Ross Douthat and Ezra Klein on the Art of Persuasion
Summary
Ezra Klein interviews Ross Douthat as he transitions from The New York Times to 60 Minutes. They reflect on the early blogosphere’s conversational culture versus today’s fragmented media landscape. Douthat discusses his experience writing conservative columns for liberal outlets and analyzes the shift from religious conservatism to a post-Christian, populist right.
Topics discussed
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Introduction: Ross Douthat's move to 60 Minutes
Douthat's early career at The Atlantic
The rise of political blogging post-9/11
The conversational nature of early blog culture
Retrospective on the McCain vs. Obama campaign
Writing for liberal audiences as a conservative
The shift in Republican Party demographics
The decline of social conservatism and the rise of populism
The post-Christian right and pagan politics
Christianity's decline and the search for strength
National greatness conservatism vs. Trumpism
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The rise of Catholicism in right-wing intellectual circles
Post-Christian spirituality on the left
Human dignity and the critique of AI
The state of media and the value of interviewing
60 Minutes' goals and the shift to video/orality
Journalism on UFOs and AI uncertainty
Book recommendation: Speak Memory by Nabokov
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