The Commentary Magazine Podcast

Today'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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The podcast discusses the war on drugs, its impact on addiction, and the consequences of decriminalization and drug legalization. They also explore the nationalization of politics and its effect on local government. The importance of local politics and their role in solving community problems is emphasized, along with the declining engagement of citizens. The podcast concludes with a recommendation for a showbiz history podcast and the significance of listening to unknown individuals.

We 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today'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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today'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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Topics discussed include attacking the front runner in politics, ethical implications of aiding troubled family members, moral implications of resigning in disgrace, importance of trust in emergencies, exploring a sinful town in Australia, and movies about being stranded in unfamiliar towns.