It’s another Super Tuesday — this time, we’ll be looking at the primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. With polls literally all over the place, we’re hearing that it’s anyone’s race to win or lose — but with 47 delegates at state in Alabama, and 37 in Mississippi, all candidates will still be far from the 1144 delegates needed to cinch the GOP nomination. We’ll hear from NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell (@kellyodonnell), who is in Lafayette, LA with the Santorum campaign, as well as NBC’s Chuck Todd (@chucktodd).
Tuesday Megapanel: Karen Finney (@finneyk), Susan Del Percio (@delpercios) and Jimmy Williams (@jimmyspolitics) are with us today. First up, the President’s job approval rating is down to 41% according to the latest NYT-CBS poll. This morning he is announcing that the U.S. is joining with the European Union to press the World Trade Organization on one big issue: pressuring China to export more rare-earth minerals. (We ask: why not force China instead to end its currency-rigging and have a balanced trade tariff instead of the taxing the U.S. at ten times what we tax their goods?)
Then, the fallout in Afghanistan continues after the U.S. soldier’s shooting rampage in Kandahar. According to the AP, the Taliban opened fire on an Afghan government delegation visiting one of the villages where the rampage occurred. If these events aren’t reason enough to get out and get out now, then what is?
The Specialist: The Power of Introverts. Half of Americans are considered introverts. As we start looking at fostering new cultures of innovation, our Specialist today argues that the dominant values of American business culture stifle innovation by ignoring the leadership potential of introverts. How do introverts thrive in a culture that is all about “teamwork?” We’ll be joined by Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
Church and State: We’re in the middle of a Presidential campaign where birth control and Viagra are gaining more headlines than a terrible job market and hurting economy. Why is it so easy for the parties to manipulate us and split us up using wedge issues? We’ll talk to Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. He’ll explain how religion has long been an evolutionary tool to bring groups together, but, as we’re seeing in the current political climate, it’s also a way to tear people apart.
The Daily Rant: Frequent guest David Goodfriend will talk about the danger of big oil’s profiteering at consumers’ expense.