Joe Biden

Yet Another Shady, Hypocritical Document Hoarder

Plus: The editors field a listener question on college admissions and affirmative action.

|

In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Peter Suderman, and Nick Gillespie consider the revelation that, like former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden also had a stash of classified documents in his private office and residence.

0:23: President Biden also had classified materials in his house

10:35: House GOP introduces the Curriculum Review of Teachings, or CRT, Transparency Act

31:33: Weekly Listener Question:

I have long held what I consider to be a libertarian position on college admissions and affirmative action: that private colleges ought to be able to control their own admissions policies and that those who don't like those policies can seek admission elsewhere. I am somewhat surprised that I do not find any libertarians making this argument. It seems to me that if the Supreme Court makes a determination that affirmative action is illegal, as well as other types of arguably discriminatory admissions policies such as preferences for alumni and attempts to achieve geographic diversity in the student body, then we are in for a tsunami of lawsuits in which every damn college applicant in the country who is turned down by her top college pick will argue that she was the victim of discrimination. Where does it end? I'm an alumnus of Wesleyan University. I always accepted that racial diversity is a laudable goal in assembling a student body, as is geographical diversity (although I read recently that a desire for geographic diversity is just a scheme to keep out Jews; I didn't know I was antisemitic), or a distribution of interests in the arts versus the sciences, or a wide variety of extracurricular activities. So it touched my heart when today's New York Times ran a headline, "If Affirmative Action Ends, College Admissions May Be Changed Forever," with a picture of my dear old alma mater, Wesleyan. What does the panel think? By what logic are the details of private college admissions policies a matter for the courts? How does the Constitution say that the courts need to make these decisions? How did we get here? And again, where will it all end?

47:21: This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"With Classified Documents, the Real Divide Is Between the Powerful and the Rest of Us," by J.D. Tuccille

"Biden Looks Careless, Shady, and Hypocritical After the Revelations About His Handling of Classified Material," by Jacob Sullum

"Like Trump, Biden Had a Private Stash of Secret Documents, but It Was Much Less Impressive," by Jacob Sullum

"The Redacted Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Sheds Light on the FBI's Concerns and Trump's Defense," by Jacob Sullum

"Corey DeAngelis: How COVID Has Changed the Face of Education Forever," by Nick Gillespie

"Florida All in for Assault on Academic Freedom," by Keith E. Whittington

"Chris Rufo's Battle To 'Stop Woke'," by Zack Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie

"Time To End Affirmative Action? Live With David Bernstein and Kenny Xu," by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie

"Want To Stop School Book Battles? Give Parents Real Choice in Education," by Nick Gillespie

Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsor:

  • When you're at your best, you can do great things. But sometimes life gets you bogged down, and you may feel overwhelmed or like you're not showing up in the way that you want to. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of you. Because when you feel empowered, you're more prepared to take on everything life throws at you. If you're thinking of giving therapy a try, BetterHelp is a great option. It's convenient, flexible, affordable, and entirely online. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. If you want to live a more empowered life, therapy can get you there. Visit BetterHelp.com/roundtable today to get 10 percent off your first month.

Audio production by Ian Keyser

Assistant production by Hunt Beaty

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

What are we consuming this week?

Katherine Mangu-Ward

Peter Suderman

Nick Gillespie