Virtually Speaking

Stuart Zechman (@stuart_zechman) and Jay Ackroyd (@jayackroyd) discuss the Walker recall and how it informs our understanding of liberalism in the 21st century, and the role of unions and the Democratic party in a post Taft-Hartley country.

Marcy Wheeler, investigative journalist blogs at emptywheel.net and tweets as @emptywheel.  David Waldman, known as KagroX, blogs at DailyKos and Congress Matters and tweets as @KagroX

Plus the Most Ridiculous Moment from Culture of Truth

Stephanie Kelton discusses Modern Monetary Theory with Jay Ackroyd. A Professor of Economics at University of Missouri, Kansas City, she blogs at New Economic Perspecitves:  http://bit.ly/LFG3bq

Follow @deficitowl @JayAckroyd

Host Tom Levenson talks with Chris Mooney about why Republicans get so much about the world wrong...and what to do about it.  A science and political journalist, blogger, podcaster, and experienced trainer of scientists in the art of communication, Chris is the author of four books, including the New York Times bestselling The Republican War on Science and most recently The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science and Reality (April 2012).

Tom posted a pre-quel at Inverse Square. Follow @TomLevenson @ChrisMooney_

For this VS Sunday special, Stuart Zechman talks with Paul Newell: New York Democratic District Leader, grassroots community organizer and reformer.  They'll talk about

Paul's history in politics and experience running for Assembly; his involvement with Downtown Independent Democrats (DID) and his role as (one of two) District Leader; some of the dynamics regarding his Occupy-supportive resolution ultimately passed by DID; his ideas, proposals and strategies on campaign finance reform; differences in perspectives between grass-roots, partisan Democrats and movement liberals.

Follow @NewellNYC @DIDNYC @StuartZechman

Next week we return to pairs from the regular Sunday Media Panel: Avedon Carol, Cliff Schecter, digby, Dave Dayen, David Waldman, Dave Johnson, Joan McCarter, Marcy Wheeler, Stuart Zechman + commentary from Culture of Truth.

Jay Rosen, professor of journalism at NYU

Recorded May 16, 2012

Host Tom Levenson (Inverse Square & Balloon Juice) talks with physicist and climatologist Michael E. Mann - currently director of the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University - is a co-founder and contributor to  RealClimate.org.

Mann was a Lead Author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001 and organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003.

Michael published Dire Predictions: Understanding Global Warming in 2008 and The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines, published in early 2012.

VS Science is produced in cooperation with MICA, the Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics.

Spocko and Mike Stark discuss activism in a three areas this month. First: Activists at shareholder meetings, with guest activist Aaron Krager. Does it work, how can it be made better, how does the MSM cover it? Second: Activists convinced 15 corporations to leave ALEC. Who made it happen? Third: Activists helping homeowners with guest Greg Basta discussing the new Home Defenders League.

Dave Johnson, a Fellow with Campaign for America's Future and a Senior Fellow with Renew California blogs at  Seeing the Forest Follow @DCJohnson

  DIgby writes primarily at Hullabaloo This week, she is guest blogging at Mother Jones, while Kevin Drum takes a break. Follow @digby56   We discuss the zombie B-S document, that will not die.  And the, Blue America candidates who need support.

Lisa Epstein Candidate for Clerk of Circuit Court, Palm Beach County. Lisa and Jay discuss mortgage foreclosure fraud, and the importance of progressives running in local elections. Follow @LisaForClerk