Jeremy Rivkin and the evolution of empathy Ah...empathy. I think a highly developed sense of empathy is what defines us as liberals. I do not need to be a minority, or on food stamps or elderly to empathize with the struggles they have. I
May 20, 2012


Jeremy Rivkin and the evolution of empathy

Ah...empathy. I think a highly developed sense of empathy is what defines us as liberals. I do not need to be a minority, or on food stamps or elderly to empathize with the struggles they have. I can empathize with all sorts of people. But there appears to be an empathy gene missing from Republicans. Rather than imagining and empathizing with those who aren't as fortunate as they, Republicans treat them with suspicion and worse, contempt. How else can you explain their policies? Would that we could be the ones to ask questions of these guys. How I'd love to ask Paul Ryan of the real consequences of his budget plan. Is he prepared to let so many people suffer in the richest country in the world? Or Mitch McConnell, how does he feel about hurting so many children? Or John Boehner? Where in the world is their empathy?

ABC's "This Week" — Budget, debt ceiling: Reps. John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. Roundtable: George Will, Donna Brazile, Matthew Dowd, Gavin Newsom.

NBC's "Meet the Press" — Economy, elections 2012: Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Roundtable: Mayor of Newark, NJ, Cory Booker (D), Republican strategist Mike Murphy, CNBC's Jim Cramer, and the Wall Street Journal's Kim Strassel

NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune; Kathleen Parker, Washington Post; Liz Marlantes, Christian Science Monitor; John Heilemann, New York magazine. Topics: Jeremiah Wright returns -- will negative ads dominate 2012? America's Non-White Majority in the context of our American Tradition

MSNBC's "Up with Chris Hayes" - Panelists: MSNBC Policy Analyst Ezra Klein; Former Obama Labor Dept. Chief Economist Betsey Stevenson; Former Federal Home Loan Bank Board Litigation Director Bill Black; Karl Smith, Asst. Prof. of Economics and Government at UNC-Chapel Hill. Topics include: The 2012 presidential-race battles over debt and Bain’s effect on jobs; A look at how much America has at stake in the Euro Zone crisis; This weekend’s G-8 talks.

MSNBC's "Melissa Harris-Perry" - Panelists: Glen Johnson, Politics Editor of Boston.com; Salamishah Tillet, Assistant Professor of English and Africana Studies at Univ. of Pennsylvania; Dafna Linzer, Senior Reporter for ProPublica; Kayla Williams, Author of “Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army” and a fellow at the Truman National Security Project; Julie Zeilinger, Founder of the The FBomb, a feminist blog for teenagers and author of “A Little F’d Up: Why Feminism Is Not A Dirty Word”, former Senator Bill Bradley (D-NJ), author of “We Can All Do Better”. Topics include: Year of the young woman; Women in combat; Clemency for Clarence Aaron; Bill Bradley’s new book

CBS' "Face the Nation" — Debt ceiling battle: Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Mark Warner, D-Va. Afghanistan: Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and Tom Friedman. Syria: CBS news correspondent Clarissa Ward. Roundtable: Chief White House correspondent Norah O'Donnell and Political Director John Dickerson.

CNN's "State of the Union" — Budget and debt ceiling battle: Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas; Presidential election: David Axelrod, adviser to President Barack Obama's re-election campaign; Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman; Upcoming NATO meeting in Chicago: Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary-General. Roundtable: Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times and CNN Senior Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash.

CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - European economy crisis, upcoming G8 summit: Italy's Prime Minister Mario Monti

CNN's "Reliable Sources with Howard Kurtz" - Campaign ads: National Review senior editor Ramesh Ponnuru, Newsweek/Daily Beast columnist and CNN contributor John Avlon, and RealClearPolitics’ Erin McPike. Facebook IPO: PandoDaily.com’s Sarah Lacy. USA Today new online editor: Larry Kramer. Former Daily Show producer: Mike Rubens.

"Fox News Sunday" — Ryan; former White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee. Roundtable: Bill Kristol, Weekly Standard; Joe Trippi; Karl Rove; Evan Bayh

So what's catching your eye this morning?

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