The Commentary Magazine Podcast
1,462 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★★ - 3.9K ratingsCommentary is America's premier monthly magazine of opinion: General, yet Jewish. Highly variegated, with a unifying perspective.
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Episodes
Our House Is A Very, Very Costly House
September 01, 2023 14:22 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBToday's podcast considers the weak job numbers and the persistence both of inflation and higher interest rates and asks whether Joe Biden is making a mistake touting "Bidenomics." And...oh boy, the NYT story about the DeSantis consultant and the $50 million ask from donors. Plus the first installment of the Commentary Magazine Podcast Mailbag! Give a listen.
The Disaster Artists
August 31, 2023 14:20 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBToday's podcast asks what political benefits or liabilities a politician can accrue from their behavior in the wake of a natural disaster, with specific reference to Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden...and Chris Christie. And Mitch McConnell's second moment freezing before a camera in five weeks raises the question of how much longer our gerontocracy can go on. Give a listen.
Fallout From the Pull-Out
August 30, 2023 14:28 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBJames Kirchick joins today's podcast to discuss the overdue outrage about our botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and a new book that's surprisingly critical of Joe Biden. We also get into the border crisis, its connection to terrorism, the pressure it's putting on blue and red states, and what it portends for our politics. Give a listen.
A Crisis Is Coming
August 29, 2023 13:43 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBThe podcast today worries over the fact that the judge in the January 6 case set Donald Trump's trial date for the day before Super Tuesday next year, and what this portends about the politics of 2024 and the very real possibility that we are going to face a constitutional, or a political, or even a revolutionary crisis. Give a listen.
Debating the Debate
August 28, 2023 14:20 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBToday Eli Lake joins the gang to consider what some of us got wrong about last week's Republican primary debate. According to polls, Ron DeSantis did himself a bit of good. What did we miss? And why did DeSantis's performance work as well as it did? Then we talk about Eli's new COMMENTARY article "Profiles in Malarkey" and why Democrats are unable to face the significance of the Hunter Biden scandal. Give a listen.
The War on Drugs, the Death of Local Politics
August 25, 2023 11:21 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBOn the last day of listener-questions week, we take up the war on drugs. Was it doomed? Have we surrendered? What are the consequences? Then we respond to a listener who challenges Tip O'Neill's famous observation about all politics being local. Give a listen.
Haley Dazzles, Vivek Annoys Effectively
August 24, 2023 14:39 - 1 hour - 59.8 MBWe interrupt this week's listener-questions podcasts with our analysis of last night's Republican debate. The talk centers on Vivek Ramaswamy, and as such, what does that mean for the race going forward? What effect will Nikki Haley's knockout performance have on her campaign? And whither DeSantis? Give a listen.
AI, Yai Yai
August 23, 2023 12:57 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBOn today's listener-questions podcast, we first discuss efforts on the right over the past 20 years to address issues of concern to working-class Americans and where they went wrong—before we get into a big, heated, passionate argument about the future and AI and the Internet and a lot of juicy stuff. Give a listen.
How to Read
August 22, 2023 12:20 - 33 minutes - 30.8 MBToday's listener-question podcast finds us discussing how the COMMENTARY crew gathers the information we gather during the day and how and when we read books. And we talk about the relation between faith and liberalism. Give a listen.
How to Maintain Friendships Across the Political Divide
August 21, 2023 13:07 - 38 minutes - 35.1 MBToday's podcast marks the first in a week devoted to listener questions. First up: How do we manage to stay friends with people we disagree with so strongly—or do we? Next: What writers and political figures have inspired us? Give a listen.
What Else Are We Gonna Talk About?
August 18, 2023 13:31 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBI start today's podcast saying I'm sick of talking about Trump and then...we talk about Trump. Which is suggestive of everything about American politics at this moment. Then: did Maui's emergency management chief do an honorable thing or a cowardly thing quitting his job in the middle of the disaster? Give a listen.
With Special Guest Star Noah Rothman!
August 17, 2023 13:40 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBYes, the original Commentary podcast band is back together for one night only! Noah Rothman joins Abe and me for a delightfully crushingly morose hour of worries about Ukraine, fears about Biden and Trump, and general gloom about everything. Don't miss it! Give a listen!
Meatball Sub
August 16, 2023 13:58 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBChris Stirewalt joins the podcast today to examine Donald Trump's immediate future in the wake of the latest indictments and whether they make it more likely Trump will participate next week in the first Republican primary debate. And how much time does Ron DeSantis have to save his candidacy? Give a listen.
The Night The Lights Went Out in Georgia
August 15, 2023 13:59 - 1 hour - 66.7 MBAndrew C. McCarthy joins the podcast yet again to help us go through the indictments of Donald Trump and 18 others in Fulton County, Georgia. We ask three questions. How strong is the case legally? How effective is the case politically as a cudgel against Trump? And how just is the case? Give a listen.
People Help People; Government Not So Much
August 14, 2023 15:30 - 59 minutes - 54.1 MBJames B. Meigs joins the podcast today to discuss the fire catastrophe in Maui and the fact that, once again, ordinary people are doing the work to help those in need while government just can't get itself organized—and the president of the United States thinks it's all right to say "no comment" when asked about it. Also on the president's mind: The weird hijinks surrounding the legal case against his son. Give a listen.
Men in Despair
August 11, 2023 14:55 - 53 minutes - 49.4 MBToday we talk about the record spike in American suicides, particularly those of adult men. What cultural, political, and economic forces are merging to create this tragedy? And why are the psychiatric and psychological communities falling down on the job? Then we discuss a new initiative in Louisiana to keep online pornography away from kids. Give a listen.
'Shopliftings Have Gone So Bad'
August 10, 2023 14:11 - 44 minutes - 40.4 MBToday's podcast connects new inflation numbers to a general feeling of uneasiness in the body politic reflected also in the way certain types of criminal conduct (shoplifting in particular) not only have an effect on rising prices but on the national mood. Give a listen.
How Far Will Liberals Go?
August 09, 2023 15:07 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBToday's podcast examines the results of an election in Ohio in which liberals blew past conservatives on an issue related to abortion. Will this encourage them to try to use the techniques with which they won this election on other issues besides abortion—trans matters especially? Give a listen.
Abortion, a Special Election, and 2024
August 08, 2023 14:51 - 1 hour - 62.1 MBToday's podcast discusses the politics surrounding a strange special election today (Tuesday the 8th) in Ohio, which is a proxy for how voters feel about abortion rights. Then we discuss Mike Pence's emergence as an open critic of his former boss, and what happens when anti-establishment right-wing males get caught out for their racist and misogynist pasts. Give a listen.
Does Trump Have a Plan?
August 07, 2023 14:54 - 44 minutes - 41 MBToday's podcast takes up the raging "truths" (tweets) released by Donald Trump this weekend on his social-media site, which seem reckless and possibly threatening to his defense strategy and to his ability to stay out of jail. Is there a strategy here? And foreign policy has taken a backseat for months—but now guess what? The Chinese, the Russians, and others are testing and prodding us to see how we respond. How are we responding? Give a listen.
How Broad Is Fraud?
August 04, 2023 14:01 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBJames B. Meigs joins today's podcast to talk about what a D.C. jury might think of the fraud charge against Donald Trump, what's really happening with all this UFO stuff, and what's significant about a new commercial nuclear reactor in Georgia. Give a listen.
The Genius of Senor
August 03, 2023 15:25 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBToday we have Dan Senor on to talk about the state of the GOP primary, the prospects for the general election, the unpredictability of it all, and whether the polls tell us anything useful this far out. We also get into the legal and political crises in both the U.S. and Israel. Give a listen.
A Bad Indictment?
August 02, 2023 14:19 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBAndrew C. McCarthy joins us today to discuss the indictment of Donald Trump released on August 1st and how its spate of novel approaches makes it extraordinarily problematic not only as a matter of law but also as a political matter. Give a listen.
Are They Really Going to Pretend There's No Scandal?
August 01, 2023 14:25 - 1 hour - 59.6 MBEliana Johnson joins us today to talk about the bombshell "interview" behind closed doors of Hunter Biden's partner Devon Archer and his revelation that Hunter's vice-president father got on the phone 20 times with clients. And, um, what exactly is Ron DeSantis doing with his campaign? Give a listen.
Bitter Sweetheart Deals
July 31, 2023 13:56 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBToday we recall the mother of all sweetheart deals—Ted Kennedy's Chappaquiddick wrist slap—and what it says about our unsavory political moment. We get into the new poll showing Donald Trump's dominance of the GOP and discuss Ron DeSantis's standing among voters and Hunter Biden's effect on his father's prospects. Give a listen.
Mondo Mar-a-Lago
July 28, 2023 13:45 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBToday we discuss the new charges leveled against Donald Trump in the classified-documents case and what his legal misfortunes mean to voters. We also consider Mitch McConnell's alarming health episode at the Capitol, American gerontocracy, and the long reign of the Boomers. Give a listen.
What On Earth Happened In That Courtroom?
July 27, 2023 14:10 - 1 hour - 59.5 MBAndrew C. McCarthy joins today's podcast to try and make sense out of the astonishing events in a Delaware courtroom where the Hunter Biden plea deal with the Justice Department fell apart before the judge's eyes and the eyes of the world. And see if you can spot my blunder at the very end of the podcast. Give a listen.
Da Doo Ron Run?
July 26, 2023 13:19 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBToday's podcast takes up the rebooting of the DeSantis campaign and tries to find analogies to such a reset in both successful and unsuccessful election bids in the past. Give a listen.
Hunterama
July 25, 2023 14:20 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBEli Lake joins the podcast to talk about Hunter and Joe Biden. We have questions: Who is Devon Archer and what does he know? Why has it taken so long for details to emerge? Who are the friends and Democratic donors buying Hunter's paintings? And what's up with Joe Biden's dogs? We also catch up on the latest Covid-origin science. Give a listen.
Israel Goes Nuts
July 24, 2023 13:24 - 1 hour - 66 MBLiel Leibovitz joins the podcast today to talk about the unprecedented showdown between the duly elected democratic government of Israel and mass protestors claiming to speak for the true spirit of democracy. Also, the Hunter Biden story gets closer and closer to Joe. Give a listen.
A Shokin to Biden's System
July 21, 2023 13:58 - 57 minutes - 52.3 MBToday's podcast examines the newly released uncorroborated account to the FBI of a supposed payoff to Joe Biden himself in 2015 from the Ukranian energy company Burisma. The company wanted Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin fired, and Biden did later convince the Ukrainian president at the time to fire Shokin. How seriously should we take this? How damaging is it for Biden? Give a listen.
Now Dems Don't Like Whistleblowers
July 20, 2023 14:11 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBToday's podcast examines the spectacle of angry Democratic representatives yelling at IRS whistleblowers in order to defend Joe Biden on the Hunter matter. Hmmm. Remember when they loved whistleblowers? And how strong does the "target letter" suggesting a Trump indictment on January 6 sound? Give a listen.
Old Man, Old Hatreds
July 19, 2023 14:16 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBTevi Troy joins the podcast to talk about what it's like to work in a White House when the president seems infirm or out of touch or in a lot of trouble. And he discusses his important article, "How to Combat Anti-Semitism." Give a listen.
Scared Democrats
July 18, 2023 13:52 - 50 minutes - 45.8 MBToday's podcast discusses the surprising Democratic snapback against the anti-Israel words of the Squad, which includes Joe Biden inviting Bibi Netanyahu to Washington. Dems do not only seem scared about that radicalism; they're scared of No Labels, protest candidacies, and Trump the supposed totalitarian. Should they be? Give a listen.
Don't Expect Us To Find Anything, We're the Secret Service
July 17, 2023 11:56 - 1 hour - 62.7 MBToday's podcast takes up the Secret Service's baffling announcement that it was closing its investigation into the cocaine at the White House—or is it baffling? And the naked anti-Semitism expressed by RFK Jr. and the squad: Will there be any consequences for it? Give a listen.
The War on Big Sweetener
July 14, 2023 14:39 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBToday we talk about the WHO's declaring aspartame a possible carcinogen. Is it overreach or prudence? Then we consider Tucker Carlson's new media venture and his current standing on the right. We also discuss the culture warring over the defense bill and the fate of DEI in the private sector. Give a listen.
Is It Morning in Biden's America?
July 13, 2023 14:51 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBToday's podcast takes up the heartening news about declining information and advises caution when assuming it will help Joe Biden. And can anything help Ron DeSantis and Christopher Wray? Give a listen.
The Sleaze Is a Lonely Hunter
July 12, 2023 12:04 - 44 minutes - 40.9 MBEli Lake joins us again today to discuss the gathering storm over Hunter Biden that was not stilled by his guilty plea two weeks ago. Give a listen.
Hamilton Thrives and NATO Expands
July 11, 2023 15:39 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBEli Lake joins today's podcast to talk about the anniversary of the ten-dollar Founding Father's death in a duel, the NATO meeting and how much credit is due Joe Biden for its apparent successes, and a historical matter: Were the investigations into intelligence-community malfeasance back in the 1970s necessary or harmful—or both? Give a listen.
'We Are Come to This Great Stage of Fools'
July 10, 2023 14:51 - 58 minutes - 53.9 MBToday Yuval Levin joins the podcast to discuss why no one seems interested in avoiding the fiscal cliff, why Joe Biden may or may not resemble King Lear, and how sweeping social change makes the case for the liberal society. Give a listen.
The Good Meghan
July 07, 2023 15:43 - 53 minutes - 49.2 MBMeghan McCain (not Markle) joins us to talk about cocaine in the White House, the 500th day of the war in Ukraine, and why Ron DeSantis's commercials are, um, bad. Give a listen.
Crushing Senority
July 06, 2023 14:42 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBDan Senor joins our podcast today to give us insight into the Israeli military actions on the West Bank, the current political standing of Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition, and what the apparently collapsing prosecutions of Israel's prime minister might have to teach us about the indictments of Donald Trump. Give a listen.
Forlorn on the Fourth of July?
July 05, 2023 14:09 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBToday's podcast takes up the question: Why are progressives so sour on the idea of American progress? Aren't they believers in progress? Well, not really any longer, and we try to explain why. Also, why do we know that cocaine was found in the White House? And why did a judge block the Biden administration from consulting with social-media companies? Give a listen.
Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be
July 04, 2023 13:13 - 53 minutes - 48.7 MBOn this Independence Day, we (joined by our friend Adam White) talk about how the Supreme Court rejected the Biden Administration's attempt to arrogate powers of Congress in the student loan case, and supported free speech rights in a case involving a website designer and gay marriage. The Constitution may not have been signed on July 4, but we celebrate nonetheless! Give a listen.
The End of Affirmative Action
July 03, 2023 14:19 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBAdam White joins us today to discuss the landmark Supreme Court decision ending the use of race as a factor in higher-education admissions. Give a listen.
Commentary on Commentary!
June 30, 2023 12:23 - 39 minutes - 36 MBThe last listener-questions podcast of the week features our friend Eliana Johnson, who helps us answer a very heartening query: What are some of the best articles and essays in COMMENTARY's own archives? Also, did we make Russia invade Ukraine somehow? Give a listen.
Up the Down Podcast
June 29, 2023 10:12 - 40 minutes - 36.8 MBToday's listener questions include one from the husband of a young teacher who informs us she's leaving her profession. Also: What's the best ride at Disney World? And what about online gambling? Give a listen.
Should We Praise Rich Leftists?
June 28, 2023 13:40 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBToday's entry in listener-questions week features James B. Meigs, who helps us consider the case of Sam Bankman-Fried, charged with all sorts of crimes in relation to the cryptocurrency exchange he started and claimed was only running in order to be an "effective altruist." And is The Dark Knight the most neoconservative movie ever made? Give a listen.
Comedians, Straussians, Victorians, and Idlers
June 27, 2023 13:03 - 37 minutes - 34.3 MBToday we answer listener questions about our favorite comics, the influence of Leo Strauss on conservatism, the loss of Victorian virtues, and what to do about Americans who don't want to work. Give a listen.
The Left, The Progressives, and the Aliens
June 26, 2023 12:09 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBToday begins a week of podcasts in which we answer listener questions. The questions today are about where to find good writing about the Left, whether today's progressives are similar to the original Progressives in the early years of the 20th century—and what about all these outer-space aliens? Give a listen.