Tatter

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.