Northwest to host 'Red vs. Blue' debate

Northwest Missouri State University's 2012-13 Distinguished Lecture Series resumes on Election Day eve with a debate featuring two nationally prominent political commentators advocating for their respective conservative and liberal beliefs.

Jonah Goldberg, a conservative columnist and New York Times best-selling author, and Peter Beinart, a former editor at the liberal-leaning New Republic, will face off Monday, Nov. 5, during "Red vs. Blue: What the 2012 Election Means for You."

The debate begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. Admission is free. Richard Fulton, Northwest professor of political science, will serve as moderator.

Aaron Johnson, associate professor of geology and chair of the Distinguished Lecture Series, said Goldberg and Beinart will address issues that face Missourians as well as those that have garnered national attention.

"Unlike the major party candidates, Peter and Jonah can speak to issues rather than engaging in some of the more personal rhetoric that is characteristic of debates between candidates for office," Johnson said.

"As people who look at issues from liberal and conservative perspectives, Peter and Jonah are able to address those topics in a deep, engaging fashion. Given the political divide in America today, and taking into account the passion of those on either end of the spectrum, we think that a debate will serve to inform citizens."

Beinart is a Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation and associate professor of journalism and political science at The City University of New York. He is also senior political writer for The Daily Beast and a contributor to Time. Beinart has written for numerous publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Slate.

He has appeared on television programs such as Meet the Press, This Week with George Stephanopoulos and The Colbert Report and is the author of The Good Fight, The Icarus Syndrome and The Crisis of Zionism.

Jonah Goldberg is one of America's most widely read political columnists and works as a contributor to FOX News. He has appeared on numerous television programs including The Daily Show, Hardball with Chris Matthews and Real Time with Bill Maher.

A member of the Board of Contributors to USA Today, he has written about politics and culture for The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and Slate. His syndicated column appears regularly in scores of newspapers across the country, including The Kansas City Star.

Goldberg is the author of Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning, which was a New York Times and Amazon bestseller. He also wrote Proud to Be Right and The Tyranny of Cliches: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas.

Following the Goldberg/Beinart debate, the Northwest Distinguished Lecture Series will continue Nov. 28 with a presentation by Apollo 13 astronaut Fred Haise titled Failure is Not an Option.