Tatter

Episode 67: Metastasis (Impeachment, w/ Frank Bowman)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 07:00:00 -0500

The U.S. House has impeached President Donald Trump, for an unprecedented second time. This time, a majority of members of Congress endorsed a single article of impeachment for "incitement of insurrection," based on Trump's urging a crowd of his supporters to march to the Capitol where both houses of Congress were meeting to count electoral votes, urging the crowd to go pressure members of Congress to overturn the results in key states that Trump lost. Once the House officially transmits the article of impeachment to the Senate, they will be able to conduct a trial, which could result in conviction and disqualification of Trump from federal office in the future, ensuring he could not be President ever again.

I spoke with an expert on impeachment, Frank O. Bowman, III, the Floyd R. Gibson Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, at the University of Missouri School of Law. He has many areas of expertise, including legal history and the impeachment of the President and other federal officers. We discussed the history of impeachment, his thoughts on the strengths and shortcomings of the single article of impeachment, as well as where blame lies surrounding the riot at the Capitol on January 6.

LINKS
--Frank Bowman University of Missouri web profile
--High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump, by Frank O. Bowman, III
--"Impeachable offenses: Examining the case for removal of the 45th President of the United States" (Bowman's blog)
--"The constitutional case for impeaching Donald Trump (again)," by Frank O. Bowman, III (in Just Security)
--Text of the impeachment resolution approved by the U.S. House on January 13, 2021

Special Guest: Frank Bowman.

Episode 66: Conviction (Impeachment Politics, w/ Sarah Binder)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 06:00:00 -0500

In the wake of the violence and destruction resulting from mob action in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and given that many view President Donald Trump's public comments beforehand as inciting the mob's action, House Democrats have presented a single article of impeachment with a vote likely imminent. If this happens, Trump would be the first U.S. president impeached twice. I recently spoke with Sarah Binder, Professor of Political Science at The George Washington University, and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, speaking with her about impeachment politics, as well as things to watch as Democrats prepare to regain control of the Senate, albeit by the thinnest of margins.

LINKS
--Binder's GWU profile
--Binder's Brookings profile
--"What to expect when Congress counts the electoral college votes on Wednesday," by Sarah Binder (Washington Post's Monkey Cage, January 4, 2021)
--"Impeachment resolution cites Trump's 'incitement' of Capitol insurrection," Brian Naylor (NPR, January 11, 2021)
--"Impeachment lessons: Where has deliberation gone?" Sarah A. Binder & Steven S. Smith (Brookings, December 13, 1998)
--"We're on the road to impeachment. Here's what you need to know about what's ahead," Sarah Binder (Washington Post's Monkey Cage, December 12, 2019)

Special Guest: Sarah Binder.

Episode 65: Gut Check (w/ Tim Spector, on food science)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 16 Dec 2020 07:00:00 -0500

We all eat, but we don't all eat well. How can we do so? In particular, what dietary choices are best for an individual's physical wellness? And how much do individuals' unique characteristics determine what choices are best for them? And what choices are best for the environment? Why are calories and "food miles" overrated as metrics? How can governments help consumers make good food choices, especially if they live in food deserts? I discuss such questions with genetic epidemiologist Tim Spector.

LINKS
--Tim Spector's King's College web profile
--Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We've Been Told About Food is Wrong (2020), by Tim Spector
--The Guardian review of Spoon-Fed (by Bee Wilson)
--Information on Zoe (program through which individuals learn more about how their bodies process food)
--"The human microbiome: Our second genome," by Elizabeth Grice & Julia Sege (2012), Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics
--"Attempts to lose weight among adults in the United States, 2013-2016," report from the CDC: National Center for Health Statistics
--"Chile battles obesity with stop signs on packaged foods," by Eileen Smith (2016) for National Public Radio

Special Guest: Tim Spector.

Episode 64: Rogue (Conspiracy Theories, w/ Kelley-Romano & Miller)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 09 Dec 2020 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Even though some conspiracy theories are only endorsed by a small fraction of the population, it is likely a mistake to write off all who believe in conspiracy theories, especially since some theories are endorsed more widely, and with substantial effect. I discuss these issues with two conspiracy theory researchers: Stephanie Kelley-Romano of the Bates College Department of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies, and Joanne Miller of the University of Delaware Department of Political Science & International Relations.

LINKS
--Stephanie Kelley-Romano's Bates College web profile
--Joanne Miller's University of Delaware web profile
--"Trust no one: The conspiracy genre on American television," (Stephanie Kelley-Romano, in The Southern Communication Journal)
--"Make American hate again: Donald Trump and th birther conspiracy," (Stephanie Kelley-Romano & Kathryn Carew, in The Journal of Hate Studies)
--"Conspiracy endorsement as motivated reasoning: The moderating roles of political knowledge and trust," (Joanne Miller, Kyle Saunders, & Christina Farhart, in American Journal of Political Science)
--"Gender differences in COVID-19 conspiracy theory beliefs," (Erin Cassese, Christina Farhart, & Joanne Miller, in Politics & Gender)
--Little A'Le'Inn (Rachel, NV)

Special Guests: Joanne Miller and Stephanie Kelley-Romano.

Episode 63: Tripwire (w/ Peter Margulies)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The firings and resignations of senior civilian officials at the Pentagon--most notably of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper--has raised alarm in many quarters. Many are also concerned about President Trump's refusal to concede the election and his refusal to support a transition to the administration of President-elect Joe Biden. I discuss these concerns, and other issues, with Roger Williams University Professor of Law, and expert on national security law, Peter Margulies.

LINKS
--Peter Margulies's Roger Williams University profile
--"Trump administration removes senior defense officials and installs loyalists, triggering alarm at Pentagon," by Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen, & Ryan Browne, for CNN
--"Is it mere spite--or something more sinister?" by Michael T. Klare, for The Nation
--"Exclusive: Top official on U.S. election cybersecurity tells associates he expects to be fired," by Christopher Bing, Joseph Menn, & Raphael Satter, for Reuters
--"Kavanaugh decision sides with immigrant seeking factual review of denied torture claim," by Debra Cassens Weiss, for ABAJournal

Special Guest: Peter Margulies.

Episode 62: Hard Knocks (w/ Seth Masket)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 08 Nov 2020 12:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
As Democrats were reminded (the hard way) in 2016, elections don't always turn out as we expect them to. When a political party loses an election, especially if it does more poorly than expected, it often has tough, self-reflective conversations about what happened. In so doing, parties try to learn lessons from their losses. University of Denver political scientist has written about these issues in his new book, Learning from Loss: The Democrats, 2016-2020.

LINKS
--Seth Masket's DU profile
--Learning from Loss: The Democrats, 2016-2020 (Amazon)
--"Amid tears and anger, House Democrats promise 'deep dive' on election losses," by Luke Broadwater and Nicholas Fandos (New York Times, 2020, Nov. 5)
--"Susan Collins was never going to lose," by Robert Messenger (New York Times, 2020, Nov. 6)
--Fair Fight (Voting Rights Organization founded by Stacey Abrams)

Special Guest: Seth Masket.

Episode 61: Legitimate Authority (w/ Sara Benesh)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 05:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Many people discuss the public's trust in, and willingness to accord legitimacy to, U.S. courts, especially the Supreme Court. But why does that trust and legitimacy matter? What factors determine it? How might recent Republican maneuvering affect legitimacy, including maneuvering that has recently resulted in the confirmation of President Trump's third Supreme Court nomineee? What might be the impact of Democrats' increasing the number of seats on the Supreme Court? How might race matter for any of these questions? I discuss such questions with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee political scientist Sara Benesh.

LINKS
--Sara Benesh's website
--"Understanding public confidence in American courts," Sara Benesh. (2006). Journal of Politics
--"Be Careful with My Court," Shawn C. Fettig & Sara C. Benesh. (2016), in The Chief Justice: Appointment and Influence, Artemus Ward and David Danelski, Editors. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
--"Blacks and the United States Supreme Court: Models of Diffuse Support," James L. Gibson & Gregory A. Caldeira. (1992). The Journal of Politics

Special Guest: Sara Benesh.

Episode 60: Pass the Torch (w/ Jean Rhodes)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
My generation, and the ones before mine, have really screwed things up, it seems. But eventually, younger people will take their place as leaders (and some already are). For all our screw-ups, those of us who have some years under our belts can potentially play helpful roles as mentors, as younger folks find their way. I recently had a chance to talk about mentorship with Jean Rhodes, an influential expert on the topic, and the Frank L. Boyden Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She studies intergenerational relationships, especially formal and informal mentorship, and their effects on the development of youth, particularly marginalized youth. Among the issues we discussed: What is the impact of mentorship? When is it most effective? What’s the role of gender and race? What does it take to be a good mentor? And what kinds of policies can support effective mentoring?

LINKS
--Jean Rhodes web profile
--New York Times obituary on George Albee
--"The effects of youth mentoring programs: A meta-analysis of outcome studies," Raposa et al. (2019), Journal of Youth and Adolescence
--Older and Wiser: New Ideas for Youth Mentoring in the 21st Century, by Jean E. Rhodes

Special Guest: Jean Rhodes.

Episode 59: Hazardous Conditions (w/ Doug McConnell)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many people have called for hazard pay for "essential workers" to compensate them for additional risks they encounter because they have to go in to work in person. For example, I'm aware of such calls for custodial workers at colleges and universities that have invited students to campus. Indeed, I've encountered such arguments at the institution where I teach. In this episode, I discuss such issues with philosopher Doug McConnell, who recently published on the topic. We talk about the conditions that can justify hazard pay, we discuss other forms of relevant compensation, we discuss the relevance of race and ethnicity, and we discuss more.

LINKS
--Doug McConnell's Oxford profile
--"Compensation and hazard pay for key workers during an epidemic: an argument from analogy," by Doug McConnell & Dominic Wilkinson, in the Journal of Medical Ethics
--"UT employee petition urges regents to move most classes online, provide hazard pay," by Lara Korte, in the Austin American-Statesman
--"A majority of workers are fearful of coronavirus infections at work, especially Black, Hispanic, and low- and middle-income workers," by Peter Dorman & Lawrence Mishel, from the Economic Policy Institute
--"'Heroes or hostages?': Communities of color bear the burden of essential work in coronavirus crisis," by Catherine Thorbecke, for ABC News
--"Balancing the duty to treat with the duty to family in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," by Doug McConnell, in the Journal of Medical Ethics

Special Guest: Doug McConnell.

Episode 58: The Seamless Garment Goes On

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America, a weekly magazine published by the Jesuits of the United States. Father Martin is widely know for his advocacy for the rights of LGBT people, including his book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. In 2017, Pope Francis appointed him as a consultant to the Vatican's Secretariat for Communications. He's appeared on such outlets as CNN, NPR, and Fox News. He's also been a guest on The Colbert Report, and was informally dubbed the "Colbert Report chaplain." Recently, he was also one of three members of the clergy who jointly delivered the benediction at the close of the Democratic National Convention.

In this episode, Father Martin and I resume discussion of what it means to be pro-life, broadly defined.

LINKS
--Father Martin's Wikipedia page
--Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement
--"Pope calls faithful to pray, participate actively in politics," Catholic News Agency
--Pope Francis's Laudato Si'
--Ignatian Contemplation (a video of Fr. Martin discussing Ignatian prayer)

Special Guest: Father James Martin.

Episode 57: The Seamless Garment (Pro-Life Politics, w/ Fr. James Martin)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 07:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Father Martin and I discuss what it means to him to be pro-life, the political implications of that position, and how it relates to Catholic teaching and action. We not only discuss abortion, but also immigration, race, and more.

LINKS
--Father Martin's Wikipedia page
--"Racism makes a liar of God: How the American Catholic Church is wrestling with the Black Lives Matter movement" (New York Times opinion piece, by Elizabeth Breunig; 2020, August 6)
--Sister Thea Bowman's Wikipedia page
--profile on Ralph McCloud, Director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Special Guest: Father James Martin.

Episode 56: When They Hit You (w/ Omar Wasow)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Princeton political scientist Omar Wasow joins me to talk about a recent paper of his that focuses on the relative impact of violent and nonviolent protest of racial injustice. In the wake of such deaths as that of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and in light of subsequent protests, his paper has been quite timely. It's also been met with some controversy. Wasow and I discuss his background, the paper, the implications of the paper for activists, reactions to the paper, and more. (Special thanks to my colleague Paul Schofield, who suggested one of the questions I posed in the interview.)

LINKS
--Wasow's Princeton page
--Wasow's personal web page
--"Agenda seeding: How 1960s Black protest moved elites, public opinion, and voting," by Omar Wasow
--"Racial orders in American political development," by Desmond S. King & Rogers M. Smith
--"Bayard Rustin: The gay Black pacifist at the heart of the March on Washington," by Gary Younge

Special Guest: Omar Wasow.

Episode 55: Moment of Truth (w/ Robin Engel)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
As promised, here's another episode inspired by the killing of George Floyd, and the subsequent protests. In this one, I remain focused on police behavior. This is my interview with Robin Engel, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, as well as Director of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)/UC Center for Police Research and Policy. We discuss police decision-making--which she studies--as well as police reform. Not only has Engel studied these issues, but she's also been responsible for overseeing a department as it implemented reforms in the wake of a shooting of an unarmed Black man.

LINKS
--Robin Engel's UC profile
--Report of Engel's naming as Vice-President for Safety & Reform
--Body camera footage of the Samuel DuBose shooting (from The Guardian)
--Does de-escalation training work? (Engel et al., 2020)
--Moving beyond "best practices" (Engel et al., 2020)

Special Guest: Robin Engel.

Episode 54: There's Got To Be A Better Way (w/ Lamar Stewart)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
This is my conversation with G. Lamar Stewart, a detective and head of community engagement in the office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. Stewart is a former Philadelphia police officer, and was also Vice-President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Black Police Association. We discuss policing, including its connection to race, a timely topic in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

LINKS
--New York Times video essay on the chronology of the killing of George Floyd
--An article about the kind of community engagement work Stewart does
--Larry Krasner, Wikipedia
--Death of Breonna Taylor, Wikipedia
--Intercept article on Bob Kroll
--New York Times article on police union leadership (also touches on Kroll)
--New York Times article on the social media scandal involving Philadelphia police

Special Guest: Lamar Stewart.

Episode 53: The Pursuit (w/ Laurie Santos)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Psychologist Laurie Santos offered a course on well-being in 2018, and it became the most popular course ever offered at Yale University. Her online course also developed a strong following. Now she had a podcast called The Happiness Lab. I had a chance to talk with her about human happiness, and the ways in which our intuitions about what promotes happiness are often wrong. Our discussion includes a discussion of happiness in a time of a pandemic and of physical distancing, but also about happiness and race.

LINKS
Laurie Santos, Yale University
The Happiness Lab podcast
Jeff Simmermon's Why You Should Be Happy (on Apple Music)
Ashley Whillans, Harvard Business School
Sonja Lyubomirsky, UC-Riverside
Anand Giridharadas, Winners Take All
Dan Ariely, "Americans Want to Live in a Much More Equal Country (They Just Don't Realize It)" in The Atlantic
Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much, by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir
The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, by Barry Schwartz
Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, by Danielle Allen
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, by Dan Buettner
The Enchiridion, by Epictetus

Special Guest: Laurie Santos.

Episode 52: Married to the Mob

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 18 May 2020 09:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Political scientists (and returning Tatter guests) Julia Azari and Seth Masket join me to talk about how the Republican Party has changed in recent years, and the meaning and consequences of those changes, including the impact on the Democratic Party and on (little-d) democratic values.

LINKS
--Julia Azari's Marquette University profile
--Seth Masket's University of Denver profile
--"The Trump presidency thrives on norms," by Julia Azari (from the Mischiefs of Faction)
--"The case for Democratic recklessness," by Seth Masket (from the Pacific Standard)
--The Bulwark podcast (hosted by Charlie Sykes)

Special Guests: Julia Azari and Seth Masket.

Episode 51: Engaging Power (w/ Eitan Hersh)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Eitan Hersh is a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at Tufts University, and he's the author of the book Politics Is For Power. In his book, he discusses what he calls "political hobbyism," which the host of this podcast all too often engages in when he gets into arguments in comment threads on Facebook. In one demographic respect, Sargent's doing so is not that surprising. But in another respect, it is a bit more unusual. To learn more, listen to the episode. You'll also hear about compelling stories of people who aren't "slacktivists," who aren't mere hobbyists, but who instead engage politics in deep and meaningful ways that actually build power. You should read Hersh's book too.

LINKS
--Eitan Hersh's Tufts University web profile
--Politics Is For Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change, by Eitan Hersh
--"How do you change voters' minds? Have a conversation" (New York Times Magazine article about deep canvassing, and Dave Fleischer)
--Changing the Conversation
--Voice of Westmoreland
--Website of U.S. Representative Conor Lamb
--"Bernie Sanders only had eyes for one wing of the Democratic Party" (the New York Times article by Thomas B. Edsall that brought Hersh to my attention)

Special Guest: Eitan Hersh.

Episode 50: Wrong Tool for the Job (Brian Kalt, on the 25th Amendment)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 13:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Concerns about Donald Trump's fitness to serve as U.S. President have motivated many people to advocate for the invocation of the 25th Amendment, particularly Section 4. Those who have engaged in such advocacy--and I've done it--seem to believe that effectively invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment could be a way to remove Trump from office. But my guest--Brian Kalt of the Michigan State University College of Law--makes a case that we're wrong.

LINKS
--Brian Kalt's MSU profile
--Unable: The Law, Politics, and Limits of Section 4 of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment (by Brian Kalt)
--"President Trump is unfit for this crisis. Period." (by Jennifer Senior, at The New York Times)
--"Bayh aide not surprised 25th Amendment hasn't removed a president" (by Maureen Groppe, at The Indianapolis Star)
--_Full Disclosure: A Novel _(by William Safire)

Special Guest: Brian Kalt.

Episode 49: "Fuck You" Money, And Then Some (Azari & Wood, on Campaign Finance)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 06:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What's the impact of money on electoral politics? For instance, how does reliance on large numbers of small donors affect a candidate's appeal to voters? As more candidates recruit more financial support from large numbers of donors online, what's the impact on political parties? Does it further weaken them? I discuss such issues as these--and more, including race, gender, and campaign finance--with Marquette University political scientist Julia Azari and USC law professor Abby Wood.

LINKS
--Abby Wood's USC profile
--Julia Azari's Marquette U. profile
--"Mischiefs of Faction" political science blog
--Azari's FiveThirtyEight profile
--"Campaign Finance Disclosure" (by Abby Wood, in the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 2018)
--"Democrats might have the stronger party. They also have a harder job." (by Julia Azari, for the Mischiefs of Faction, 2020)
--"From AOC to shining sea: Justice Democrats want to be the Left's Tea Party" (from The Economist, 2020)

Special Guests: Abby Wood and Julia Azari.

Episode 48: The Episodic Man (Discussing Donald Trump w/ Dan McAdams)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Dan McAdams is The Henry Wade Rogers Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, as well as Director of the Foley Center for the Study of Lives. McAdams's areas of interest and expertise include personality and personal narrative. He's also written about the personality and narrative of Donald Trump, going back to when Trump was merely a candidate for President. Trump is now U.S. President (and will remain so, at least for the time being, since he was acquitted in a Senate impeachment trial). McAdams has written a new book about the temperament and personal narrative of Trump. With its release about a month away, I spoke to McAdams, and feature that conversation in this episode.

LINKS
--Dan McAdams's profile at Northwestern University
--Foley Center for the Study of Lives, at Northwestern
--The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump: A Psychological Reckoning (The Oxford University Press page for McAdams forthcoming book)
--"The Mind of Donald Trump" (June 2016 Atlatic essay by McAdams)

Special Guest: Dan McAdams.

Episode 47: Above and Beyond (Respectability Politics, w/ David Crockett)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Within Black communities, "respectability politics" is a term often used to describe efforts at racial uplift that involve efforts at self-regulation in the service of disproving negative racial stereotypes. It includes ensuring that one's conduct is beyond reproach, and that one's standards of dress meet certain high standards (often those of upper-middle class White society). The term also refers to demands that Black Americans engage in such self-regulation. Black figures such as Charles Barkley and Bill Cosby have famously (and infamously) made such demands.

One's consumption choices--ranging from clothing to housing--can constitute a domain in which respectability politics plays out. And University of South Carolina marketing professor David Crockett has studied exactly that topic. We discuss respectability politics, consumption, and more in this episode.

LINKS
--David Crockett's University of South Carolina webpage
--Crockett, D. (2017). Paths to respectability: Consumption and stigma management in the contemporary Black middle class. Journal of Consumer Research
--Detroit Urban League brochure photo (HS6701) , from Detroit Urban League records; Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan (used with permission)
--Coates, T. (2014, October). Charles Barkley and the plague of "unintelligent Blacks." The Atlantic.
--Coates, T. (2017, Jan/Feb). My President was Black. The Atlantic.
--Starkey, B. S. (2016, December). No, President Obama does not practice respectability politics. The Undefeated
--Charles Barkley 7/12/16 appearance on the Dan Le Batard show
--Higginbotham, E. B. (1994) Righteous discontent: The women's movement in the Black Baptist church, 1880-1920. Harvard University Press.

Special Guest: David Crockett.

Episode 46: Measure for Measure (Wil Cunningham & Uli Schimmack Discuss the Implicit Association Test)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Since Tony Greenwald, Debbie McGhee, and Jordan Schwartz introduced the Implicit Association Test to the published literature in 1998, the IAT has taken social psychology by storm, and the notion that implicit bias is prevalent and impactful has taken the world by storm. But to what extent are popular beliefs, and popularizing claims, about implicit bias and the IAT well-supported by the science? What improvements are needed in the science of implicit bias? Does that research qualify as good science? Is it useful? And what does "implicit" even mean in this context? Psychologists Wil Cunningham and Ulrich Schimmack engage with each other and with me in a lively discussion of such issues, including conversation about Uli's 2019 paper, "The Implicit Association Test: A Method in Search of a Construct."

LINKS
--Wil Cunningham's profile at the University of Toronto
--Uli Schimmack's profile at the University of Toronto
--Project Implicit website
--Schimmack (2019), The Implicit Association Test: A method in search of a construct, Perspectives on Psychological Science
--link to a free version of the paper, housed at Schimmack's site
--Cunningham, Preacher, & Banaji (2001). Implicit attitude measures: Consistency, stability, and convergent validity. Psychological Science

Special Guests: Uli Schimmack and Wil Cunningham.

Episode 45: Correctional Training (w/ J. Pfaff & M. Rocque)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 09:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
John Pfaff is Professor of Law at Fordham University, and has areas of expertise that include prisons, criminal law, and sentencing law. Michael Rocque is Associate Professor of Sociology at Bates College, and his areas of expertise include criminological theory, racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and desistance from crime. He has also worked as Senior Research Advisor with the Maine Department of Corrections. In this episode, we use the recent death of Jeffrey Epstein as well as ongoing mass shootings as jumping off points for a wide-ranging conversation about jail and prison conditions, mental illness and mass public shootings, criminal justice reform, and more, including discussion of at least one U.S. presidential candidate.

LINKS
--John Pfaff's Fordham profile
--Mike Rocque's Bates profile
--Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform (by John Pfaff)
--"Actually, there is a clear link between mass shootings and mental illness," (by Grant Duwe and Michael Rocque, for the Los Angeles Times)
--Stephanie Kelley-Romano's Bates profile
--"What we know about the conditions at the prison where Jeffrey Epstein died," (from National Public Radio)
--Wiki entry on the Prison Litigation Reform Act
--"America's most interesting sheriff" (Economist article on Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart)
--Rocque's Scholars Strategy Network profile
--"Megan Rapinoe did not stomp on the flag. Here's why people got outraged regardless," (by Rocque, for Newsweek)
--"Justice and safety for all," (Bernie Sanders's criminal justice reform plan)

Special Guests: John Pfaff and Mike Rocque.

Episode 44: Interim Ad Infinitum (On The Use and Abuse of Presidential Appointment Power)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 07:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Steve Vladeck is the A. Dalton Cross Professor in Law at the University of Texas School of Law. He's also a prolific writer and CNN's Supreme Court analyst, and he's argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. He joined me to discuss the President's power to appoint individuals in an acting capacity in senior positions. This is a power that can be abused--and some would argue has been abused by President Trump. We discuss the power, and possible reforms that could limit abuse.

LINKS
Steve Vladeck's UT-Austin profile
"Trump is abusing his authority to name 'acting secretaries': Here's how Congress can stop him." (by Vladeck, for Slate)
"Trump relies on acting Cabinet officials more than most presidents. It's not an accident." (by Phillip Bump, for the Washington Post)
"How America got to 'zero tolerance' on immigration: The inside story," (by Jason Zengerle, for the New York Times)
"Supreme Court rules against Apple, as Kavanaugh sides with liberal Justices." (by Bill Chappell, for National Public Radio)
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act

Special Guest: Stephen Vladeck.

Episode 43: Trash Talk (w/ Jeffrey M. Berry)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 08:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Political scientist Jeffrey M. Berry and sociologist Sarah Sobieraj co-authored the book The Outrage Industry, which examines media efforts to provoke outrage in audiences (including efforts that play fast and loose with the facts), as well as the conditions that have encouraged and rewarded such efforts. Berry joined me for a conversation about incivility, outrage rhetoric, and more.

LINKS
--Tufts University profile for Jeffrey Berry
--Tufts University profile for Sarah Sobieraj
--The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility, by Berry and Sobieraj (Amazon)
--"Anger is a business" (by Berry and Sobieraj, for Vox's Mischiefs of Faction)
--"New Republic: Rush Limbaugh's morality lesson" (by Jonathan Cohn, for National Public Radio)
--Forbes: The world's highest-paid celebrites
--"The caning of Charles Sumner" (from the United States Senate website)
--"Clear Channel renames itself iHeartMedia in nod to digital" (by Ben Sisario, for the New York Times)
--"Congress is more bipartisan than you think" (by Laurel Harbridge-Yong, for the Washington Post's Monkey Cage)

Special Guest: Jeffrey M. Berry.

Episode 42: Grace Under Pressure (An Abortion Provider In The South)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 21 May 2019 21:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Lori Beard-Williams is clinic director at Little Rock Family Planning Services, the only full-service abortion provider in the state of Arkansas (my home state). She is also on the Board of Directors of the National Abortion Federation. Given the legislation that's been coming out of such state legislatures as Alabama, Missouri, and Arkansas, we thought abortion was a timely topic. We discuss her professional path, as well as her patients, and the challenges facing her, her team, and the patients they serve.

LINKS
--Little Rock Family Planning Services
--Arkansas Abortion Support Network
--"This Doctor Won't Stop Mailing Abortion Pills to the U.S.--Even Though the FDA Ordered Her To," by Carter Sherman (Vice News)

Special Guest: Lori Beard-Williams.

Episode 41: Judgment Call (The Impeachment Episode)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 16 May 2019 17:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Julia Azari is a political scientist at Marquette University, as well as a frequent contributor to FiveThirtyEight. Seth Masket is a political scientist at the University of Denver, and a contributor to Vox.com's Mischiefs of Faction. The three of us talked about the prospects of impeaching Donald Trump, the potential aftermath, and why it all matters.

LINKS
--Julia Azari's Marquette University profile
--Seth Masket's University of Denver profile
--"The Trump Era Has Pushed Scholars to the Limits of Our Understanding," by Julia Azari (guest blogger) at Balkinization
--"'Impeachment Will Help Republicans' And Other Myths," by Seth Masket, in Pacific Standard
--A recent chat about impeachment, at FiveThirtyEight (including Azari)

Special Guests: Julia Azari and Seth Masket.

Episode 40: Up That Hill (Women in Congress)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 06 May 2019 05:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
As reported by the Pew Reserach Center, the current 116th Congress includes more women, and is more racially and ethnically diverse, than any previous Congress. Inspired by that shift, this episode features my conversation with political scientists Nadia Brown (Purdue University) and Barbara Palmer (Baldwin Wallace University). We discuss the experiences of women in Congress, including women of color, both in their campaigns but also while governing, and from both contemporary and historical perspective.

LINKS
--Nadia Brown's Purdue University profile
--Barbara Palmer's Baldwin Wallace University profile
--Sisters in the Statehouse: Black Women and Legislative Decision Making, by Nadia Brown (at Amazon)
--Women and Congressional Elections: A Century of Change, by Barbara Palmer and Dennis Simon (at Amazon)
--"Identity Politics Strengthens Democracy," by Stacey Abrams, in Foreign Affairs
--On Elizabeth Cady Stanton's congressional run
--"At She the People Forum, 2020 Candidates Speak Directly to Women of Color, by Maggie Astor, for the New York Times
--Wiki on Maria Stewart
--"Eric Holder to Lead Democrats' Attack on Republican Gerrymandering, by Alexander Burns and Jonathan Martin, for the New York Times
--Barbara Palmer on "gendermandering"

Special Guests: Barbara Palmer and Nadia Brown.

Episode 39: Pocket Protection (Compensating College Athletes)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 05:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
In a report by Chris Smith, Forbes lists Texas A&M University's football program as the most profitable in the 2014-2016 seasons. Its three-year average for revenue across those seasons was $148 million. Its three-year average for profit was $107 million. It was the leader of the pack, but far from alone. The 10th most profitable program (at the University of Florida) was listed at $67 million in profit. The 25th (Texas Tech's) was listed at $31 million in profit. Through broadcast licensing and other revenue streams, many NCAA programs generate immense revenue, particularly programs in the so-called Power Five conferences (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC). Additionally, head coaches at many of these programs are highly paid, such as Alabama's Nick Saban, whose base salary for 2019 was reported to be $7.9 million.

Given the amount of money generated in Power Five college football (and also NCAA Division I men's basketball), and the compensation afforded many coaches, some observers have called for greater financial compensation for the athletes. But others object. And these battles sometimes go to the courts, as in the recent Alston v. NCAA decision. I discuss these issues with Rick Karcher, an associate professor in the Eastern Michigan University School of Health Promotion & Human Performance.

LINKS
--Rick Karcher's Eastern Michigan University profile
--"Why the NCAA Lost Its Latest Landmark Case in the Battle Over What Schools Can Offer Athletes," by Michael McCann in Sports Illustrated
--O'Bannon v. NCAA (Wikipedia)
--"The Battle Outside of the Courtroom: Principles of Amateurism vs. Principles of Supply and Demand," by Karcher (2013)
--"The Coaching Carousel in Big-Time Intercollegiate Athletics: Economic Implications and Legal Considerations," by Karcher (2010)
--"The Influence of Race on Attitudes About College Athletics," by Druckman, Howat, and Rodheim (2016)
--Wikipedia entry on adhesion contracts
--The Historical Basketball League

Special Guest: Richard Karcher.

Episode 38: Just Theory (w/ John Jost & Jim Sidanius)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 05:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Historically, many activists and organizers have struggled to enact their visions of social justice, and many do so to this very day. What role, if any, can and should social psychology play in such struggles? Do we have a role to play? Or do the risks of such engagement outweigh any potential rewards? In this episode, I discuss such issues with social psychologists John Jost and Jim Sidanius. Jost co-crafted system justification theory, and Sidanius co-crafted social dominance theory, each a theory relevant to social justice.

LINKS
--John Jost's NYU profile
--Jim Sidanius's Harvard profile
--"Digital Dissent: An Analysis of the Motivational Contents of Tweets From an Occupy Wall Street Demonstration," by Langer, Jost, et al. (2018)
--"Ethnic and National Attachment in the Rainbow Nation: The Case of the Republic of South Africa," by Sidanius, Brubacher, and Silinda (2019)

Special Guests: Jim Sidanius and John Jost.

Episode 37: Level Up (Advancing Foreign Policy Through Feminism)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 11 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
As world leaders set their countries' foreign policies, history might seem an obvious basis upon which to base sound policy. Other potential bases that might seem obvious include game theory and perhaps even evolutionary theory. But is feminism an underappreciated basis? I discuss this topic with Jamille Bigio, Alexandra Bro, and Rachel Vogelstein, all at the Council on Foreign Relations. At a time when Sweden explicitly labels its foreign policy as "feminist," we explore what that means and whether there's evidence that feminist foreign policy is smart foreign policy.

LINKS
--Jamille Bigio's CFR profile
--Alexandra Bro's CFR profile
--Rachel Vogelstein's CFR profile
--"Sweden's Feminist Foreign Policy: Long May It Reign" (by Rachel Vogelstein and Alexandra Bro, in Foreign Policy)
--"Growing Economies Through Gender Parity" (interactive CFR report)
--"Countering Sexual Violence in Conflict" (by Jamille Bigio and Rachel Vogelstein)
--Nadia Murad Wikipedia entry
--Denis Mukwege Wikipedia entry
--"A Place of Her Own: Women's Right to Land" (Alexandra Bro, coauthored with Meighan Stone)
--"Let Women Work" (by Rachel Vogelstein, in Foreign Affairs)

Special Guests: Alexandra Bro, Jamille Bigio, and Rachel Vogelstein.

Episode 36: Vet the Technique (w/ Jonathan Haidt & Aaron Hanlon)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Given the ultimate purposes of colleges, universities, and academic disciplines, is viewpoint diversity (such as recruiting more conservatives into the social sciences) essential to achieving those purposes? What about free speech? Are trigger warnings an impediment to achieving those purposes? In this episode, I discuss these issues with two publicly engaged scholars: Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist and a faculty member at the New York University Stern School of Business, as well as Aaron Hanlon, an assistant professor of English at Colby College who also teaches in and serves on the Advisory Committee for the college's program in Science, Technology, and Society.

LINKS
--Jonathan Haidt's NYU webpage
--Aaron Hanlon's Colby College webpage
--The Heterodox Academy
--"The Coddling of the American Mind," (by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, in The Atlantic)
--"The Trigger Warning Myth," (by Aaron Hanlon, in The New Republic)
--"On Balance," (by Stanley Fish, in The Chronicle of Higher Education)
--"Free Speech is not an Academic Value" (by Stanley Fish, in The Chronicle of Higher Education)
--The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (by Jonathan Haidt)
--"Don't Sweat the Technique," (by Eric B. & Rakim)

Special Guests: Aaron Hanlon and Jonathan Haidt.

Episode 35: Fear of Falling (w/ Ashley Jardina)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Ashley Jardina, a faculty member in political science at Duke University, is the author of White Identity Politics, which is scheduled to go on sale on Thursday, February 28. She and I recently talked about her book, which examines White identity and its political impact. As much as Whiteness has often been treated as a kind of cultural default, and even though it's often assumed that their own race isn't salient to White Americans and that they don't feel solidarity with other Whites, many actually do think about their race and do feel such solidarity. And it's not just the types who gained infamy in Charlottesville. Jardina's book explores what White identity is and what White consciousness is. She also documents some of the political correlates of those variables. We discuss that research, as well as her own background. And we even highlight one thing that Donald Trump has done "expertly."

LINKS
--Ashley Jardina's webpage at Duke
--White Identity Politics, at Cambridge University Press
--White Identity Politics, at Amazon
--"White Identity Politics Aren't Going Anywhere" (by Thomas Edsall, in the New York Times, and including discussion of Jardina's book)
--Richmond, Virginia's Monument Avenue

Special Guest: Ashley Jardina.

Episode 34: I Am. I Am. I Am. (w/ J.R. & Vanessa Ford)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 08 Jan 2019 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
My former student Vanessa Ford, and her husband JR, join me to talk about their family's story, and about the experiences of trans youth and their families. Vanessa is a board member for the National Center for Transgender Equality, and JR works for the federal government. They're parents to Ronnie and his younger sister Ellie (who is transgender), and they're also advocates for trans youth. They've written pieces for Newsweek, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Katie Couric interviewed them. And now I'm lucky that they spoke with me on Tatter.

LINKS
--JR and Vanessa Ford, on Facebook
--"A Massachusetts law protecting transgender people is in danger of being repealed" (a CNN story that includes coverage of the Ford family)
--National Center for Transgender Equality
--"Gender revolution: A journey with Katie Couric" (a National Geographic video program including conversation with the Ford family)
--"Betsy DeVos is a danger to transgender children" (by Vanessa Ford, in Newsweek)
--GLSEN (works to end discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression)
--"When children say they're trans" (by Jesse Singal, in The Atlantic)
--"The loaded language shaping the trans conversation" (by Tey Meadow, in The Atlantic, and one of several responses to Singal's piece)
--The full set of responses

Special Guests: JR Ford and Vanessa Ford.

Episode 33: A Christmas Tatter

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 23 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Marine biologist and storyteller Skylar Bayer, psychologists Paul Bloom, Dan Molden, and David Pizarro, Moth storytellers and hosts Shannon Cason and Dame Wilburn, soccer coach Stewart Flaherty, and rhetoric professor Stephanie Kelley-Romano describe their favorite Christmas movies, discuss their criteria for qualifying a movie as a Christmas movie, and offer their opinions on whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not.

LINKS
--Skylar Bayer's personal homepage
--The first story I ever heard Skylar tell, from The Story Collider
--Paul Bloom's Yale homepage
--Shannon Cason's personal homepage
--Shannon Cason's Moth page
--Stewart Flaherty's Dartmouth homepage
--Stephanie Kelley-Romano's Bates homepage
--Dan Molden's Northwestern homepage
--David Pizarro's Cornell homepage
--Very Bad Wizards podcast (Pizarro is co-host)
--Dame Wilburn's Moth page
--"What makes 'Die Hard' a Christmas movie," by David Breitenbeck (The Federalist)

Special Guests: Dame Wilburn, Daniel Molden, David Pizarro, Paul Bloom, Shannon Cason, Skylar Bayer, Stephanie Kelley-Romano, and Stewart Flaherty.

Episode 32: Movements (w/ Dan Kaufman)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
There are many robust threads of progressivism in the history of Wisconsin, running all the way back to its founding by Scandinavian and German immigrants. It also had influence on progressive policies in other governments, including the federal government. But at least in recent years, conservative officials in the state have successfully enacted policies contrary to the stances of progressives, and in many cases inimical to the interests of organized labor and others. And these policies have also been influential outside of Wisconsin. In this episode, I speak about such issues with Dan Kaufman, author of The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics. We discuss the administration of outgoing Republican Governor Scott Walker, organized labor, race, and more.

LINKS
--The Fall of Wisconsin: The Conservative Conquest of a Progressive Bastion and the Future of American Politics, by Dan Kaufman
--Dan Kaufman's Twitter profile
--Ableman v. Booth (U.S. Supreme Court response to the Wisconsin Supreme Court's ruling on the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850)
--The Turner Movement
--Robert "Fighting Bob" La Follette
--The Wisconsin Idea
--Wisconsin Act 10
--Right-to-work law
--"Trump's tweets attract attention. Act 10 moves forward. Quietly. Inexorably. Changing the political landscape like a glacier." (Grover Norquist)
--The Memphis Sanitation Strike of 1968
--There Is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America, by Phillip Dray

Special Guest: Dan Kaufman.

Episode 31: Not Yet (Andersen v. Planned Parenthood)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 14:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Stephen Vladeck is the A. Dalton Cross Professor in Law at the University of Texas School of Law. He's also CNN's Supreme Court analyst. On the day of its announcement, he and I spoke about the Supreme Court's decision not to review a lower court decision that is at least partially related to abortion (Andersen v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri). He also shared his thoughts on what it means that it appears Chief Justice Roberts and Associate Justice Kavanaugh did not join their conservative colleagues in voting to take up the case.

LINKS
--Vladeck's webpage at UT-Austin
--SCOTUSblog's summary of Andersen v. Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri

Special Guest: Stephen Vladeck.

Episode 30: Slurred Speech

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 06:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The utterance and writing of gendered and racial or ethnic slurs has often evoked controversy. My philosopher colleague Lauren Ashwell has taken up slurs as a subject of scholarly inquiry. In this episode, we sit for a 90-minute conversation about such issues as what makes a slur a slur, whether slurs can be reclaimed by members of the target group, and why the study of slurs matters.

LINKS
--Lauren Ashwell's personal website
--"Gendered Slurs," by Lauren Ashwell (requies JSTOR access)
--"CNN's Brooke Baldwin Chastises Trump Critic For Using N-Word On The Air," by Oliver Gettell, Entertainment Weekly
--Myisha Cherry's interview with Luvell Anderson, about slurs, on The Unmute Podcast
--Luvell Anderson's Syracuse profile
--"Kreayshawn's White Girl Mob & The N-Word," by Brandon Soderberg, Spin
--"A History of Outrage Over the Word 'Pākehā'," by Branko Macetic, The Spinoff
--nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word, by Randall Kennedy
--"SlutWalks Sweep The Nation," by Laura Stampler, HuffPost
--"An Open Letter from Black Women to SlutWalk Organizers," contributed by Susan Brison, HuffPost
--"Is The Word 'Queer' Offensive? Here's A Look At Its History In The LGBTQA+ Community," by Marissa Higgins, Bustle
--Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny, by Kate Manne

Special Guest: Lauren Ashwell.

Episode 29: Mission Creep (On Carrying Implicit Bias Too Far)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 05 Nov 2018 07:00:00 -0500

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Talk of implicit bias has moved far beyond its origin in psychology. It's spread to law journals, it informs training in many workplaces (including one famous coffeeshop chain), and it's entered popular discourse. Does that ubiquity carry risks? What balls are we potentially taking our eyes off of when we focus on implicit bias? These are the kinds of issues addressed in my conversation with Jonathan Kahn, the James E. Kelley Chair in Tort Law at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and author of the book Race on the Brain.

LINKS
--Jonathan Kahn's Mitchell Hamline webpage
--Race on the Brain: What Implicit Bias Gets Wrong About the Struggle for Racial Justice, by Jonathan Kahn
--Project Implicit
--"How the GI Bill left out African Americans," by David Callahan (Demos)
--Racism Without Racists, by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
--"The American civil rights tradition: Anticlassification or antisubordination?" by Jack Balkin and Reva Siegel
--"Chief Justice out to end affirmative action," by Jeffrey Toobin (CNN)
--"Sotomayor accuses colleagues of trying to 'wish away' racial inequality," by Robert Barnes (Washington Post)

Special Guest: Jonathan Kahn.

Episode 28: Magnolia In Bloom (Mississippi Politics)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 06:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
The recent confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court--despite vocal and forceful opposition by many people--attests to the importance of being the majority party in the U.S. Senate. Democrats are currently in a narrow minority, and their path to control runs through Senate seats currently held by Republicans, many of which are in rural, agrarian states. One such state is Mississippi, and one such race features Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith and Democrat Mike Espy, among others. The election is likely to go to a runoff, and if control of the Senate hangs in the balance, it will be an important runoff. In this episode, I discuss that election with Geoff Pender, political editor of the Clarion-Ledger newspaper, based in Jackson, MS. We also discuss the broader political context in Mississippi, including issues that might be on their way from The Magnolia State to the U.S. Supreme Court.

LINKS
--FiveThirtyEight's U.S. Senate Forecast
--May 2018 article by Geoff Pender on polling in the Mississippi U.S. Senate special election
--Geoff Pender's staff page at the Clarion-Ledger
--"Mike Espy sees runoff as path to a Miss. Senate seat. Here's why it's a bumpy road" by William Douglas (McClatchy DC Bureau)
--"Will a Black-Latino alliance in Mississippi change politics in the Deep South?" by Alexia Fernández Campbell (The Atlantic)
--"Long before sinking Roy Moore's candidacy, black women in Alabama were a force for change" by DeNeen L. Brown (Washington Post)
--"Mississippi bans abortions after 15 weeks; opponents swiftly sue" by Richard Fausset (New York Times)
--"Controversial HB1523 now Mississippi's law of land" by Jerry Mitchell and Geoff Pender (Clarion-Ledger)
--"Why is the Democratic Leadership Council shutting down?" by Espeth Reeve (The Atlantic)

Cover art adapted from an image by Darwinek (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guest: Geoff Pender.

Episode 27: Class Action

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
An ongoing controversy is whether colleges and universities should be free to consider race and ethnicity in admissions, and how the use of race relates to "merit." As indicated in a recent Gallup poll, many people think merit should trump race or ethnicity, but what do they really mean by "merit"? Whose interests are at stake? What will happen if colleges and universities can't consider race and ethnicity as they decide whom to admit? I discuss these questions with Julie J. Park, a University of Maryland professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education.

LINKS
--Julie Park's profile at the University of Maryland
--"Most in U.S. Oppose Colleges Considering Race in Admissions," Gallup
--Mismatch: How Affirmative Action Hurts Students It's Intended To Help, and Why Universities Won't Admit It, by Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor, Jr.
--The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions, William G. Bowen & Derek Bok
--Race on Campus: Debunking Myths With Data, by Julie J. Park.
--Students for Fair Admissions
--New York Times profile on Edward Blum
--"Justice Department Backs Lawsuit Led By Maine Resident Challenging Harvard's 'Racial Balancing'," Portland Press Herald

Cover art credit: Tyler de Noche (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guest: Julie Park.

Episode 26: A Mighty Pen, Part II (Another Discussion of the Kavanaugh Nomination)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 02 Sep 2018 06:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Judge Brett Kavanaugh currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but he's better known now as the more recent Supreme Court nominee by President Donald Trump, nominated to replace retired Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. This is the second of two episodes focused on Kavanaugh's record and thinking, and the impact his addition would likely have on the Court.

I spoke with Jonathan Adler and Brianne Gorod. Adler is the Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law, as well as the Director of its Center for Business Law and Regulation. He has clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. Gorod is Chief Counsel at the Constitutional Accountability Center, and has clerked for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

LINKS
Jonathan Adler's profile at Case Western
Brianne Gorod's profile at the Constitutional Accountability Center
Agri Processor Co Inc v. National Labor Relations Board
On Garza v. Hargan
Planned Parenthood v. Casey
"The stare decisis Court" (Adler, on the Roberts Court and precedent)
U.S. v. Burwell (related to mens rea, or criminal intent)
U.S. v. Queen Nwoye (related to battered woman syndrome)
Janus v. AFSCME
V.L. v. E.L.
Pavan v. Smith
"Supreme Court clerks are not a particularly diverse lot" (Adler, in the Washington Post, for the Volokh Conspiracy)
"The Supreme Court is terrible at hiring diverse law clerks, but Neil Gorsuch is surprisingly good at it" (Mark Joseph Stern, at Slate)

Cover art credit: Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guests: Brianne Gorod and Jonathan H. Adler (law).

Episode 25: A Mighty Pen, Part I (Discussing the Kavanaugh Nomination)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 05:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Judge Brett Kavanaugh currently sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, but he's better known now as the most recent Supreme Court nominee by President Donald Trump, nominated to replace retired Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. This is the first of two episodes focused on Kavanaugh's record and thinking, and the impact his addition would likely have on the Court.

I spoke with Peter Margulies and Stephen Vladeck. Margulies is Professor of Law at Roger Williams University's School of Law, where he teaches national security law, immigration law, and international law. Vladeck is the A. Dalton Cross Professor in Law at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where his teaching and research focus on federal jurisdiction, constitutional law, national security law, and military justice. Both have participated in cases at the appellate level (including cases that have come before Kavanaugh). It's also worth noting that Vladeck was part of a legal team that participated in the Supreme Court case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld and is also CNN's Supreme Court analyst.

LINKS
Peter Margulies's profile at Roger Williams University
Stephen Vladeck's profile at UT-Austin
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
"Guantánamo bay prosecutors accuse detainee of conspiracy"
Margulies, on the al-Bahlul decision
Vladeck on al-Bahlul
Saleh, et al. v. Titan, et al.
Doe v. Exxon Mobil Corporation
Hernandez v. Mesa
"Brett Kavanaugh is the antidote to corporate America's worries about Trump" by Ronald Brownstein, in The Atlantic
Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA
Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency
United States v. Nixon
Humphrey's Executor v. United States
Stare decisis defined

Cover art credit: Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guests: Peter Margulies and Stephen Vladeck.

Episode 24: Old Times Forgotten (Talking Southern Politics)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 18:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Jay Barth is the M.E. and Ima Graves Peace Distinguished Professor of Politics at Hendrix College, of which he is an alum (as is the host of this podcast). Jay recently joined Tatter to talk about Arkansas politics, Southern politics, and national politics. Topics included a discussion of just how much support Donald Trump enjoys, whether a new political realignment has occurred in the U.S., what's gotten boring and what's stayed interesting about Arkansas politics, and what it was like to teach the day after Trump was elected.

LINKS
Jay Barth's Hendrix College faculty profile
The Hendrix College Odyssey Program
"The pro-Trump Republican base might not be as scary as it looks" by Jamelle Bouie, at Slate
"A closer look at the gender gap in presidential voting" by Richa Chaturvedi at the Pew Research Center

Cover art credit: Caesar Rodney (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guest: Jay Barth.

Episode 23: Policy of Truth (or, How to Tell a Good Story)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 05:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Peter Aguero is a Moth storyteller and host, as well as creator and performer of the one-man show Daddy Issues. Tara Clancy is also a Moth storyteller and host, as well as author of the memoir The Clancys of Queens, and a panelist on the quiz show Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! on NPR. Both Aguero and Clancy are Moth GrandSLAM champions. In this conversation, they're joined by social psychologist and communications researcher Melanie Green, who studies stories. As a former producer of a live storytelling program, and one who always tried to be helpful, host Michael Sargent wants to help novice storytellers hone their craft, and as a selfish, judgmental ass who wants to have an enjoyable experience in the audience, Sargent also wants to help novices hone their craft so that he'll enjoy listening to their stories. Accordingly, he talked with Aguero, Clancy, and Green about how to tell a good story. There's some useful advice in here.

LINKS
Peter Aguero's "Main Event," as told at The Corner
Tara Clancy's "Hail Mary Softball," as published in The New York Times
Melanie Green's profile at the University at Buffalo
Peter Aguero's Daddy Issues show
Peter Aguero's "Me, Her, & It," as told at The Moth
Tara Clancy's "Boom-Boom Waits for Nobody," as told at The Moth
Tara's memoir, The Clancys of Queens
"Why 'getting lost in a book' is so good for you, according to science" (includes quotes by Melanie Green)
Cody LaMontagne's "Havana," as told at The Corner
Michael Sargent's "School Days," as told at The Corner
Shannon Cason's Homemade Stories podcast

Cover art credit: Ben Grey, Speak Your Mind (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guests: Melanie Green, Peter Aguero, and Tara Clancy.

Episode 22: Moats and Bridges

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 05:00:00 -0400

Father James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor at large for America: The Jesuit Review. He's the author of multiple books, including Building A Bridge: How The Catholic Church And The LGBT Community Can Enter Into A Relationship Of Respect, Compassion, And Sensitivity. Although I had hoped to make this interview the basis of a special Pride episode of Tatter, July was the soonest we could chat, and I am grateful to Father Jim for talking to me. Even though I'm an atheist, and even though I don't agree with him or the Catholic Church on all issues, I respect him and so I call him "Father" without hesitation.

He's been a guest multiple times on the Colbert Report, and even earned the informal distinction of chaplain for the show. He's also appeared on NPR's Fresh Air, PBS's The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and more. I feel lucky that Father Jim spent time with Tatter. We discussed LGBT issues for the most part, but also the Trump administration's treatment of refugees. Check it out.

LINKS
Wiki entry on Thomas Merton
Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)
Jesuit Refugee Service
"Building a Bridge" by James Martin
Catechism of the Catholic Church (2358)
"Austrian cardinal leads World AIDS Day memorial, provides example to follow" (New Ways Ministry)
Father Jim's Facebook page
Father Jim's Twitter profile
Father Jim's profile at America: The Jesuit Review
Atlantic article on Dorothy Day
NPR report on Oscar Romero

Cover art credit: Damnonii, Thomas Linard, and Wikignome0529 (Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guest: Father James Martin.

Episode 21: Brotherly Love

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 05:00:00 -0400

On April 12, 2018, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, two Black men, were waiting in a Philadelphia Starbucks for another man to join them for a business meeting. As was widely reported, they were asked to leave after not buying anything and ultimately were arrested for trespassing after refusing to leave. (The manager who called 911 is no longer with Starbucks.)

As soon as I learned about this incident, I wanted to talk to a police officer in Philadelphia about what happened, how officers are trained to handle such incidents, and issues of policing and race more generally. G. Lamar Stewart, a Philadelphia police officer and, importantly, Vice-President of the National Black Police Association: Greater Philadelphia Chapter, agreed to this interview.

We discussed the Starbucks arrest and a range of other issues, including his work as a minister.

LINKS
"Starbucks, police and mayor Respond to controversial arrest of 2 Black men in Philly" (NPR)
"Philly cops issue new trespassing policy in response to criticism over Starbucks arrest" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Memo describing the new trespassing policy
Facebook page for the National Black Police Association Inc.: The Greater Philadelphia Chapter
"Taylor Memorial Baptist: Growing into a complete community church" (Philadelphia Tribune)

Cover art credit: Skyfox11 (from Wikimedia Commons, public domain images)

Special Guest: Lamar Stewart.

Episode 20: The Humean Stain, Part 2

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 15:00:00 -0400

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Implicit bias has been studied by many social psychologists, and one particular measure, the Implicit Association Test (or IAT) has often been used in that research. It has also been used by practitioners, often for purposes of raising participants' awareness of their own biases. And millions have completed IAT's online at the Project Implicit website.

In this episode, I continue a discussion with six people who have all thought about the IAT, with the conversation covering such topics as (a) how well the IAT predicts discriminatory behavior and other behavior, (b) whether it's appropriate for the Project Implicit website to give individualized feedback to visitors who complete online IAT's there, and (c) the content and effectiveness of implicit bias training. My guests are psychologists Calvin Lai, Brian Nosek, Mike Olson, Keith Payne, and Simine Vazire, as well as journalist Jesse Singal.

LINKS
--Interpreting correlation coefficients (by Deborah J. Rumsey)
--Project Implicit (where you can take an IAT)
--Brian Nosek's departmental web page
--Calvin Lai's departmental web page
--"Psychology's favorite tool for measuring racism isn't up to the job" (Jesse Singal, in The Cut)
--Keith Payne's departmental web page
--Michael Olson's departmental web page
--Simine Vazire's departmental web page
--The Black Goat (podcast on which Simine Vazire is a co-host)
--"Understanding and and using the Implicit Association Test: III. Meta-analysis of predictive validity (Greenwald, Poehlmann, Uhlmann, & Banaji, 2009)
--"Statistically small effects of the Implicit Association Test can have societally large effects" (Greenwald, Banaji, & Nosek, 2015)
--"Using the IAT to predict ethnic and racial discrimination: Small effects sizes of unknown societal significance" (Oswald, Mitchell, Blanton, Mitchell, & Tetlock, 2015)
--"Arbitrary metrics in psychology" (Blanton & Jaccard, 2006)
--"The bias of crowds: How implicit bias bridges personal and systemic prejudice" (Payne, Vuletich, & Lundberg, 2017; access is subscription-controlled)
--"Measuring individual differences in implicit cognition: The Implicit Association Test" (Greenwald, McGhee, & Schwartz, 1998)
--A summary of David Hume's thoughts on the association of ideas
--Two Psychologists Four Beers (podcast featuring psychologists Yoel Inbar and Mickey Inzlicht)
--Very Bad Wizards (podcast featuring psychologist David Pizarro and philosopher Tamler Sommers)

Cover art credit: "Still Life with Bottles, Wine, and Cheese," John F. Francis (1857; public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copyright tag: PD-US)

Special Guests: Brian Nosek, Calvin Lai, Jesse Singal, Keith Payne, Michael Olson, and Simine Vazire.

Episode 19: The Humean Stain, Part 1

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 05:00:00 -0400

On April 12, 2018, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, two African-American men, were arrested for trespassing at a Philadelphia Starbucks. They were waiting for another person to join them for a meeting, when a manager called the police because they hadn't made a purchase. In the face of ensuing controversy, Starbucks closed stores nationwide one afternoon at the end of May in order to hold anti-bias training sessions for employees. As in this case and elsewhere, the topic of implicit racial bias has captured many imaginations.

Implicit bias has been studied by many social psychologists, and one particular measure, the Implicit Association Test (or IAT) has often been used in that research. It has also been used by practitioners, often for purposes of raising participants' awareness of their own biases. And millions have completed IAT's online at the Project Implicit website.

In this episode, I talk with six people who have all thought about the IAT, with the conversation covering such topics as (a) what kinds of mental associations might be revealed by performance on the IAT, (b) how reliable is it as a measure, and (c) whether or not the research debates surrounding the IAT are an example of good science. My guests are psychologists Calvin Lai, Brian Nosek, Mike Olson, Keith Payne, and Simine Vazire, as well as journalist Jesse Singal.

LINKS
--Scientific American Frontiers episode on implicit bias
--Project Implicit (where you can take an IAT)
--Brian Nosek's departmental web page
--Calvin Lai's departmental web page
--Michael Olson's departmental web page
--Keith Payne's departmental web page
--Simine Vazire's departmental web page
--"Psychology's favorite tool for measuring racism isn't up to the job" (Jesse Singal, in The Cut)
--"Statistically small effects of the Implicit Association Test can have societally large effects" (Greenwald, Banaji, & Nosek, 2015)
--"Using the IAT to predict ethnic and racial discrimination: Small effects sizes of unknown societal significance" (Oswald, Mitchell, Blanton, Mitchell, & Tetlock, 2015)
--A summary of David Hume's thoughts on the association of ideas

Cover art credit: "Still Life with Bottles, Wine, and Cheese," John F. Francis (1857; public domain, from Wikimedia Commons, copyright tag: PD-US)

Special Guests: Brian Nosek, Calvin Lai, Jesse Singal, Keith Payne, Michael Olson, and Simine Vazire.

Episode 18: The Story Is Not Enough

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 05:00:00 -0400

Josie Duffy-Rice, an attorney with the Fair Punishment Project, spoke with me about a variety of topics related to criminal justice, including efforts at reform, the ideas of author (and new New York Times columnist) Michelle Alexander, prosecutors (including progressive ones), and race and crime. You should check out this episode, and also follow Josie's Twitter feed.

LINKS
Fair Punishment Project
Michelle Alexander's book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander joins The New York Times
John Pfaff's book Locked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform
Prosecutor Criticized Over Laquan McDonald Case Is Defeated In Primary
Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx Announces Release of Office's First Data Report
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Promised a Criminal Justice Revolution. He's Exceeding Expectations
Josie Duffy-Rice on Twitter
10% of U.S. Counties Now 'Majority-Minority'

Cover art credit: Toby Hudson (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guest: Josie Duffy Rice.

Episode 17: Unsafe Harbor (A Special Briefing)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 01:30:00 -0400

Sarah Sherman-Stokes is Associate Director of the Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program at Boston University Law School, and she graciously spoke with me about what's been happening along the southern border of the U.S., where prosecution of families seeking asylum has gained national and international attention, especially since children have been intentionally separated from their parents by the U.S. government. She also spoke to historical context, including the origins of MS-13. In addition to discussing the facts on the ground, and relevant history, we also discussed what people who want to help asylum-seekers can do.

LINKS
Immigrants' Rights & Human Trafficking Program (@ The BU School of Law)
RAICES--Action Network
The Florence Project
Al Otro Lado
Aldea--The People's Justice Center
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (Maine)

Cover art photo credit: Orage PLN (public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

Special Guest: Sarah R. Sherman-Stokes.

Episode 16: The Golden Door (A Special Briefing)

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 19:00:00 -0400

On June 18, 2018, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen held a briefing largely focused on the Trump administration's treatment of families seeking asylum at the southwestern border of the U.S. On June 19, I spoke with Sarah Pierce, Policy Analyst for the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute. We discussed the predominant home countries of those who have been recently apprehended at the southwestern border of the U.S., a bit about data cited by the Nielsen, and quite a bit more about what would happen if legislation proposed in the U.S. House were to become law.

LINKS
Sarah Pierce Bio
Migration Policy Institute report (by Jessica Bolter & Sarah Pierce) on the two House bills

(Cover art photo credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The White House, & U.S. Congress)

Special Guest: Sarah Pierce.

Episode 15: Where True Stories Lie

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 10:30:00 -0400

This is a conversation with four people who all know stories well, and who were willing to think with me about how stories can work for and against those fighting injustice. Jonathan Adler is a psychologist at the Olin College of Engineering, who has studied the stories people tell while addressing mental or physical health challenges. Skylar Bayer is a marine biologist who is currently working on marine policy in DC as a Dean John A. Knauss Fellow in the U.S. Senate, and is also a storyteller. Tara Clancy is a storyteller and host with The Moth, and has appeared on The Moth Radio Hour, Snap Judgment, and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!, and she's also the author of a recent memoir (The Clancys of Queens). Adriana Salerno is a mathematician at Bates College, a storyteller, and a blogger.

LINKS
Health Story Collaborative
Skylar's 15 Minutes of Fame (on The Colbert Report)
The first story I ever heard Skylar tell
"Hail Mary Softball," a story by Tara (in the New York Times)
"Extra Mile" a story told live by Tara, at a Moth event
inclusion/exclusion (a blog on diversity and inclusion in math, and beyond, of which Adriana is editor-in-chief)
The first story Adriana ever told at The Corner
The Corner, which is where you can hear great stories told live in Maine, September through May

Special Guests: Adriana Salerno, Jonathan Adler (psychologist), Skylar Bayer, and Tara Clancy.

Episode 14: Spoiled

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 12:00:00 -0400

In elections with three or more candidates, spoiler effects are thought to occur when one candidate, one with supporters who are ideologically similar to those of another candidate, garners enough support that a third, ideologically dissimilar or even opposite, candidate can win without a majority. For example, in the 2014 Maine gubernatorial general election, Democratic nominee Mike Michaud received 43.4% of the vote, while independent candidate Eliot Cutler received 8.4%. Because Cutler's issue positions (e.g., pro-choice, supportive of marriage equality, pro-union) aligned him more closely with Democrats than the Republican opponent, many have suggested that Cutler's participation in the election drew enough support away from Michaud to prevent what otherwise would have been a Democratic victory. As it was, Republican Paul LePage was elected with 48.2% of the vote, less than a true majority.

Vote-count systems that allow a candidate to win with merely a plurality (i.e., the greatest number of votes, but less than a majority) are vulnerable to spoiler effects. In response to apparent spoiler effects such as this one, and (as some have argued) Ralph Nader's impact on the 2000 U.S. presidential election, some reformers have advocated for the use of ranked-choice voting. In this episode, I talk with political scientists Jason McDaniel and Jack Santucci about the potential rewards--but also risks--associated with ranked-choice voting. The risks include ones that could be detrimental to the interests of low-income citizens, and less educated ones.

EPISODE LINKS
2013 Op-ed from Minnesota (Lawrence Jacobs & Joanne Miller)

2014 Op-ed from Minnesota (Jacobs & Miller redux)

FAQ on ranked-choice voting in Maine

A timeline of actions on ranked choice voting in Maine

William Poundstone's "Gaming The Vote"

Special Guests: Jack Santucci and Jason McDaniel.

Episode 13: Open, Bar None

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 05:00:00 -0400

According to the Brewers Association, in 1994, there were 537 brewpubs, microbreweries, and regional craft brewers in the U.S. In 2017, that number had risen to 6,266. Coast to coast, there's been an explosion in craft brewing, with brewers producing a delightful diversity of types of beer. But demographic diversity has been a different story. It's a story still being written, but it's still a different story.

In this episode of Tatter, I talk with J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, who has written about beer and was recently named the new Diversity Ambassador for the Brewers Association, and I also talk with Carla Jean Lauter, a Maine-based beer writer who has written under the name "The Beer Babe." We discuss the status of women and people of color in the craft beer industry.

I learned a lot from our conversation, including about the Pink Boots Society. Check out this episode. (Music in this episode is by Slavic Soul Party!, used by permission.)

Also, if you listen via iTunes, please post a review. I value feedback immensely--not as much as I value craft beer, but still immensely.

Special Guests: Carla Jean Lauter and J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham.

Episode 12: Strait and Narrow

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 05:00:00 -0400

Writing is important in many areas, and the sciences are no exception. Publications such as Nature offer guidance on such issues as when to use past tense and when to use present tense. In these contexts, grammar is more than something for the Grammar Police to enforce. It matters substantively, as it shapes how assertions are understood by readers and listeners. These effects matter for understanding policy, because research in the sciences can potentially inform sound policy judgment, at least in my happy fantasyland where leaders actually pay attention to relevant science.

In this episode, my guest (linguist Conor Quinn) and I explore grammar and some of its impact on how people make claims, in English, and beyond.

Highlights

--Conor sounds smart (because he is)
--I pay a compliment to some psychologist friends of mine, but then I take it all back
--I tell two Mitch Hedberg jokes (poorly)
--I paint another comedian in an unfavorable light, but only gently so
--I paint yet another pair of comedians in a favorable light
--I probably make too many references to standup comedy (but I do love it when it's good)

Special Guest: Conor Quinn.

Episode 11: Magic Carpet Ride

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 16 May 2018 05:00:00 -0400

Lucas St. Clair is famous (or, for some, infamous) for leading the successful effort to persuade former U.S. President Barack Obama to designate 87,500 acres in northern Maine as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Now, St. Clair is running for Congress in Maine's Second Congressional District. As a follow-up to the "I-95 Northernmost" episode of Tatter, in which St. Clair was discussed and briefly quoted, this episode features the entirety of my interview with him.

Special Guest: Lucas St. Clair.

Episode 10: I-95 Northernmost

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 14 May 2018 05:00:00 -0400

Maine political writer Al Diamon (The Daily Bulldog and The Forecaster) and political scientist Amy Fried (University of Maine and The Bangor Daily News) discuss Maine's Second Congressional District, the district's pivot from Democratic presidential candidates to Donald Trump, and the upcoming election of its representative to the U.S. House. The episode ends with an excerpt from a recent interview with Democratic candidate Lucas St. Clair, an interview that will be the basis of the next episode of Tatter.

Special Guests: Al Diamon and Amy Fried.

Episode 9: Just Another Word

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Fri, 04 May 2018 06:00:00 -0400

As in previous years and decades, the freedom of exchange of ideas and freedom of inquiry on college campuses are subjects of debate. In this episode, Sargent talks with legal and literary theorist Stanley Fish (author of, among other things, "There's No Such Thing As Free Speech, and It's a Good Thing, Too") as well as Bates College classicist Margaret Imber.

Special Guests: Margaret Imber and Stanley Fish.

Episode 8: A Thinking Debater's Guide to the AR-15

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 09:00:00 -0400

The AR-15 style rifle is famous or infamous, depending on whom you ask. Celebrated by some as "America's Rifle," it is also notorious for its use in multiple mass shootings. For any of us inclined to engage in debates about access to the AR-15, especially if we debate gun enthusiasts who use and know the weapon, it behooves us to be informed. Preparing this podcast allowed me to learn more, particularly (though not exclusively) through my conversation with John Ismay, a New York Times reporter. I invite you to listen if you're curious.

(Special thanks to the Bates College Digital Media Studios, and especially Colin Kelley.)

Special Guest: John Ismay.

Episode 7: Rising Tide

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 05:00:00 -0500

Seth Masket is Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver, and Director of DU's Center on American Politics. He contributes to Vox's Mischiefs of Faction, and has contributed to The Monkey Cage, FiveThirtyEight, Politico, and The New York Times.

Click here to read Masket's article about a simple forecasting model that augurs well for Democrats in the midterm elections.

Special Guest: Seth Masket.

Episode 6: 2012

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 05:00:00 -0500

Social critic Cornel West has called President Barack Obama a neoliberal (among other things), and he's not meant it as a compliment. West appears to have been frustrated that Obama was not a forceful advocate of left-wing populism. These criticisms led me (your humble podcast host) to wonder if such an Obama would have been a one-term president. Julia Azari, of Marquette University, Christopher Federico, of the University of Minnesota, and Vincent Hutchings, of the University of Michigan, political scientists all, chatted with me about these and related issues. I revised my opinion on the question after talking to them. I wonder if you will too. Give it a listen.

Special Guests: Christopher Federico, Julia Azari, and Vincent Hutchings.

Episode 5: Nonstandard

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Wed, 20 Dec 2017 10:00:00 -0500

According to Fordham University law professor John Pfaff, the U.S. has experienced substantial growth in incarceration rates over the past several decades, and now has a higher incarceration rate than all other industrialized countries, and virtually all countries in general. He says that there is a "standard story" that attempts to explain why incarceration is so prevalent in the U.S. That story points to such factors as longer sentences, the "War on Drugs," and private prisons. According to Pfaff, these are indeed problems, but they are relatively minor contributors to the high levels of U.S. incarceration. In this interview (and in his book) he describes the factors that his data indicate are actually central, and also describes possible reforms.

(Special thanks to the Bates College Digital Media Studios, and especially Colin Kelley)

Special Guest: John Pfaff.

Episode 4: Multifunctional

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Hannah Harleen lives in South Portland, Maine, and is a former radio personality and burlesque performer. She performed as Vera Velvet in the Voulez-Vous Burlesque company of Portland. We talk about burlesque, commercial stripping, pears, a vice-principal, boobs, and more.

Special Guest: Hannah Harleen.

Episode 3: Sugar, Pt. 2

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 10:00:00 -0500

Heidi Sawyer leads the Lewiston Rocks Facebook group and website. She agreed to sit for a lengthy conversation, and these excerpts constitute Part 1 of what I'm posting. She was too interesting for just one episode.

Special Guest: Heidi Sawyer.

Episode 2: Sugar, Pt. 1

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 11:00:00 -0400

Special Guest: Heidi Sawyer.

Episode 1: Doughboy

profsargent@gmail.com (Michael Sargent) — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 12:00:00 -0400

Thomas "Bummah" Gurney is a local musician in the community I now call home. He is famous locally (or, in some quarters, infamous) for such songs as "Dirty Lew" (https://youtu.be/6YTkxr3j2HQ) and "Infested" (https://youtu.be/N_H37tgk4Vo). I had so much fun interviewing him that I decided to feature him in the first episode of this new podcast. We talk about Lewiston/Auburn, his music, and his story. Welcome to Tatter.

Special Guest: Thomas "Bummah" Gurney.