From the guest list, the show looked like it was created to have a space where left commentators of various sorts would come on and hash out ideological differences as the US left is in the wilderness post-Bernie. It would be interesting, I thought, to have a show where an ultra like Sean KB from The Antifada could explain Marxist theory on a panel with social democrats and have some kind of discussion.

It turns out that its basically just a radlib version of The Five from Fox News, where they just take turns kicking the tires on the days news.

Does anyone actually want a show like this? It seems like its trying to fill a market that doesn't exist - or maybe existed a few years ago and doesn't today. When I look around, I don't think to myself, "You know who has some understanding of the political struggle we face in this moment? This DSA-backed state legislator from NYC."

Listening to it was deeply unsettling. I don't recommend it.

  • Duo [any]
    1·
    4 years ago

    Yeah, it felt pretty weird, like pod save america or something but just a little more left.

    • hagensfohawk [none/use name]
      1·
      4 years ago

      Deeply weird is the feeling I had listening. Almost an out of body experience really.

      I thought to myself, "We are living in the zone now," in the Virgil Texas voice while listening to a Virgil Texas podcast that I think he is hosting unironically.

      • cracksmoke2020 [none/use name]
        2·
        4 years ago

        My impression is that the podcast is about political tactics rather than about political ideas. The left does legitimately need to learn to think more strategically and we need more news shows that promote that type of thinking.

        • hagensfohawk [none/use name]
          1·
          4 years ago

          What "political tactics" are they going to discuss? And a "news show" is antithetical to a show on political strategy, unless you think Steve kornacki is a political strategist

          • cracksmoke2020 [none/use name]
            2·
            4 years ago

            Political tactics that the bernie campaign was able to deploy to push back against the Bernie bro narrative and other related things. How the left can effectively communicate their ideas in ways that drive voter turnout and campaign volunteers.

            I'm not talking about Kornacki, but I am talking Joy Reid and Nicole Wallace. Essentially just a Bernie oriented version of their commentary. These folks are legitimately political strategists even though they work against us.

            • hagensfohawk [none/use name]
              ·
              4 years ago

              Wait. You think Joy Reid and Nicole Wallace are teaching MSNBC moms "political tactics"?

              • cracksmoke2020 [none/use name]
                4·
                4 years ago

                Absolutely, theyre communicating things in a coordinated language that apply a form of critical theory to advance their broader political goals.

                We need far more of that on the left. There can never be enough until there's enough content to consume 24/7 like people do with msnbc.

                • hogposting [he/him,comrade/them]
                  1·
                  4 years ago

                  In short, we're talking about churning out good talking points. And you're absolutely right that we need far more of that on the left, because the #1 goal right now has to be to get more people on our side.