And the executive producer of the documentary all things bakelite which will be seeing a little clip from this evening. Bud micaterian awardwinning author and filmmaker whos currently doing research on leo bakerland and his journals and our moderator dr. Jeffrey michael professor of american studies at the university of texas at austin and the author of american plastic a cultural history. So please everybody join me in giving a great big march training house. Welcome to our guests this evening, please join us. It takes a moment for all them to get on camera and mike so here with us. Welcome and good evening, all of you. Thank you so much for being here with us tonight. Evening all the pleasure so jeff as our moderator when the time comes would you be so kind as to let me know when youd like me to come back up and help with the q a toward the end. I certainly do that. All right, i just like to add my welcome to everyone whos listening and also to say what an honor it is to be in this.
To welcome cspan again to politics and prose. It has added to cspan has added to our civil discourse and whatever bookstores you come to they are generally independent fast and cspan is really wonderful. I want to welcome tonight at 18. We are celebrating the publication of his book just plain dick. How many of you were around when the checkers speech was given . I am sure many people in the audience tonight will also the and statistically appropriate that this is the night before an election and this book is about the 1952 election and the context of the election, and kevin matson will tell us about it but theres a nice tradition in politics and prose of having wonderful stuff the night before the election. We were talking 12 years ago was the discussion of arguing the world which was the discussion with daniel bell or crystal irving, four years ago we had a new york review book and some of the contributors, Jonathan Friedman and others were talking about the problems whoever the new
Its not church, synagogue or a mosque. Im very pleased that our friends from cspan are here. So this will be broadcast at some point. Sooner than later, im sure. And they always do a great job and want to welcome cspan again to politicspoliticspolitics an cspan has added to century civil discourse, and whatever book stores you come to theyre generally independents, and cspan is really wonderful. I want to welcome tonight Kevin Mattson, and were celebrating the publication of his book just plain dick. How many of you were around when the checkers speech was given . And im sure many people in the audience tonight will also have been around in the tv audience. It is it brings back a lot of memories, and its particularly appropriate that this is the night before an election, and this book is about the 1952 election and america and the context of the 1952 election, and Kevin Mattson will tell us about it. Theres a nice tradition at politics and prose having wonderful stuff the night before
Coming up next on booktv encore booknotes from january 2000. Arthur herman discusses his book Joseph Mccarthy. Professor herman reassesses cart these legacy and argues the senator from wisconsin was justified in arguing there was a real communist threat inside the u. S. Government. This is about an hour. Cspan arthur herman, author of Joseph Mccarthy, why do you think we needed to reexamine the life and legacy of americas mosthated senator . Guest well, there are a couple of reasons. One is that we now know a lot more about the times and the context in which mccarthy had his political career and built his career of notoriety. We also know a lot more about joe mccarthy, the man, and about his own life. And what i wanted to do was to really put it together in a book that would give people a broad introduction, both to the period, but also to joe mccarthy, the man; to understand who he was, why he has the kind of tremendous rereputation and notoriety that he does and to understand where t
With us senior political analyst Mark Halperin. I was going to do a three thumb fight but willie wasnt up for it. Ill beat you that on any day. Msnbc analyst and visiting professor harold ford junior. Good morning. It was funny stuff last night. It was funny except its not fun funny. I guess he had to address all of David Lettermans jokes. I interviewed Chris Christie for my book coming up in may very seriously about his weight and about how much those jokes hurt him. I guess he felt he had to do that to sort of, you know, break the ice with letterman. What do you mean those jokes hurt him . They hurt his feelings. I want to see another clip and see how hurt he is . He handles it very well. Do you have family members who are also heavy . No. Im the guy. You are the guy. Im the guy. How is your health sxwlmpt if you went to a doctor today, what would the doctor say . Startlingly good. How is your cholesterol . My cholesterol is normal, believe it or not. Thats pretty good. What about yo