A Few Reasonable Words

What does research tell us about the effects of presidential debates? Do they actually affect voters’ perceptions of the candidates? Do they affect election outcomes? What role does the media play in framing the debates? What role should it play? Are debates in their current format the best way to see presidential candidates in action? How should a smart voter approach the presidential debate spectacle? For more episodes, check out our website. http://Afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

Do candidates really intend to follow through with their campaign promises? Do they actually follow through? When they don’t, why don’t they? Are they lying to us, or are they unable to fulfill promises due to circumstances outside of their control? Regardless of whether they keep their promises, do we actually believe them? How can we responsibly evaluate them? For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

Ep. 8: Is there more to political communication than truth and lies? We consider Harry Frankfurt’s famous essay, “On Bullshit” and expand our repertoire for discussing falsehoods. We then apply these definitions to the elephant in the room, the 2016 presidential campaign. For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

This week, we ask: What is the case for voter id laws? What is the case against them? Who do they affect disproportionately and why? For more episodes, check out our website. http://Afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

This week, we ask: Should we make it harder or easier to vote? We discuss the history of restrictions on voting in the US, ways that current law makes it harder or easier to vote, and the theoretical cases for a broader and narrower electorate. For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

This week, we ask: Are our elections are rigged? We provide evidence that they are not, and then discuss why that claim is a serious one, and how it gets confused with other, broader claims about advantages and disadvantages in American democracy. For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

Should primary elections be open to everyone? Should superdelegates be eliminated completely? Or are there good reasons for peer review of candidates for political office? How should we balance democratic legitimacy and quality control? This week we consider the case for party elites. For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

In this week's show, we look for clues in the Democratic Party platform about what may be changing in the Democratic party, what remains the same, and what all of that tells us about the relationship between the Bernie Sanders campaign and the Democratic establishment. Three political science professors can’t due the platform justice, so we do encourage everyone to check out the actual platform! For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

In this week's show, we look for clues in the Republican Party platform about what may be changing in the Republican party, what remains the same, and what all of that tells us about the relationship between the activist base and its unorthodox nominee. Three political science professors can’t do the platform justice, so we encourage everyone to check out the actual platform! For more episodes, check out our website. http://afrwpodcast.wordpress.com

In this, the inaugural episode of A Few Reasonable Words, three political scientists discuss political party platforms--their history and their purpose--and make the case that it's actually worth your time to read them.