episode 164

GOP Debate, SF U-Turn, Who is Chris Rufo?

The GOP presidential candidates took to the debate stage for a second time last night. Were any of them able to escape former president Donald Trump’s shadow? Rikki and Ravi sort through the substance of the discussion and take stock of the night’s winners and losers. San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced a new proposal to combat the city’s fentanyl epidemic: mandatory drug testing for welfare recipients. Why is the Democratic mayor, who’s running for reelection next year, taking a step to the right? Finally, Ravi and Rikki sit down with FIRE’s Nico Perrino to discuss the flaws of the work of Chris Rufo, one of the leading conservative voices on education.

SHOW NOTES

GOP Debate [00:43]

Fox slashes ad prices for second debate as primary turns into ‘snoozer’ (Semafor, 9/27/23)
The Republican debate is fake (VOX, 9/27/23)
Trump bets big on Michigan with rally on GOP debate night as UAW strike continues (NPR, 9/27/23)
The G.O.P. Debate Is Tonight. How Much Do You Know About the Race? (New York Times, 9/27/23)
The stage is set for the second GOP debate (Fox News, 9/27/23)
Can the Second G.O.P. Debate Amount to More Than a Race for Second Place? (New York Times, 9/27/23)
The winners and losers of the second Republican debate (Washington Post, 9/27/23)
Fact-checking the second Republican primary debate (Washington Post, 9/27/23)
Who Won the Debate? Rivals Struggle to Shine With Trump Offstage (New York Times, 9/27/23)
5 Takeaways From Another Trump-Free Republican Debate (New York Times, 9/27/23)
Big takeaways from the second Republican debate (Washington Post, 9/27/23)
Which Candidates Got the Most Speaking Time in the Second Republican Debate (New York Times, 9/27/23)
Conservatives, pundits name their winners and losers from 2nd GOP debate (Fox News, 9/27/23)
Trump fires back after GOP opponents take turns bashing him in Republican debate (Fox News, 9/27/23)

SF U-Turn [15:33]

San Francisco Mayor Calls for Mandatory Drug Testing for Welfare Recipients (National Review, 9/27/23)
A seismic shift to the right in San Francisco (Politico, 9/27/23)
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces cuts to police in new city budget (ABC 7, 7/31/20)

Who Is Chris Rufo? [29:00]

Right-Wing Activist Christopher Rufo Became the One Thing He Claims to Hate (The Daily Beast, 9/23/23)
What Happens When a Carnival Barker Writes Intellectual History (The Atlantic, 8/4/23)
Chris Rufo’s dangerous fictions (VOX, 9/10/23)
How Chris Rufo Became the Thing He Hates (Reason, 7/21/23)