Slate's WeigelCast

Was very happy to know Dave was doing a Podcast. It's just the sort of short form blast of fun needed occasionally. I say this despite the fact that Dave blocked me on Twitter, which kinda made me sad due to the fact I had no idea why. Oh well, doesn't take away from the podcast which is great. Mark down one star, because 25-30 minutes each would be better.

All of the interviews are with interesting people who I don't typically hear from and the questions are well done. Well-balanced in the sense that David is a more hands-off interviewer. Plus, all of the interviews are too short to possibly approach boring, though I was certainly left wanting more.

Really nice mix of elected officials, lobbyists/advocates, and issue experts. Dave Weigel asks really valuable questions

This is another 5 star podcast from Slate, which appears determined to take over the universe of high quality podcasts. The Weigelcast is an interview series conducted by Slate's political reporter, Dave Weigel (one of the hardest working guys in the business) who speaks with political scientists, politicians and other political figures. The interviews are brief--generally no more than 12-15 minutes--but it is on topic and informative. None of the typical thematic nonsense that you can get all day on cable news. I particularly enjoyed this week's interview with Ralph Nader. I have long resented Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential bid as a narcissistic enterprise that contributed to George W. Bush's victory but in this interview he talks about how corporatism is ruining American politics generally and liberal politics specifically. I share his concerns about a Hillary Clinton candidacy/presidency for this very reason. Dave does a good job asking questions that invite detailed answers and he doesn't get in the way of the people he is interviewing. The world would be a better place if we had more Weigel and less cable news.