The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Why am I giving only a four-star review to this outstanding — superb—Washington Roundtable panel featuring three brilliant journalists ? The excessive “likes” must go. Someday I will have AI headphones that can edit out irritating tics on the fly, but until then please make an effort not to torment your admiring and devoted listeners by interjecting empty“likes” into every sentence.

I really appreciate this podcast, especially the roundtables with Evan Osnos, Jane Mayer and Susan B. Glasser, for helping make sense of American politics. One point of feedback: I don’t love when the New Yorker Radio Hour recycles their episodes and posts them under The Political Scene banner, and vice versa. This seems to happen frequently. I prefer to think of them as separate podcasts, and get a little deflated when I see a new episode is available, only to realize it’s a replay of the same episode on the other show. Otherwise love y’all keep up the good work!!!

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 catch most episodes, and i especially want to hear what jane mayer says. i hope she can save her voice because the political scene podcast would not be the same without her, at least imo. astute, clearly expressed observations... david remnick is also a pleasure to listen to.