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American Self-Loathing

Dick Meyer contends that, despite living in a time of national prosperity and relative peace, Americans are morally and existentially tired. In Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium, he diagnoses the problem and offers suggestions on how we can turn the tide of self-hate.

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How the US Lost its Moral Authority

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind explores how America lost its moral authority, leaving it acutely vulnerable to nuclear terrorism, in The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in an Age of Extremism. The book also includes a number of explosive disclosures about the Bush administration and the US intelligence community.

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Political Projections: The Wrong Man for the Job

Not all political candidates are created equal. Sometimes, the most successful ones are those who have taken part in the shady deals, compromise, and hypocrisy that have become too common in American politics. Joining Leonard to discuss how Hollywood has depicted far-from-ideal candidates are Connie Schultz, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist at The Cleveland Plain Dealer; and top media/campaign consultant Bill Hillsman, founder and president of North Woods Advertising.

You can watch the films we’ve selected and weigh in on the conversation by posting your reactions below. We may incorporate your comments into the on-air discussion.

Films we’ll discuss:

“The Best Man” (1964): Gore Vidal adapted his Broadway play, a biting and bitter political satire about the smear politics involved in a presidential election, for the silver screen. It stars Henry Fonda as a liberal do-good presidential candidate.

“The Candidate” (1972): Robert Redford stars in this satirical exploration of the machinations and manipulations of media-age political campaigns. Its cynical look at what a candidate will say to get elected is still relevant today.

“Bob Roberts” (1992): Tim Robbins starred in and directed this satire disguised as a documentary about a conservative Senate candidate who, beneath the surface, is actually a textbook case of cynicism and contempt.

EVENT! A Leonard Lopate Show FREE screening of “The Candidate”
Monday, August 4 at 7 pm
At the NEW Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, Brooklyn
16 Main Street (at Water Street)
RSVP to projections@wnyc.org
Check out pictures of the new Galapagos Art Space

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