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Former MTV VJ and Radio Host Kennedy on Medical Marijuana, The Politics of Alt Rock, and How She Went From Conservative to Libertarian

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:00:00 EDT

"Social conservatism was really bringing me down," says former MTV VJ and current host of Music in the Morning on 98.7 FM Kennedy. "And I realized, as time went on, that I wasn't a Bush conservative. I was really a libertarian."

Kennedy sat down with Reason.tv's Tim Cavanaugh to discuss efforts by the ATF to prevent gun vendors from selling firearms to medical marijuana users, the strain of right-wing political thinking running throughout alt-rock and punk of the '80s and '90s, what it's like working in Hollywood when you're not a liberal, and her political evolution from conservative to libertarian.

Interview by Tim Cavanaugh. Shot by Zach Weissmueller, Tracy Oppenheimer, and Sharif Matar. Edited by Weissmueller.

About 10 minutes long. Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of our videos and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel for automatic notification when new material goes live online.

Are Dems More Thin-Skinned than Reps? Comedian Sam Tripoli on PC, Ron Paul, and Naughtiness

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 EDT

"I find that, in L.A. at least, opinions hurt your career," says comedian Sam Tripoli.

Tripoli, a national headliner who runs the Naughty Comedy Show at the Hollywood Improv and also hosts the Naughty Show Podcast, is fed up with political correctness in comedy, and his targets include Bill Maher, beer commercials, and easily offended audiences.

Tripoli, a self-proclaimed libertarian, sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to discuss the state of stand-up, why he digs Ron Paul, and the difference between performing in Blue States versus Red States.

This video contains explicit content, and viewer discretion is advised.

Camera by Zach Weissmueller, Paul Detrick, and Hawk Jensen. Edited by Weissmueller.

Approximately 9 minutes.

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Hot Air's Ed Morrissey on Not-So-Radical Republicans and Life Outside the Beltway

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

Along with the anonymous "Allahpundit," Ed Morrissey is the key to the success of Hot Air, one of the biggest commentary and video sites on the glorious system of tubes we call the Internet. Day in and day out, Morrissey, who also hosts a web radio show and has recently started writing for The Week, weighs in on politics and culture from a center-right POV that is, he says, is getting more and libertarian out of deference to reality.

An L.A. ex-pat who landed in Minneapolis, Morrissey's rise to blog stardom exemplifies how new media has leveled the playing field and given everyone a shot at an audience. Earlier in the decade, Morrissey was working as the manager of a call center when he started the blog Captain's Quarters. The success of that site—he was even named The Week's "Blogger of the Year" a few years back—led to a contract with the experimental Blog Talk Radio and, in 2008, the Hot Air gig. Morrissey still dials in from the Midwest, a location he says gives him a different perspective than many commentators in the BosWash corridor.

Morrissey recently talked to Reason's Nick Gillespie while visiting Washington, D.C.

Approximately 8 minutes. Filmed by Jim Epstein and Joshua Swain. Edited by Swain.

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Have California Democrats Turned Their Backs on Social Justice? A Conversation with Chris Reed

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EST

Democrats are supposed to work towards the goal of social justice, right? So why is it that so many policies supported by California Democrats end up harming poor people and minorities?

Reason.tv's Paul Feine sat down with journalist Chris Reed to talk about public employee unions, welfare reform, Walmart, the drug war, and environmental regulations.

Chris Reed is an editorial writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune and a talk show host on KOGO 600 AM, San Diego's News & Talk Station.

Approximately 9 minutes. Produced by Paul Feine and Alex Manning.

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