Commentary Magazine Podcast

Blue states like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are following the leads set by Texas and Florida and racing to reopen, regardless of the Biden administration’s desires. Also, the census data showing that racial characteristics aren’t immutable—they can change over time—and why it shows how the theory of Intersectionality as an organizing principle is a dead end.

Is wokeness creating anew the force Richard Nixon called the "silent majority"? And why are fully vaccinated people still wearing masks after the CDC said they don't have to? And what about Andrew Yang? Give a listen.

According to Joe Biden, wearing a mask even if you’re fully vaccinated and everyone around you is fully vaccinated, is now patriotic. But is patriotism so conditional? Also, how Republicans become culture warriors when they notice Democratic culture-warring, and the effort to disenfranchise minority children in the name of “equity.”

Joe Biden made a lot of promises in last night’s semi-State of the Union address, most of which involved spending vast sums of money. But will this promissory note that is unlikely to materialize in the real world energize Democratic voters as much as it drives Republicans to the polls in opposition? Also, Sen. Tim Scott’s clever and impressive rebuttal.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released their long-anticipated masking guidelines for the fully vaccinated and it turns out that your privileges are… functionally indistinct from those afforded the unvaccinated. If anyone is still listening to this agency, it isn’t the people public health officials need to reach. Also, Human Rights Watch’s embarrassingly unconvincing allegations against Israel.

The podcast discusses a heartening display of defiance in France to protest the unjust verdict rendered in the anti-Semitic murder of Sarah Halimi, which further reinforces the case for Zionism. Also, the racial condescension on display among progressives who heap scorn on white vaccine holdouts but handle skeptical minorities with kid gloves. And finally, countering the narrative that Joe Biden is no culture warrior.

Today's podcast discusses what it means that the Oscars were so badly executed, whether we're about to be released from having to wear masks outside, and what John Kerry told the Iranians that should have him hauled up before the Senate Intelligence Committee. Give a listen.

The podcast takes up Joe Biden's determination to cut carbon emissions in half in nine years and what such a ludicrous promise means politically. What does it tell us about what he thinks his job as president is and what he wants the history books to say about him? Give a listen.

The COMMENTARY gang expresses its shock and disbelief at the ability of liberals and the Biden White House to disregard the unmistakable evidence in the police shooting in Columbus, Ohio in favor of their preferred narrative about how cops are systemically racist—and how they might be giving birth to an "Enough Already" Party. Give a listen.

A jury of 12 peers listened to the evidence and rendered a verdict. Before the verdict, the jury's impartiality was questioned by the Left. After, it's being questioned by the Right. And what of the efforts to turn a shooting in Columbus, Ohio, into a new George Floyd case? And what of the vaccination numbers slowing way down? Give a listen.

The first COMMENTARY podcast in 14 months with three regulars in our podcast studio at our New York offices! Is normalcy returning? Ehhh.... not really. Give a listen.

Why does Rep. Maxine Waters get to call for "confrontation" in case the verdict in the George Floyd case doesn't go the way she wants? Shouldn't she be named and shamed? Or is that just to be left to liberal reporters who get to pick and choose who's named and shamed? And here's one for you: Why aren't Fauci et. al. naming and shaming the Americans who won't get the vaccine? Give a listen.

Is inflation coming? The answer is "yes," but the experts are saying not to panic. Really? Ever lived through an inflationary spiral? We discuss that, the refusal to distribute conservative books, and the media's refusal to hold itself accountable for false stories about "Russian bounties on American soldiers." Give a listen.

Our friend Yuval Levin joins the podcast today to talk about Democratic House members moving to pack the Supreme Court and pushing an extreme agenda in general—what's going on there? And what on earth is happening with a United States Ambassador to the United Nations attacking... the United States? Give a listen.

Bloomberg View columnist Eli Lake joins the podcast today to discuss Joe Biden’s plan for withdrawing all NATO forces from Afghanistan on, of all dates, the twentieth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. What are they thinking? Also, the fallout from the decision to pause the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.