Chris Mooney - Science, Politics, and the Midterm Election

Chris Mooney is an acclaimed writer about subjects at intersection of science and politics. His writing has appeared in Wired, New Scientist, Free Inquiry, Skeptical Inquirer, Slate, Mother Jones, The Washington Post, The LA Times, and The Boston Globe, and he has appeared widely in the media, on programs such as The Daily Show with John Stewart, NPR's Science Friday, and Fresh Air with Terry Gross. His blog, called "The Intersection," was a recipient of Scientific American's 2005 Science and Technology web award, which noted that "science is lucky to have such a staunch ally in acclaimed journalist Chris Mooney." His book, The Republican War on Science is newly out in paperback, completely revised, and was hailed as "a landmark in contemporary political reporting" by Salon.com and a "well-researched, closely argued and amply referenced indictment of the right wing's assault on science and scientists" by Scientific American. In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Mooney explores how important science is for deciding the political issues facing the country, and how science has been under attack by right-wingers in Republican party in a number of areas, including stem cell research, climate change, Intelligent Design, and sex education. He also discusses what listeners who value science can do in response to this assault, and discusses the midterm elections. Also in this episode, Toni Van Pelt details CFI's new Office of Public Policy in Washington, D.C.