The Point Podcast

The Point podcast is back after a long hiatus with an episode about the 2022 midterms. Point editors Jon Baskin and Joey Keegin are joined by the journalist and native Ohioan James Pogue to debrief two key elections—JD Vance in Ohio and Blake Masters in Arizona. What will Vance's victory—and Master's defeat—mean for the National Conservative movement that has embraced them? Jon, James and Joey talk about the emerging fissures in the conservative coalition: In the fight to claim the mantle of Trumpism without Trump, will it be the NatCons or the "chaos agents" that will win out?  Where will the GOP go from here? And what lessons, if any, can Democrats take from the latest election cycle and all of this ferment on the right?Timestamps:What is national conservatism, and who are its political standard-bearers? (03:50)What are we to make of the relationship between tech—typically a bastion of seasteading libertarianism—and this ultranationalist, morality-driven politics? (16:52)Do voters care about the issues that are motivating Nat Con politicians, or do Vance and Masters have an elitism problem? (28:35)Who will be the true inheritors of Trumpism: the Nat Cons or the MAGA “chaos agents”? (30:09)What lessons, if any, can Democrats take from the midterms and, more broadly, this increasingly prevalent feeling among the American people that the liberal system as it is currently set up is no longer working for them? (38:23)Relevant reading:“Where Dreams Come True: The national conservatives go to Orlando” by Joey Keegin (The Point)“Inside the New Right, where Peter Thiel Is Putting His Big Bets” by James Pogue (Vanity Fair)“Going Back to Cincinnati” by James Pogue (American Conservative)“Academia’s Holy Warriors” by Jon Baskin (The Chronicle Review)“Among the Reality Entrepreneurs” by James Duesterberg (The Point)

Afterthoughts is a discussion series from The Point where our editors talk to writers and readers about new issues of the magazine. On this episode, a recording of a Zoom event held on November 1st, Jon and Rachel talk to literary critic Ryan Ruby (author of “Resisting Oblivion” in issue 25) and critic and Point editor Becca Rothfeld (author of “Sanctimony Literature” in Liberties) for a discussion about the political novel today.The political significance of the novel was discussed with anguished urgency during the Trump years: Should writers call attention to present forms of injustice and discrimination in their fiction? Do they have a moral responsibility to speak out against oppression and abuses of power? What makes a political novel good? Now, a year after Trump was voted out of office, have we learned anything about the role the novel ought to play in turbulent times? In addition to these timely issues, the conversation also covers larger questions that have survived the Trump mind warp: about the relationship between politics and art, the ancient quarrel between philosophy and literature, and how novels memorialize the past.

Afterthoughts is a discussion series from The Point where our editors talk to writers and readers about new issues of the magazine. On this episode, Rachel, Jon and Joey are joined by Michelle Taylor and Daniel Silver to discuss their essays in issue 24.Essays discussed in this episode:“The Logic of the Like” by Daniel Silver: https://thepointmag.com/examined-life/the-logic-of-the-like/“No One Is Talking About This” by Michelle Taylor: https://thepointmag.com/criticism/no-one-is-talking-about-this/Subscribe to The Point to read this issue and more: http://thepointmag.com/subscribe

On Episode 3 of Rather Be Reading, Anastasia Berg interviews Andrea Long Chu about her debut essay in n+1 “On Liking Women” and the problem with trying to get our desires to conform to our political principles (1:03). Then Rachel Rosenfelt, the founding editor of the New Inquiry and new publisher of the New Republic, joins us to talk about the history of Occupy at leftist magazines and the future of the New Republic (26:24). Finally, we call up Jon’s mom for her two cents on Doris Lessing, sexist bosses and Bernie bros (36:59).Editors: Jon Baskin, Anastasia Berg & Rachel WisemanGuests: Andrea Long Chu, Rachel Rosenfelt & Judy WiseRelevant Sources:- “On Liking Women” by Andrea Long Chu in n+1: nplusonemag.com/issue-30/essays/on-liking-women/- “Does Anyone Have the Right to Sex?” by Amia Srinivasan in the LRB:https://www.lrb.co.uk/v40/n06/amia-srinivasan/does-anyone-have-the-right-to-sex- “Lesbianism or Feminism: Synonyms or Contradictions?” by Robin Morgan, 1973 West Coast Lesbian Conference address:http://www.onearchives.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Lesbianism-and-Feminism-Synonyms-or-Contradictions-by-Robin-Morgan-April-14-1973.pdf- “Tired of Winning” by Jon Baskin in The Point:thepointmag.com/2018/politics/tired-of-winning- “Occupy a Bank” by Sarah Leonard in the New Inquiry:thenewinquiry.com/occupy-a-bank/- “Switching Off” by Rachel Wiseman in The Point:thepointmag.com/2018/examined-life/switching-off- “Leaving Herland” by Nora Caplan-Bricker in The Point:thepointmag.com/2018/politics/leaving-herland+ the rest of our new intellectuals symposium:https://thepointmag.com/point_symposia/what-are-intellectuals-for

On Episode 2 of Rather Be Reading, The Point podcast, we discuss the #MeToo social media campaign, shitty media men, and moral education with Becca Rothfeld and Jennifer Frey (00:54). For Charitable Reading, Jon Baskin talks to literary critic Nicholas Dames about Franco Moretti and the so-called "digital humanities bust" (27:22). Plus, we call up comedian David Heti to get his opinion on Larry David's controversial SNL monologue—and hear his latest Holocaust jokes (44:17).Editors: Jon Baskin, Anastasia Berg & Rachel WisemanGuests: Jennifer Frey, Becca Rothfeld, Nicholas Dames, David HetiRelevant Sources:- "The Fratty Wolf in Your Grandmother's Clothing" by Becca Rothfeld, in the Baffler. thebaffler.com/latest/fratty-wolf- "Can Feminist Scholarship Stop Sexism?" by Becca Rothfeld, in the Chronicle of Higher Education. www.chronicle.com/article/Can-Femi…ship-Stop/240428- "The Digital Humanities Bust" by Timothy Brennan, in the Chronicle Review. www.chronicle.com/article/The-Digi…ties-Bust/241424- "Letter on the New Humanities" by the Editors, in The Point. thepointmag.com/2014/criticism/the-new-humanities- "System Reboot" by Justin Evans, in The Point. thepointmag.com/2016/criticism/system-reboot- "Things Don't Make Sense" by Sheila Heti & David Heti, in The Point. https://thepointmag.com/2017/dialogue/things-dont-make-sense-conversation-comedy-sheila-heti-david-heti

Is there such a thing as a conservative intellectual? In the inaugural episode of Rather Be Reading, The Point Magazine podcast, we discuss the "What Happened to the Public Intellectual?" panel that we attended during the Brooklyn Book Festival and why there is resistance to the notion that conservative intellectuals exist. Plus, a "Charitable Reading" segment on why lefties despise David Brooks (featuring famous Brooks hater Jake Bittle) and a bit where we check in with Jon's mom.Editors: Jon Baskin, Anastasia Berg & Rachel WisemanGuests: Jake Bittle, Judy Wise