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01.10.15: Bearded Politicians, Jay Wexler, & How to Talk About Oregon

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In November, Paul Ryan stepped onto the floor of the US Capital sporting a beard, the first bewhiskered Speaker of the House in a century. On today’s show, has the beard boom hit Washington?  

Then, from Bill Clinton to Ben & Jerry--when campaign season hits, political surrogates come out of the woodwork. We'll find out who is stumping for whom, and why it matters.

Plus, after a group of anti-government activists took over an Oregon wildlife refuge last weekend, news outlets are struggling with how to identify them and their goals. We speak with a media reporter who says that in today's partisan, all-in media landscape, news reporters have an obligation to choose words carefully.

Listen to the full show. 

The History of Bearded Politicians

Will Paul Ryan's facial hair mark a new trend of politicians donning facial hair, or is this just a blip on the timeline of facial fashion?  Phil Edwardsis a video editor at Vox, where he also writes about ephemera - including the history of facial hair. 

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The History of Bearded Politicians

Surrogate Candidates

Here in New Hampshire, we're privy to some of the big-wig campaign surrogates out knocking on doors and shaking hands on behalf of presidential candidates - Boston Globe reporter Akilah Johnson joined us to talk about who is out stumping for whom, and why it matters: "Surrogates Play a Key Role in N.H. Politicking"

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Surrogate Candidates

Shirley Chisholm: The Politics of Principle

This election cycle is full of people claiming to be “political outsiders”, who are “taking on the establishment”.  In their series, Contenders, producers Joe Richman and Samara Freemark of Radio Diaries profiled one of the greatest political outsiders in recent memory – Shirley Chisholm.

You can listen to this segment again at PRX.org.

Jay Wexler

Jay Wexler, is a Boston University law professor and mastermind behind the @SCOTUSHUMOR twitter handle. Tuttle in the Balance is Wexler's new novel about the unhinged justice who may just be the vote that decides cases on school prayer, the establishment clause, and in the central case of the book's fictional term: Texas vs Sexy Slut Magazine.

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Jay Wexler

Life of the Law: Justices on the Move

In the early days of our nation's judiciary, being a justice on the highest bench in the land was a part-time job. When they weren't hearing Supreme Court cases in the capital, the justices worked as circuit court judges traveling thousands of miles all over the country to rule on lower court cases. Emily Gadek from the podcast Life of the Law explains the old and arduous days of circuit riding.

You can listen to this segment again at PRX.org.

How the Media is Talking About Oregon

News outlets are struggling with how to identify the group occupying a federal wildlife management office in eastern Oregon, along with what, exactly the group is doing.   It's a dilemma for traditional journalism that Paul Farhi outlines in his Washington Post article: "Terrorists? Freedom Fighters? Oregon Standoff Poses Quandary for Media."

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What the Media is Really Saying About Oregon

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