Lars Emerson
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The Midwestern Reality: Iowa and Ohio, Bellwethers No More
This is the second piece in our series of six features on the Midwestern Democratic decline where we’ll be diving into consequential parts of the Midwest and the prevailing headwinds faced by the Democratic Party in the region. We’ll use ...
Politics Express: Our 2024 Republican Primary Draft
Welcome to Politics Express, The Postrider‘s new all-encompassing politics podcast. Lars Emerson is joined by Michael Lovito and Chris Choban for the kick off of the show and their 2024 Republican primary draft. Follow along with the draft on the ...
Watching Mates: George W. Bush – Team America: World Police / The Dark Knight
The world changes dramatically over the course of George W. Bush’s presidency. One place it changes most visibly is Hollywood, as Lars and Michael unpack through 2004’s Team America: World Police in his first term and 2008’s The Dark Knight ...
Democrats Are Ignoring the Midwestern Reality
This is the first and introductory piece in our series of six features on the Midwestern Democratic decline where we’ll be diving into consequential parts of the Midwest and the prevailing headwinds faced by the Democratic Party in the region. ...
The Visitors Might Be Listening – V: The Final Battle – Part 2
Our daring duo finally come to an episode that neither of them has ever seen. What happens to Juliet while she is captive aboard the mothership? Who is this new member of the resistance, Ham Tyler, and how does he ...
The Visitors Might Be Listening – V: The Final Battle – Part 1
In this episode, Lars and Louis watch the first part of the sequel miniseries, V: The Final Battle. How will things fare without the steady hand of creator Kenneth Johnson? Which characters return and what new characters will arrive? Will ...
Watching Mates: Bill Clinton – Wag the Dog / The American President
As American presidencies approach the modern day, Lars and Michael dive into the world of scandal, neoliberalism, and partisanship in the Clinton era through the films Wag the Dog and The American President.
Watching Mates: George H.W. Bush – They Live / Roger & Me
America gets a little grungier as President George H.W. Bush comes into office and Lars and Michael explore trends in cinema during his brief tenure, focusing on a zeitgeist of decline and the new American economic reality through the films ...
An Early Look at the 2022 Senate Contest
We love covering Senate elections here at The Postrider, and after some narrow misses in our 2020 forecast (we stacked the odds against some candidates that won but were pretty accurate by being far more conservative than other outlets with ...
Ted Lasso Reminded Me Why I’m Proud to Be an American
Sometimes it’s difficult to be proud of your country. Americans especially seem to fluctuate between a state of religious fervor for their flag and one of apocalyptic remorse for a nation as divided as it is paramount. And when Americans ...
Washington’s Invented Crisis: The Debt Ceiling
It was nice while it lasted. In 2019, Democrats, Republicans, and President Trump agreed to legislation suspending the debt ceiling through the 2020 election, kicking the can on a showdown over one of Washington’s most notorious and most dangerous sticking ...
Watching Mates: Ronald Reagan – Back to the Future / Back to the Future Part II
Knock knock, McFly! Lars and Michael discuss their film picks for the Reagan era — how a decade of nostalgia viewed both the past and the future — through the lens of the films Back to the Future and Back ...
The Visitors Might Be Listening – V: The Original Miniseries – Part 2
“There are two parts to every miniseries”, as the old adage goes. And no less is true of V. Louis and Lars finish their discussion of the Original Miniseries. Shriek as Mike Donovan goes to and from the Mothership at ...
Watching Mates: Jimmy Carter – Rocky / Star Wars
Lars and Michael discuss their film picks for the Carter era — a blend of optimism, underdogs, and perhaps naivety over the coming backlash Jimmy Carter would face through the lens of Rocky and Star Wars.
Chatroom: Tenet
After a grueling worldwide pandemic, many were left scratching their heads about the future of the film industry. When would people feel comfortable sitting in a movie theater again? Would movie theaters ever bounce back? One of the trial balloons ...
Coastal Centrality, Conservatism, and Premature Death Rates
This is part two of a series of pieces on premature deaths in America and the role our distance from the centers of power in this country have on that. Click here to read part one. Last week, we examined ...
Is East Coast Centrality Killing Us?
It’s probably an understatement to say that, out of all of America’s regions, its coasts receive the most attention. Media, economic, political, and soft power is concentrated in metropolises along America’s shorelines. Eight coastal cities — New York, Los Angeles, ...
Watching Mates: Gerald Ford – Jaws / Chinatown
Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Ford administration, exploring government incompetence and corruption (or maybe it’s just about a shark) through the lens of Jaws and Chinatown. But in true Gerald Ford fashion, they spend most of the ...
Watching Mates: Richard Nixon – Easy Rider / Blazing Saddles
Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Nixon administration, reflecting on hippie culture, racism, a developing “us versus them” mentality within the United States — and a whole bunch of dirty tricks — through the lens of the films ...
The Pervasiveness of Richard Nixon in Pop Culture
To say presidents dominate our pop culture is an understatement. We often take for granted how ingrained they are in the American psyche and our comedic outlets, even when they epitomize the dull tepidness of Gerald Ford or George H.W. ...
Watching Mates: Lyndon B. Johnson – Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner / Dr. Strangelove
Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Johnson administration, reflecting on dramatic domestic progress and a distrust of foreign policy apparatus through the lens of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Dr. Strangelove.
Chatroom: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The final episode of Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier aired on Disney+ this past Friday. It tells the story of, well: the Falcon, Sam Wilson – and the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes – in the wake up the ...