Pluto will be a revelation.” Countdown to New Horizons' rendezvous with the dwarf planet. Studying the Solar System through Research and Exploration . Alan Boyle hosts Alan Stern – SwRI-Boulder's Departments of Space Studies and Space Operations More: http://www.universetoday.com/108678/trailer-new-horizons-gets-ready-to-meet-pluto/#ixzz31nQPBRPr http://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/pluto-mission-leader-challenges-neil-degrasse-tyson-planet-debate-n122861

June 1, 2014 – Political satirist Culture of Truth bases The Bobblespeak Translations on Meet the Press and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Using show transcripts, he creates the 'most ridiculous moment' for Virtually Speaking Sundays. Introduced by Jay Ackroyd. Richard Eskow and Stuart Zechman comment. Text at virtuallyspeaking.us. Excerpted from June 1 Virtually Speaking Sundays.

Gun nuttery, Jamie Diamond and the proposal to demolish Detroit. Also A Better Solution for Detroit’s Blight. Commentary from Cliff Schecter – nationally syndicated columnist and political commentator, co-founder and part owner of Washington DC's independent progressive radio station, We Act Radio – and David Dayen – Contributing Editor, Salon.com writes about state and national economics, banking and mortgage fraud. Political satire from Culture of Truth, author of The Bobblespeak Translations. Jay Ackroyd moderates. A counterpoint to the Sunday morning bobbleheads. The 2014 Virtually Speaking Media Panel: Avedon Carol, Cliff Schecter, David Dayen, Dave Johnson, David Waldman, digby, Gaius Publius, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, RJ Eskow, Stuart Zechman

May 18, 2014 – Political satirist Culture of Truth bases The Bobblespeak Translations on Meet the Press and This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Using show transcripts, he creates the 'most ridiculous moment' for Virtually Speaking Sundays. Text here.

Steven Durlauf, is the Kenneth Arrow professor of Economics at the university of Wisconsin.  He's an expert on growth theory, co-editor of the prestigious North Holland handbook series volume on economic growth and has a c.v. that weighs twenty pounds when printed out. He recently participated in a panel discussion with Thomas Piketty, Paul Krugman and Joseph Stiglitz:  We talk about the principles that  underlie Piketty's argument, and the implications for public policy regarding economic growth.

Drawing from the opposing perspectives of Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson, ethicists Kelly Hills & Janet Stemwedel talk about philosophy and science, and what philosophy brings to science. @docfreeride @rocza