Some of you might remember friend-of-the-blog Larry Greenfield from the election, when the Obama campaign banned surrogates from debating him after he wiped the floor with the first few opponents. Others might recall him as the target of arguably the single dumbest smear in the history of the National Jewish Democratic Council - an impressive accomplishment given that the entire organization, to say nothing of NJDC Press Secretary Aaron Keyak, has the collective argumentative coherence and rhetorical acumen of a senile baboon.

In any case Larry now serves as a fellow at the Claremont Institute where, among sundry other responsibilities, he hosts their podcast BEDROCK With Larry Greenfield. Like the Institute itself, BEDROCK deals with the intersection of political philosophy, public discourse, and legislation.

He and I just wrapped up a series of interviews, with topics ranging from academia and conservative theory to Obama and anti-Israel diplomacy. Part I is now online, covering the conservative blogosphere, legacy journalism, and even a little bit about Mere Rhetoric. There are also extended digressions into a couple of specific controversies, and also a section on rhetorical theory. I'll post a reminder when the next sections - American domestic policy, the Jewish community, foreign policy, Middle East diplomacy, etc - get uploaded.

References:
* Obama Campaign Demands Ban On Republican Jewish Group, Escalates Thuggish Intimidation [MR]
* NJDC Tool Aaron Keyak Helpfully Illustrates How Liberal Activists Sneeringly Cocoon Themselves In Asinine Arguments And Dishonest Smears [MR]
* Democrats Outraged Over Jewish-Issues Poll Questions That Are... Umm... Demonstrably True [MR]
* NJDC: Biden Is Pro-Israel Because... Umm... Err... Because He Just Is OK? [MR]
* Bedrock: Omri Ceren Interview, Part 1 [Red County]

Related Mere Rhetoric Categories:
* American Politics
* Democratic Politics
* Jewish Politics