My 2 cents

Hi everyone – very sorry for the late chime-in. I did get through The Righteous Mind. I enjoyed it and thought it’s a great choice conceptually — really getting people to think about our divided politics from 50,000 feet instead of just diving into specific disagreements we have as a country. But it’s just difficult for me to seeing it be a successful choice. The length is certainly one issue, and it also feels like a book our students would get a lot more out of after a couple of years of college — maybe not quite ready at age 18. The Jim Lehrer debate book, on the other hand, is very accessible and I think would effectively 1) convey what the debate experience will be like while also 2) teeing up some interesting conversations in a good range of classes on questions that go beyond the policy issues in the election: What (literally) should we ask of our leaders? Should personal character matter in a president? What are the obligations of a citizen in evaluating candidates for office? Does the skill of answering questions in these kinds of debates translate into the skills needed to be a good president? What are the pros and cons of having presidential candidates questioned by professional journalists versus regular citizens? The book won’t be winning any Nobel Prizes for literature, but I think in the unique circumstances of the coming year, it’s a good choice. I’ll do my best to be there for a bit tomorrow but will need to run early to another meeting. My thanks to everyone.

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