Clown Car: 6/22/23

This week, Inez and I begin on the OceanGate tragedy, and the reaction to it. We have similar intuitions about the story, which is that society progresses through risk taking and pushing the frontiers of science and technology, and that often involves doing things that are risky and dangerous. One can’t both want a more dynamic civilization and then demand government regulation every time something goes wrong.

Ezra Klein wrote a recent op-ed on DeSantis’ latest book, and also had a podcast discussion about it with Carlos Lozada. Inez talks about her experience with the Tea Party, and I present my own, more jaundiced perspective of the movement and its motivations. We discuss the implications and meanings of Birtherism with the advantage of a decade of hindsight.

I ask whether Klein has a point about the lack of positive vision in the DeSantis campaign. Inez questions whether this is something you need to win, and I think the idea that you do has deep roots in American history. I argue that she may be more negative about American society than most other people are, but we come to an agreement that if DeSantis did actually come to power, there would be costs to trying to undertake radical change.

Listen here or watch on YouTube.

Links:

• CBS report making the trip to the Titanic six months ago

• Me on the relationship between commercial travel and scientific progress

• Klein op-ed on reading DeSantis’ book, podcast on the topic

• HW Brands, Heirs to the Founders