>> cox, support c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving a front front row seat to democracy. >> actor and comedian jon stewart joined other advocates for a roundtable discussion to highlight veterans who are battling disease after being exposed to toxins particularly a massive it's used to burn trash in iraq and afghanistan. watch the hearing tonight at eight eastern on c-span2, online at c-span.org or watch full coverage on her new video app, c-span now. >> it's time for our spotlight on podcasts segment and joining us this week, matthew sitman, the cohost of the know your enemy podcasts. thanks for joining us. >> thank you so much for having. i'm excited to be here. >> how would you describe your podcast to other people? >> our tagline is if the left is

guides concert movement, one episode at time, and really it's a show i cohost with when my great friends sam edward bell and we both left us. we both describe yourself a socialist of some kind. we are coming at this from the left unapologetically but what we do is c we try to provide god faith, in-depth episodes about various aspects of conservative movement are going on. host: what convinced you this wasguest: we did think there i't anything quite like it out there. we are very critical of the ideas and political movements we examine. we try to be good faith about it. we try to expand on their ideas, explain what's going on in a way that even the people we are

talking about would recognize. sometimes we have conservative guests on the show. we thought there wasn't anything quite like it. we just decided to follow our own instincts. it's a pretty nerdy podcast. our listeners really get into the in depth conversations we have, the guests we have, the books we examine and talk about. it's a kind of unique podcast in that sense. what we try to do is hopefully refreshing. host: i am curious about the title. how did that come about? guest: we get that question all the time. it's very tongue-in-cheek. in part, we are referencing the german jurist carl schmidt, who is experiencing a revival on the right.

his idea was politics was about wrens and enemies. we are kind of making a joke on that. also, as a christian, we are taught to love our enemies. we are taught to love our enemies and the thing to enemies you have to know them. as a christian i still stand by the title of the podcast. >> just for our audience you are also associate editor at something called commonweal magazine. what is that? >> commonweal magazine is a 96-year-old magazine published by lay catholics, template described as as a liberal or progressive minded catholic publication. been an editor about six years and i'm really grateful that my colleagues they let me do the podcast. it's a great magazine and partly what i do on the podcast comes from the work i do as an editor, late edited catholic publication, meaning some of the episodes we've done on the catholic -- or berries kind of species of right-wing

catholicism. those are things i probably take up more on because the work i do at the magazine, too. those parts of my work kind of work together i think. perceptif the conservative movement that you and your cohost had going into developing it and because of doing it you have had them changed? guest: i am in conservative. i grew up a young conservative when i was in college. i was very involved in the conservative movement, especially its more intellectual wing. i knew the movement from the inside. i haven't been surprised by what i have encountered. i can say this, there are very interesting ideas to explore. there were intellectuals who even if i think they are wrong, i think doing the podcast is a

reminder that people can have good reasons for things they believe then, even if you strongly disagree with them. we get in trouble sometimes for being too empathetic. i also think the podcast is an exercise in trying to understand the minds of other people. that i think is one thing people find refreshing about the show. we don't pull our punches. during the show has reminded us that people have reasonable justification for their views sometimes. what's behind the point of view could be interesting and fascinating. host: our guest with us until 10:00, if you want to ask questions, (202) 748-8000 four

democrats. (202) 748-8001 republicans, (202) 748-8002 guest: independent voters. most of our episodes are about the conservative movement in some capacity. we've done episodes on william f buckley, the founder of national review. he ran for mayor of new york city in 1965. we had his biographer on it. other times, we will do something more topical like the catholic integral lists. critics of the 6019 project. we do have guests on. we have had the newer times columnist on it. we had sam goldman on. recently, we had nate hoffman.

he figured into an essay my cohost wrote about the new generation of young intellectuals on the right. we try not to just talk about conservatives. we want to talk with them. host: what issues do you have with the conservative movement? guest: go down the list. pretty much every substantive political point of view, we are coming at it from a different perspective. i would say in particular, one thing we focus on has been it's been more prominent, the troubled relationship to what i call multiracial democracy.

we picked up on the anti-democratic tendencies of the right and what their ideas were giving them permission to do. as the trump presidency skidded toward its end and we saw what happened on january 6, those became part of our critique of what's happening on the right. that's not just about different policies, what you think the highest tax rate should be or what you believe about trade or how we should govern or break up big tech. identifying the troubled relationship to democracy was something that transcends those issues and gets to the heart of the perpetuation of our system. host: it goes more to philosophy and stems out to specific things? is there a way to boil down the conservative philosophy? guest: there is a wonderful

definition. we like to use it on the show, i am paraphrasing here. they believe there are those the law protects. there are people the law binds but does not protect. basically what it means, i think a lot of what we are trying to get out on the podcast is behind the conservative philosophy is a view of who should count in our system. who deserves the protections of the law and who falls outside those boundaries. the title, who is in and who is out. that is our biggest right, is ta restrictive definition of who should count in our political

community end be afforded the rights and privileges of that. we have seen a lot of -- and

i listen and i never really say anything. one of the things i was listening to on c-span, today listening on c-span about the board andus it just sort of sumd up my feelings about american conservatives these days. they wereon talking about the border is out of control.

they are letting undocumented people come into the country but over the last 40 years american corporations and american employers were dragging these poor people across the border in order to find very cheap labor and undermine the american wage and labor standards. i mean, that is just one of the things that basically, but i'm going to be, you know, reading a lot more about this because, you know, i guess you could say i am ayo socialist. matt sitman, go . guest: well, you know, it is interesting, he mentioned coming from a rust belt town, working in a factory. that is kind of where i grew up. i grew up in central pennsylvania, from a working-class, blue-collar family. i grew up conservative, as i mentioned. i am kind of an ex-conservative.

what i'm trying to find some sort of empathy or good faith engagement with people, because i used to hold these different beliefs, i think that is possible. and also, because of where i grew up, i think trump had some appeal, actually. i understand people who work and live in some of these towns that have been gutted by our trade policies, by the decisions of major corporations and financial players in our country. i understand people are struggling and why they may look for alternatives. that is one of the reasons why, you know, i was a big bernie sanders supporter. i thought he offered take constructive solution to what trump was offering. so the caller said he is a socialist, and i am, too, but i think that if the alternative to

what we have now. people are looking for scapegoats, and there are plenty of politicians to offer them. one of the things we do on the show is explain why that is happening and offer an alternative way of thinking about it, a more constructive and helpful way of thinking about these problems. host: let's go to illinois, independent line. let's hear from bill. caller: go ahead. good morning. caller: good morning. [no audio] caller: the nazis were natural socialists. what happened in the soviet union works communism. what happened and is happening in china is communism. 100 million people in the 20th

century died at the hands of hard-core socialists, and people say well, the question is not conservativism, the question is liberty. and my last that i do, i encounter many people from cuba, from venezuela, romania, ukraine, soviet union, and they are terrified of what they see here, because what they saw in their countries, what made them leave their countries was a lack of liberty. and the problem is, socialism, it is not simply an economic system, it is a system of the repression of liberty, and until you can explain to 100 million people of the 20th century, i would say, to me, it falls on

deaf ears. host: ok, that is built in illinois. guest: i don't have a lot to say to that, but his thing about focusing on liberty is interesting, because one of the things i find that, you know, drives my political and economic abuse is the profound sense that a lot of people are not that free in the united states. meaning if you are totally hemmed in by miserable wages, a terrible job, how free are you? if you can't go to the hospital if you are sick, how free are you? what kind of life the people have? freedom to me is not just being left alone, it is not just the absence of constraint, it is actually the conditions in which people, or people, can use their god-given talent and abilities and live creative and decent lives that's not totally hemmed in by, you know, by necessity and want. so i actually hold the political views i do, i think, because of

my understanding of freedom, that a lot of people in the united states, they might be, you know, formerly free -- formerly free, but what kind of ricer they actually have? that is one thing i would say that caller. host: in indianapolis, democrats line. caller: thank you for taking my call. what does he think about an issue that happened in 1988, and how that has precipitated the rise of right wing media in this country and the rise of total brainwashing of people because of all the misinformation that is spewed every day on right wing media, talk radio, fox news, oann, and all of these other channels

because of that event in 1988. guest: thank you, caller. that is a great question. it is one that we discussed at length on the show. we had on an author who specifically wrote about right-wing media, and i asked about the fairness doctrine. it turns out it is pretty complement -- complicated. they thought they could actually use it to get decent time, so to speak. they fight no, we want to keep this, because we can use this as a weapon against the "liberal media." but also, rush limbaugh, it turns out, it is actually pretty complicated. he was a syndicated radio host before it was repealed. we are not sure exactly how much the repeal of the fairness doctrine actually led to his rise. more broadly, we can talk about

how something like the fairness doctrine should be reinstated or how effectively it was used at the time, but i do want to say that is something you hear a lot is actually pretty complicated. i think the forces that are behind something like, you know, the disinformation by fox news about vaccines, the pandemic more broadly, i am not sure you can pin all of that on the fairness doctrine -- or the repeal of it. host: who are all those other, you know, people that people point to, as far as the key, you know, shapers of the conservative movement? caller: sure. well, this is something we try to think through on the show. you have more popular radio hosts, fox news hosts, like rush limbaugh, and then you have more highbrow, intellectual thoughts, like the national review.

but you see that bill buckley was a big fan of rush limbaugh's. the national review has given rush limbaugh awards. we make a decision between highbrow and low-brow, but sometimes the line blurs. some of these distinctions we like to make, or we like to quarantine out the intellectualist from the more popular figures, that is not quite the right way of thinking of it. host: here is sean in new york on the republican line. go ahead. sean from new york, are you on? caller: yes, i am here. host: go ahead. caller: how are you both doing this morning? host: fine. go ahead. caller: i am just curious, like the previous caller from

illinois setting, he has known people from socialist and communist countries come here and that they are scared. i kinda find that myself with some of my friends who lived under communism and socialism. i am just wondering, have you ever been to a communist or socialist country yourself and seen the plight of the people? also, since you are in new york also -- i am in western new york -- are you aware of the bill that was on the floor quite a few years ago about new york being its own entity? because new york is basically a divided state, almost like a virginia and west virginia. would you think of new york city being its own entity would be a good thing? when you look we'd probably be a red state. thank you both >> guest: i'm interested in the callers idea that if you take out new york city then new york state would be a red state .

why would we do that? is there a sense that people who live in new york city aren't real americans? or are so different than people in other parts of the state, we can't be part of the same political entity ? i'm really intrigued by the e callers sense of reaction to living in new york city but i'm not a real new yorker and there's something suspicious of that the two should live together in the same state. >> host: that was sean in new york. connecticut isnext. maria from new haven, democrats line . >> caller: good morning mister tilden and mister host. i'm so sorry i forgot your name. >> host: it's okay, you're on with that but go ahead. >> i'm going to be very candid with my comments because i appreciate your refreshing manner of opening

up dialogue for discussion about scsuch a difficult moments that we're all living through as americans. i love history. i look back at history and i observe history repeating itself. an era of mccarthyism. i see so many parallels and similarities of that era occurring in modern-day political society. there's always a undercurrent beneath the messages that are put out there on the surface.

for instance, january 6. there's a spin on that from so many different angles of, it wasn't that bad. bullshit, excuse my french. how can anyone not consider the dangerous occurrence of that day? now as time comes and goes, there's more and more being revealed about the conservative movement and its rights with power and money. >> host: caller, we will leave it there and for future callers watch the language as you engage with our guess what mister sitman go ahead. >> guest: what is interesting is the just mentioned mccarthyism. n we can see from some of the colors from the republican line how often the fact that

i'm a democratic socialist and i'm on the left. that's always been talking about . cuba this, cuba that. have i been to a socialist country, that's all they're talking about and what does that mean? they're not talking about anything i've said about economic policy. are not talking about anything democrats want to do. they didn't talk about anything bernie sanders proposed. it's a scare tactic. it's a red scare and i think we are seeing the rise of the term socialism or marxist or the way they tried to tie say critical race theory to scary socialism and marxism stuff in a bad sense. the caller put her finger on something which is that it is kind of a moral panic and the term socialist often gets thrown around to say you're

not really american. you're not really patriotic. you are alien, you are other, you are dangerous. therefore as the caller mentioned earlier, you're far outside the bounds of political decency and being worthy of respect as a citizen. the caller said i shouldn't even be in the same status and because i live in new yorkcity. we couldn't ask for a better example of what the caller was just getting . >> host: but you said that there's somehow two sides in formats like yours to gain understanding of each other do you think that's possible ? >> yes because to be honest, with someone like ross coming on the podcast or even our friend hoffman glenn mentioned earlier. i know them. my sam those two a little bit

and it's not like we come to agreements or cash things out and figure things out and it's all everything's great but shopefully at the least if you have a respectful and intelligent conversation with someone you disagree with the elements where you really do disagree or the precise nature of your disagreement can be clarified and i think that's still worthwhile to figure out where and how and why we disagree. it's better than just screaming at each other. >> in the world of politics mister sitman what you think doabout the term moderate and i only bring it up because one of the discussions in the senate side is joke mansion and constantly being referred to as a moderate when it comes tothings like go back better what do you think about that term on either side these days ? >> i hit the term moderate because i think it's useless. does it mean you're in the middle on every issue? on economics, on owsocial and cultural issues. you're just in the middle or doesn't mean you have one left-wing.

and one way toview when it comes to two rissues . it's just useless .it doesn't mean anything. it's just something the press likes to use when theythink mesomeone's being responsible . but mansion for example is the opposite of a moderate politician, he's a radical. not taking action on climate change right now is a radical position. this consigning millions and millions of people to a horrible fate on this planet . neso to me it's like well, wha is moderate, what is radical ? sometimes being radical is actually the sensible policy because it's responding to the particular needs of the moment. there's no right answer, no a priority moderation you can have. it depends on what needs to be done. the crisis actually facing the country and the proposals being discussed to meet those needs. or>> you talk about your support of bernie sanders and i wanted to get your assessment of the biden administrationand president biden as president .

>> i think like a lot of people i went in with high hopes and it's been frustrating. i try not to be totally pessimistic or negative. biden has done some things like he's appointing judges at very high rates. he did pass the infrastructure bill. he has done some things that i'm glad he's done and certainly i think a more responsible igenerally speaking president then president from what obviously, i'm disappointed more has been done. and i especially would have liked to see a kind of fullbore bill back better package pass . so you know, i could answer a particular question about biden but it's been a real mixed bag. i think he's totally dropped the ball the past few months of the pandemic. the testing situation in particular has just been baffling to me what is it ministration is doing. the press secretary laughing at the idea that we would

just mail tests to americans when that's one of the most simple policy ideas that could have happened and now they're backtracking on it. and buying millions more tests s. >> host: though voting rights issue with thepresident and pthe democrats controlling both the house and senate ? >> i'm glad you mentioned m that because in particular what i mentioned about our podcast concern was the kind of state of american democracy, not to sound too dramatic about it but those were to me some of the biggest reasons to vote for biden and support democrats in general. the hope was they could actually come into office and implement reforms when it comes to voting rights, people's access to the ballot and not just that but the way we count the votes. i mean, reforming the electoral contact. these are pressing issues because not only did donald

trump try to steal 20/20 elections, it's clear that the fact that he supposedly had that election stolen from them is not an article of faith on the right and there clearly planning and plotting to do it again ceif they have to checks. they're replacing state after state replacing officials that stood up to donald trump. we anyone with eyes to see can see what's happening and heso i think the failure to secure american democracy, waiting a year into his presidency to give a speech about it, that's been very disappointing. >> let's go to bob, pittsburgh pennsylvania republican line . >> you mentioned undocumented illegals, is now in new york a puerto rican ñwhite woman. isn't there threatening people, this is happening in every democrat city which is also socialists doing this. and the doj came out and 97 percent of blacks are being

killed by blacks so you support that, right? i guess that's one of the things you support . asian people, 80 to 90 percent are attacked byblacks . are the racists in this country, white people or black people? >> host: we will leave it to the caller to respond. >> i don't have anything to say to racist trash like that . >> florence kansas, independent line. >> caller: how are you today? >> host: you are on with our guest. >> caller: if i make comments about c-span before i get to the question.i am so grateful for this channel and more importantly for not only your host but washington journal which allows everybody to comment. so thank you very much. i previously have been a 20 year radio host of a similar broadcast chthat allowed

everyone in. so it's wonderful to have you here. now, let's get to it. [laughter] >> host: i apologize caller, i thought you were done or lost the signal. iapologize as well . lonnie from north carolina, democrat line. >> caller: top of the morning to you guys. i'm kind of confused about this crt, critical race theory because a lot of people talk about it especially on the conservatives on the right. they always talk about it but i've got three things here. want to see if this is a race.. from my understanding they don't want little white boys for a little white girls to feel sad in the classroom about certain history but let's take a look. wendy jesus was born there were three magi came and

scripture called them foreigners, will america take that up because white people did it and there were immigrants that came to see the baby jesus or will they take out this part where there was a black man that had christ carry his cross to his death. with a take that out because there were no white people or will they take out where the white people did put forms on his head, put spikes in his hands and feet and pierced him in his side? which one do you think that once they get their way, they will start taking things out of the bible because they don't want little white boys or white girls to be sad. >> host: i will leave it there. you can respond if you wish. >> i think it's useful to remember that when it comes to critical race theory which is all whole topics f, it's, what's interesting about critical race theory is sometimes that it isn't about making individual people feel

bad for looking for the hint of racism in someone's heart. it's about more objective structural material, identifiable, measurable impacts on african-americans and others in the united states that come from policies . that come from designs just about what people feel what what people in governments have done. so it's actually that's one of the things that they're always acting like it's about making what people feel that that's always been confusing to me and the caller is right, who knows where they're going to end up when it comes to , we say they're trying to get books out of schools now in states across the country whether it's from toni morrison's beloved to the books to deal with lgbt issues and a sensitive and inclusive way. thesepeople are coming for our books . they're taking them out of our libraries. they want to give parents a beat on anything their kids can't read or study in school. it's really quite alarming what's happening.

in schools and libraries across the country. >> we have of you are asking about i guess because you talk about your religious belief and here's a question. this is robert from twitter saying i'd be interested in his assessment of the rights mischaracterization of christian principles. >> that's a big question but i think i can just say that my left-wing political convictions are very much related to my christianity. i don't think necessarily that christians, being a christian means you have to have a 141 political views down the line. i think there are different ways christians can be faithful christians and our political life but that said, to me it's quite clear that the overwhelming burden of the gospels is to teach us how to love one another. to care for the widows, the sick, the stranger, the

migrant. the people in need, the least among us and whatever else you take from what i read of the bible and the gospels in particular, that is clearly there andfothat informs my political views . and you know, so i guess if other christians haveother political views would want to argue or debate me about that or i'm very comfortable doing that . i'm also a big fan of pope francis who when you read his documents and his messages, he's a critic of trickle-down economics, the way we treat migrants and strangers of the way where indifferent to so many people struggling around this from the young and weak to the old and needy to people we justjudon't even get our time to. it's not just about money. caring for one another in a broader sense . so yes, my christian convictions and d amy politica views are very to my. >> this will be from ray in

syracuse new york, republican line. >> the morning, i'll be short and sweet. mister seven, you do not know your enemy. i know this because i know from supporters and truck trunk voters. i know more about them than you ever will. i know who they are. and anyone who can be convinced that those people are criminal or violent are fools. you do not know these people. therefore you do not know your enemy. now, i don't care to engage in any other talk about it. you don't know them. >> host: stay on the line because i want to see if you doesn't want to engage you, go ahead. >> guest: i do actually. i have family members who voted for trump. they are not all violent criminals, i don't know where you got that at all but over

70 percent county that went for trump in the 20/20 election, i know lots of from supporters . i love trump supporters. i would not call them all violent criminals. course maybe voted for the wrong person and hold beliefs si wish they wouldn't but no, i think the caller is not correct about that assumption . >> host: from syracuse, in response? >> caller: i'm just taking your words as you said. obviously i'm not stupid. i don't think you're saying 100 percent but i'm telling you if those people displayed that behavior on january 6 were not trump supporters. they were not there for trump . they were there for a different purpose, their own purpose and anyone who thinks that those people in any way represent trump, their fools. >> host: that's ray for mister new york, mister sitman you can have a follow-up.

>> guest: the sad fact is they went to a rally at which trump spoke. he told them to march on the capital. he told them to fight. he toldtethem to take their country back and that's what they did . they listened to trump and trump stood by as they did what they did. >> host: mister sitman, how can people find yourpodcast and what do you have plans for upcoming programs ?>> guest: i want to say they can find us on all channels. apple podcast, stitcher, spotify. we haven't mentioned the sponsor of the podcast. they've been great to work with so out to our friends at dissent but you can support the podcast on patreon. that's a know your enemy and in terms of upcoming episodes we just dropped one on the branch davidian who died just after christmas.

we will talk about her life and career, early conservatism so that's just out. and we have lots of great episodes coming up and as things unfold in these crazy times you can keep an eye on that too. so you know, check us out if you want more commentary from the left that pays attention to what's going on on the right . >> the podcast is know your enemy, mister sitton thanks for your time. >> it's a pleasure to be with you. >> along with these other television providers, giving you proceed to democracy.

>> american history tv saturdays on c-span2 exploring the people and events that tell the american story. at 10 am eastern what an event marking the 30th anniversary of justice thomas's confirmation to the us supreme court. justice thomas is going by senate minority leader mitch mcconnell reflecting on his time in the court and at 2 pm eastern on the presidency a look at the herbert hoover presidential library and museum with alan huber the third, great-grandson of herbert hoover. talks about how the presidential library will evolve in the coming years exploring the american story , watch american history tv saturday on c-span2 and find a full schedule in your programguide or watch online anytime . >>. >> book tv every sunday features leading authors

discussing their latest nonfiction books. 9:15 p.m. eastern vanderbilt university professor michael eric dyson examined the impact of black culture and politics on the united states with his bookentertaining race , performing blackness inamerica and then at 10 pm eastern , theoretical physicist leonard malan talks about his book emotional, how feelings shake our thinking. he's interviewed by northeastern university professor lisa feldmanbarrett . what will tv every sunday. and find a full schedule program guide or watch online anytime@booktv.org . >> the senate banking committee held a confirmation hearing for lael brainard to be vice chair of the federal reserve and sandra thompson to be director of the financingcommittee . they were asked about monetary policy, inflation and ending the conservatorships of anime and freddie mac. this is 2 and a half hours.