All Things Considered

The next 40-some weeks or so are going to be a screaming tower of political babble, a cacophony of accusing and boasting, pandering and slandering. I watch the news these days with the mute button permanently depressed, lest I fall into a permanent depression myself. There's only so much contention and vitriol a sensitive soul can bear.

A funny thing has happened on the way to the GOP presidential nomination: A fight broke out over the meaning of capitalism. Former Speaker New Gingrich is drawing bright lines between private equity and industrialists — he sees it as the difference between looters and inventors.

The Supreme Court rules that a religious school teacher is a "minister" of the church and cannot sue her employer for discrimination under civil rights laws.

Melissa Block talks about the New Hampshire primary to NPR's Mara Liasson. She also talks to our political commentators E.J. Dionne, of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and Matthew Continetti, opinion editor of The Weekly Standard, about the results of the New Hampshire primary.

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

We're going next, though to Doug Wead, who is a campaign advisor to Texas Congressman Ron Paul. Doug Wead, welcome to the program.

DOUG WEAD: Hey, thank you very much.

BLOCK: And so far, looking like your candidate has come in a strong second in New Hampshire. Your take on tonight's results?

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm joined now by former Senator Bob Smith, former New Hampshire senator, who is a supporter of Newt Gingrich. Welcome, Senator Smith.

BOB SMITH: Thank you. I'm glad to be with you.

BLOCK: And let me ask you. It looks like your candidate, Newt Gingrich, is coming in at this point, anyway, based on early returns, fourth in New Hampshire. A disappointing finish?

SMITH: I didn't hear you and I didn't hear the result. Could you repeat that again?

Melissa Block speaks with Andy Kohut of the Pew Research Center and our political commentators E.J. Dionne, of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and Matthew Continetti, opinion editor of The Weekly Standard, about the results of the New Hampshire primary.

Melissa Block talks with Andy Kohut of the Pew Research Center about New Hampshire primary exit polling.

Transcript

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Last week in Boston, 7,000 mathematicians, math teachers and math enthusiasts from all over the world converged for something called the Joint Mathematics Meeting. Naturally, there was a lot of this...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: C plus S minus two.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Well, S is A plus B and C is two.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN 2: Right.

BLOCK: But reporter Ari Daniel Shapiro also found a lot that he wasn't expecting.