Politics Politics Politics

This is one of the best political podcasts out there. Funny, insightful and up-to-date without any obvious bias. Recommended.

I’ve been a long time follower of Justin and have listened to the podcast on and off for several years. I think Justin does a decent job of charting the horse race aspects of US politics and he always has an eye out for the absurd. He The reason for my low rating is that I think the show (and Justin) fails to properly recognise the consistent right leaning bias. Justin views himself as an above-it-all pundit, highlighting the absurdities on both sides and he often does this. But just as often it’s clear that his framing of Trump is much more sympathetic than his framing of Biden. If you want to see examples you can look at Justin’s coverage of Biden’s Primary campaign up to the present day. Conversely, when it comes to Trump, things are invariably couched in him being reactive to what others are doing and misrepresented in the mainstream media. It’s not a very overt bias like you would find in partisan media like Rubin, it’s more subtle but still very consistent. The most recent episode (at the time of posting) is making the case that Trump was actually always a moderate Republican- despite the documented nature of his cabinet. Promoting Stephen Miller’s immigration policy as moderate. 🤔 The skew doesn’t mean the show isn’t interesting but the fact it goes unacknowledged is what makes my rating low. There is a reason Justin gets on so well with the hosts of shows from the partisan conservative outlet The Blaze and US-style Libertarians. Lastly, I’m not sure Justin appropriately owns how badly some of his hot takes have aged, including: Trump can’t be the Republican candidate because the Party will block him so all those fretting are wasting their time AND Biden’s performance in the Primary and skipping a speech after a weak performance, indicated his presidential campaign was potentially doomed, like Jeb Bush. I’d still recommend the show for those seeking a ‘both sides’ style approach, but just warn in advance there is an unacknowledged right wing sympathetic skew to the presentation.

Justin is a smart, funny individual who’s impressive, punchy analysis of the presidential race makes for great listening! If you want a gauge of the race and the encompassing political theatre - check it out!