Commentary Magazine Podcast

On today's podcast, we ask: Is the presidential race turning due to the growing disorder and chaos in our cities? There's every indication Democrats and Joe Biden are worried it might be, and that Donald Trump is hoping that he can use the violence as a lever to change his fortunes. Give a listen.

The final night of the Republican National Convention reached beyond the base with affecting speakers and profoundly compelling themes. And then, Donald Trump sucked all the air out of the room with a disappointing acceptance speech. Will it matter, though, as the nation becomes increasingly consumed with anxiety over the violence in American cities. National Affairs editor Yuval Levin joins the show to discuss these issues and more.

Nice country you’ve got there. Shame if something happened to it.

The Republican Party’s nominating convention has been efficiently produced and effective at communicating to conservatives why they should come home to the GOP. That combined with declining concern over the pandemic and ongoing violent crime in even small American cities seems to have unnerved Democrats.

Night one of the Republican National Convention featured many interesting dynamics. Foremost among them has to be that the most effective elements were the Republican Party’s pre-Trump themes and old guard establishment politicians.

The GOP gets the opportunity to make their case to the nation on the first night of the Republican National Convention. The Democratic Party’s failure to address rising rates of violent crime and episodes of civil unrest around the country represents a prime opportunity to strike the contrast they want.

Joe Biden closed the final night of the Democratic National Convention with his pitch to voters, which is, essentially, that he’s a nice guy and Donald Trump is not. But will that be enough?

The podcast breaks down the third night of the Democratic National Convention, which featured prominent speeches by President Barack Obama and Sen. Kamala Harris.

The second night of the Democratic National Convention, while better staged and presented than night one, has frustrated Democratic partisans because it once again featured too many Republicans. But if the conventions no longer serve as events at which a nominee is chosen and a platform is settled upon, what’s their point if not to make the party’s pitch to voters outside their tent? Also, Laura Loomer’s primary victory and the slow death of the institutional apparatus once known as the GOP.

The first night of the Democratic National Convention was… weird. The hosts of the podcast discuss the speakers, the spectacle, and the misconception of politics as an extension of activism that has overtaken the Democratic Party.

Is the violence in the streets getting worse? Is Trump trying to corrupt the election by handcuffing the U.S. Post Office? Is the national conversation being defined by paranoids?

The historic announcement that Israel and the United Arab Emirates will pursue a peace accord reflects changing dynamics in the Middle East that the European and American left simply refuse to acknowledge. But there will be no turning the clock back.

Abe Greenwald discusses his lead article in the September 2020 issue of COMMENTARY, “Yes, This Is a Revolution.” Also, the hosts break down the debut of the Biden-Harris ticket.

Joe Biden has chosen Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate, and the center-left press is finally excited about the Democratic ticket. But Harris’s maladroit run for the presidency shows that she is a risky choice. Also, the hosts of the podcast share their obsessions of the day.

Joe Biden’s vice-presidential pick is, apparently, imminent. The podcast discusses the most likely candidates—what do they bring to the table, and how could they undermine Biden’s candidacy. Also, New Zealand’s draconian response to a new COVID-19 infection raises questions about the viability of lockdown enthusiasm.