PBS: Think Tank: Related Programs for "Booking the Bench"

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Related Programs for:

Booking the Bench

Here are some previous Think Tank programs that may be of interest.

Whatever Happened to Socialism? (aired 6/13/2002)
The Twentieth Century has been called the Age of Ideology. One idea stands out as perhaps the most influential of all: Socialism. Some believe it is the most humane political idea ever invented, the key to peace and prosperity. Others accuse it of creating poverty and giving rise to the bloodiest regimes of the Twentieth Century. Did Socialism fulfill its promise? Perhaps most important, does Socialism still exist?

Newt: What’s Next? (aired 3/22/2001)
This week, Think Tank take sits down with one of the most important figures in the last decade of American political history, Newt Gingrich. Under his leadership, Republicans took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Along the way, Gingrich became one of the most loved and most despised of America's public figures. And while Gingrich left the House in 1998, his legacy remains. Republicans -- for the first time since the 1920's -- now control Congress for a fourth consecutive term. Think Tank talks to Gingrich about the politics of the last few years and of the years to come.

What’s on the Mind of the "Radical Middle"? (aired 2/1/2001)
This week, Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg talks to two dyed-in-the-wool policy wonks to find out what's on their agenda. Isabel Sawhill and Rudolph Penner are co-authors of "Updating Americaąs Social Contract: Economic Growth and Opportunity in the New Century," Together, they lay out an agenda for the "radical middle," arguing that politicians "seem more interested in a symbolic victory ... than in working to find common ground on substantive issues." Penner and Sawhill stake out that common ground and urge policy reforms to improve the safety net for the poor, shore up Social Security and Medicare, and foster productivity growth in the private sector. Leaving the politicians aside for a day, how would two policy wonks address America's most important domestic issues?

Will Conservatives Ever Be Happy? (aired 1/18/2001)
This week, Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg presents an inaugural week program on the future of conservatism. The Republican party has more political power than anytime in recent memory. For the first time since the early 1950’s, Republicans control both the presidency and Congress. They hold a majority of governorships and have the edge over the Democrats in state legislatures. But no one is talking about a conservative revolution this time. Where’s the exuberance? Are conservatives still wary of George W. Bush? And how will conservatism fare in the coming years?

What is Ronald Reagan’s Legacy? (aired 1/4/2001)
Think Tank with Ben Wattenberg visits the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. Reagan's presidency began amid the Iran hostage crisis and economic turmoil. When Reagan left in 1989, America was prosperous, and the Soviet Empire was in decline. But the intervening years were not without controversy and scandal. Who was Ronald Reagan, and what is the enduring legacy of his presidency?

Think Tank is made possible by generous support from the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the John M. Olin Foundation, the Donner Canadian Foundation, the Dodge Jones Foundation, and Pfizer, Inc.

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