We the People - Podcast Rankings and reviews

I think Jeffrey Rosen does a truly incredible job moderating thoughtful, and even friendly debates between people who disagree often profoundly. The conversations are subtle, sensitive, deeply informative. I teach moral and political philosophy at a small liberal arts college, and so I often think about how to make conversations just like these possible. Each episode is a wonderful model. In fact, right now I’m teaching a class on the philosophy of law and I am now even thinking of assigning some of these episodes to my students. Thank you, Jeffrey Rosen! I genuinely believe you’re doing a service to our country and its citizens.

PS: a couple of reviews have claimed to discover a left-wing slant. I consider myself to be a conservative (in something like the Burke to Oakeshott tradition) and I am often frustrated by ideological bias and dogmatism in public discourse—but I have to say I found the claim that this podcast has any such bias utterly, utterly baffling. Every episode I’ve heard represents views on diametrically opposed sides of a legal or political divide, and both sides are represented by a brilliant, careful, well-informed thinker. This is exactly what makes it such an amazing podcast. So don’t listen to the haters! Instead listen to this amazing podcast.

Legal scholars engage in friendly debate representing opposing views. Immensely refreshing to hear well educated guests calmly and clearly present where they agree and disagree on high profile legal matters of the day. There is the occasional outlier, but it’s obvious that Jeff selects guests who are interested in informing the listener instead of the vitriolic combativeness we’re used to hearing from members of congress.

The current episode fails to challenge one of the guest’s assertion that Wicca is nothing but a “pseudo religion” despite it being practiced in its modern form for the better part of a century in America, and many of its adherents believing it’s much older; despite even the nation’s military and department of veterans affairs formally recognizing it as a bona ride religion; and despite the likely fact that he knows precious little about the philosophy and practices of Wicca. Furthermore, that same guest expounds on the virtues of Mormonism, a.k.a. The LDS Church — which itself was considered and maligned as a pseudo religion or harmful cult during its first decades and sometimes still is considered so by others.

What a sad and disappointing irony that the same self-described atheist gay ethnically-Jewish man championing the virtues of LDS “peacemaking” and accommodation of other groups including members of minority groups (as opposed to his “sharp Christianity”) himself maligns and dismisses, out of hand, the minority religion that is Wicca and its believers.

I say all this as a non-Wiccan monotheist.

As an undergraduate pre-law student, I’ve turned to this show many times to hear liberal and conservative perspectives. The commentary has always been insightful, although I’ve repeatedly noticed a Left-wing and anti-Trump bias (see episodes on Donald Trump’s criminal trial and the merits of the indictments). No surprise there: Mr. Rosen wrote an anti-Trump piece for the left-wing Washington Post calling Trump a “demagogue.” Still, he facilitates great dialogue in each episode of this podcast and deserves credit.

Criticisms of this podcast from the Left are insane. They range from smearing conservatives who appear on this show as “right-wing hacks”, such as Sarah Isgur, an accomplished, Harvard-educated attorney and former spokesperson for Trump’s DOJ; to accusing Mr. Rosen himself of spreading disinformation (whatever that means). They seem to prefer no conservative perspective at all. Good on Mr. Rosen and TCC for resisting the ugly Left-wing mob, and for championing the essential democratic principle of free speech from opposing viewpoints.