The Political Scene | The New Yorker - Podcast Rankings and reviews

Hey guys — Here’s what I would have appreciated in your conversation:

— MUCH more emphasis on the role of our information systems. When American is swimming in a sewer of malignant disinformation, it was frustrating that you only referred to this critical phenomenon in passing. A compelling question to at least wonder about is what the election outcome might have been in a pre-social media, pre-podcast, pre-Fox News world? Chris, you’ve apparently written a book on the subject. Is it simply out of despair that we seem powerless to fix our broken information systems that you didn’t address this more directly?

— A consideration of president as avatar. They express and embody qualities we want to want to see in ourselves. Qualities too that make us feel connected with our national leader, the most powerful person in the world (“Trump is just like me,” said the voter in NH. He loves McDonald’s — was that the clincher?) The avatar factor was no doubt part of twhy so many voted for Trump as president and voted for Dems down ballot.

— A less chummy vibe, and Chris — a little less nervous laughter — would have made
made it easier to understand what you were saying, especially when you got more diffuse, more abstract (your “explanation” of neoliberalism).

— The one new thought, the one crystallized insight I’m taking away from the episode, was Andrew’s comment about AOC. I’m a conscientious objector to personal social media. That comment has inspired me to sign up for Instagram just to follow AOC’s inside-the-beltway commentary — and to track her evolution as a possible presidential candidate. A bright beacon of possibility during a dark time

I look forward to future conversations — hopefully a bit more incisive.

~ Deborah Elizabeth Boldt, Santa Fe, NM

I’d pick Evan, Jane and Susan’s weekly show over any other political roundtable podcast or TV show. However, the airtime should be shared equally. Clearly, that’s not possible in the raw audio. Please invest in more editing magic so each voice can ring each week. If I had the cash, I’d underwrite it myself because all three hosts are superstars.

It’s a pleasure to listen to intelligent, in-depth discussions among the three hosts, each of the whom have their own area of expertise.

This episode was especially piercing of the veil of denial and confusion of the right-wing’s now brazen defense and spread of lies. As the examples were reported, one of the hosts mentioned that if legitimate journalists (like these three brilliant ones) were to spread lies, they would be sued, lose their careers, etc. They expressed a kind of shock that, through Fox and X and other online media, we have reached a point where lies are baldly promulgated for reasons of power with no consequences to the liars! I felt they expressed the tragic consequences for us and our democracy and I also heard the tragic resonance for the profession they’ve devoted their lives to. Our culture won’t be the same. I thank the hosts/writers for delivering the gravity of the situation.

Very mild in ideas, discourse and opinion, and the host and roundtable guests are pretty sleepy. I don’t need charisma but the show lacks deep thinking and passion. These times require more oomph. A mainstream magazine podcast doesn’t have to mean aloof.