For Inauguration Week, here are the best podcasts about the worst administration in history
Aux Features Unknown
For the last half decade, we’ve all had to think way harder about Donald J. Trump than we ever wanted to. He was supposed to be forever relegated to the time-honored position of C-list punching bag, one whose irrelevance was his only virtue. As his victory accelerated our nation’s increased political polarization and created a landscape in desperate need of repair, podcasts have come and gone that attempt to grapple with these seismic shifts in reality. Here are some of the best episodes from the past five years that say something uncomfortably true about the state of the union.
It Could Happen Here
The Second American Civil War
Listening to ex-Cracked editor Robert Evans talk about the possibility of a second American Civil War in 2019, you’d have thought he had a strong argument. Listening to his podcast series today? You’d think he owned a time machine. On It Could Happen Here, Evans rationally theorizes how a second American Civil War is all but imminent and explores the multitude of ways liberals and conservatives have become increasingly hostile toward each other. Evans not only makes a compelling case for why a war could happen, but also how, providing historical anecdotes and data that convey America’s polarization in the Trump era. The podcast might be unsettling to hear, but today it feels doubly so, as much of what Evans cites as small “sparks” for a potential war sound more like a review of news clips from the past year: Portland being at the center of national attention and representing a microcosm of America living as a whole; an economic collapse freeing up more time for protests to happen nationally; and a erosion of trust in governments and fellow countrymen. Though much of this podcast accurately describes America’s political climate today, let’s hope Evans’ war theory remains pure political fiction. [Kevin Cortez]
Reply All
The QAnon Code ⚡️⚡️
In mid-2018, when the QAnon conspiracy was still in its infancy and not yet a strong artery running through conservative America, Reply All host PJ Vogt asked his co-host Alex Goldman and boss Alex Blumberg to explain a strange string of tweets he found while snooping through Roseanne Barr’s favorites on Twitter. The tweets in question were written in a barrage of emoji and sentence fragments, but all involved a hashtag Vogt had been actively avoiding: #Qanon. In true Reply All fashion, Goldman brings everyone up to speed with what this conspiracy is, how it was birthed, and how it slowly drew the attention of the internet via 4chan. Today, the episode plays out as a slightly naive and dismissive glance at the dangerous conspiracists QAnon has rallied up, but taken alongside the show’s 2020 follow-up episode,“Country Of Liars”—which goes deep down into the rabbit hole to uncover Q’s true identity—it’s the perfect companion that shows two sides of the conspiratorial coin: one side a laughable internet theory crafted by offensive nerds, and the other reckoning with the result of that theory catching on like wildfire. [Kevin Cortez]
Still Processing
We Watch Trump TV with Emily Nussbaum
Debuting way back in the fall of 2016, this spicy pop culture podcast hosted by New York Times writers of color Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris has been around just as long as this wretched administration. During that time, Wortham and Morris have done many episodes where they chopped it up about the downright dysfunctional state of the country ever since Trump got into the White House, and this one from May 2017 is most notable for the way it breaks down how the situation is partially television’s fault. They invite Emily Nussbaum, Pulitzer Prize–winning TV critic for The New Yorker, to the studio to discuss how Trump’s knack for being a savvy, showboating asshole (which helped him become a reality TV superstar on The Apprentice) led to his political ascension. Nussbaum even brings up the possibility that TV viewers’ increasing love for kickass antiheroes made many of them go to the polls and vote for someone they thought of as a real-life Tony Soprano. In the end, all we got was another Ralphie Cifaretto. [Craig D. Lindsey]
1A
When Journalists Say They’re Objective—What Does That Even Mean?
At its best, news journalism is considered “objective.” Journalists are expected to eschew their perspective, the lens through which they see the facts—but is that even possible? If it is, does it positively impact journalism as much as we think it does? On this 2020 episode of WAMU’s 1A, panelists Ricardo Sandoval-Palos of PBS, Morgan Givens of 1A (who has since left WAMU for reasons related to so-called objectivity), and Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times beg to differ. They aren’t saying that bias shouldn’t be moved through consciously and critically when reporting on the news. Instead, they make the argument that bias is assumed with inequity, and that one’s closeness to an issue can often result in more informed coverage, rather than contributing to inaccuracies. The clearest example here is Black journalists being turned down for their writing on the Black Lives Matter movement and other stories about racial injustice. And in 2021, this conversation has been renewed in the wake of white nationalists staging a failed coup, making this episode the perfect crash course on what “objective” journalism really means. [Wil Williams]
Note To Self
Deep-Dark-Data-Driven Politics
In 2018, news broke that Cambridge Analytica had secured the personal data of about 87 million Facebook users to assist in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. But an entire year prior, in 2017, WNYC’s Note To Self was already covering the unfolding scandal, speculating on just how bad the data theft was and how much of an impact it would have on Facebook users. Note To Self, now a Luminary exclusive, is a show about how technology affects our lives, but it’s always had a specific edge on talking data privacy. Between “Privacy Paradox,” a mini-series with a built-in challenge to increase your data security, and a harrowing interview with the creator of Facebook’s ad algorithm, Note To Self is a must-listen primer on why data privacy is crucial and how exposure can be wielded against users. “Deep-Dark-Data-Driven Politics” is an ominous listen that doesn’t get everything right; it was created with some understandable shreds of optimism that, of course, wound up undeserved. Listen in for a snapshot from the past, with some uncomfortably telling visions of where this story could have gone, and some shockingly accurate predictions about where it did go. [Wil Williams]
72 Comments
Oof, who wants to live through that right now? I’m going to take a good long while before I really want to reflect on the last four years. Gotta get past the trauma before the healing can begin, after all.
People doing news related stuff I understand and I also understand not wanting to listen to it.Creative interpretations in film or TV is where it’s going to piss me off more. Covering Trump or the pandemic.
The insurrection can be a pretty good movie though, so long they leave T mostly out of it.
We could probably mine a good 8 or 9 different movies out of the past 4 years of chaos. The “Trump film” will become it’s own genre by 2030.
I don’t know how you make a movie about Trump. If it’s a serious take, it’ll look ridiculous. If it’s a comical/parody take, it’ll be played out.
I’m already groaning at the prospect of some Oscar-baity “2020″ movie.
Someone get me Oliver Stone’s number!
…mark wahlberg is going to solve racism and insurrection with syringes full of vaccine, isn’t he?
We can only hope…
Besides the blatantly terrible things that Trumpism has wrought, there are less obvious things that have risen in his wake that I am very sorry we will be stuck with forever; Like the term “Fake News” which is a phrase I don’t think I’d even heard before 2015, and now people say it everywhere. Actual cold hard facts are being discredited in a way I’ve never seen before.
No mention of the Crooked Media podcasts?Pod Save America and Pod Save the World are the main ones. Most weeks I just listen to PStW for the international stuff.
Came here to say just that. They’re smart, insightful and very funny. If I had only one sound I could listen to for the rest of my live it’d be Jon Favreau’s laugh.
Centrist scum
And a lovely day to you too.
Centrist scum that raised hundreds of thousands for Stacey Abrams’ efforts, even more for Democratic candidates, and mobilized thousands into volunteering to register Democratic voters and get out the vote. How awful!
But… but… El Chapo Traphouse told me to hate them… I’m so conflicted… 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
This is some really dark stuff here.
A shame it’s not that Jon Favreau, I would’ve liked some Mandalorian tidbits for S3.
Was going to say that too. Pod Save America, Pod Save the World, etc… are fantastic.
But which episodes in particular were the most helpful/influential? I’d give it to Jon Favreau’s ‘The Wilderness’ series because it focused on winning the crucial 2018 midterms. Runner-up to Dan and Alyssa’s series on how a VP candidate is selected, purely for the entertainment factor.
The episode with Kamala Harris in front of a live audience in 2017 where she called Trump a motherfucker is a good one.
… and I’d give them at least some credit for the runoff outcomes in Georgia, with their Vote Save America initiatives. Those guys and NPR are pretty much my sanity-preserving go-to news sources these days …
Pod Save America is great insight into the very anodyne neoliberal ideology which helped to lead us to Trump.
Those neoliberal ghouls?Hell no.
Citations Needed podcast with Nima Shirazi and Adam Johnson- a podcast on media, power, PR, and the history of bullshit. Trump is dunked on plenty, but corporate media and party leaders also get much deserved scrutiny.My favorite episodes from past year included: “Ep. 118 – The Snitch Economy: How Rating Apps and Tipping Pit Working People Against Each Other”
“Ep. 113, 114, 115 – Hollywood and Anti-Muslim Racism (Parts 1, 2, 3)”“Ep. 111 -How “Small Business” Rhetoric Is Used to Protect Corporate America”
https://citationsneeded.medium.com/
Citations Needed rules, along with Trillbilly Worker’s Party, QAnon Anonymous, Chapo Trap House, and TrueAnon. Good independent podcasts.
Citations Needed is excellent
It’s bad. Is it worse than Andrew Jackson, though?
No mention of every single episode of Trump Inc, WNYC/ProPublica’s continuing investigation into Trump’s businesses and their intersection with his administration? Leaving it off this list seems like a horribly gross oversight. Or slightly more afield, the Behind the Bastards episodes about Paul Manafort were astounding. Episodes about Roger Stone and Roy Cohn are also decent, but not as riveting. The ones on Erik Prince wer also amazing, though it’s more Trump-adjacent than related. (Maybe you just didn’t want to make the list too Robert-Evans-heavy?)
I would be fine if the entire list consisted of Robert Evans’ content. He puts things into perspective without inducing panic and raised the alarm when many were preaching “give Trump a chance”. BtB is required listening for me.
Calling Trump the worst administration in history is absurdly short sighted. Andrew Jackson pushed legislation that created literal genocide against Indians. Bush Jr caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, directly and indirectly, destabilized and entire region, and created trillions in debt, in order to go fight a war created around a lie. If you actually stack up the horrendous stuff this country has done I don’t even know if you could slot Trump into the top 5 in terms of actual, tangible damage done.
Please can you guys tell my foster brother who lost his leg and suffers from severe PTSD that the Trump administration was worse than the Dubya administration.
Sure thing, does he have an OnlyFans or something?
100% I don’t know how anyone of adult age can think Trump was worse.
They were both shit in their own special ways: Dubya did untold amounts of damage to the middle-east via two fronts of very destabilizing wars, and Trump has done a vast amount of damage here in the US by increasing the political polarization and using the rights racism and distrust as a big hammer against the rest of the country. Sorry your brother lost his leg, although I’m sure he would feel it’s worth it so you can use it to foment more bullshit “both sides are just as bad” rhetoric.
Trump has also gotten thousands of Americans killed, possibly hundreds of thousands, with his completely disastrous response to the pandemic.
(Bush still has the blood of hundreds of thousands on his hands from his wars.)
If the insurgence at the Capitol proved successful, they would’ve likely tossed your brother in a fire along with all the other disabled people. Trump might’ve not been worse than Dubya, but it certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying. We can thank the good ol’ checks-and-balances for coming through.
Fuck that.
Instead, I propose you all put up a flag, go purchase a pint of Ben and Jerry’s, and instead celebrate our kind, intelligent, sane, new president:
Yay! The center right senile moron is replacing the far right senile moron. What a great time to be alive!
Here’s your 1.9 trillion dollar economic plan:https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/biden-economic-rescue-package-coronavirus-stimulus/index.htmlHere’s his plan to fight climate change, the most ambitious in history:https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/environmentalists-say-biden-s-win-was-crucial-climate-progress-now-n1247135But yeah, both sides are the same, Biden has Alzheimers because he stutters, etc. You’re just so very edgy and clever.
A stutter that no one ever noticed from 2008-2016.Ok, bro.
Normally I don’t give attention to people in the grays, but fuck every single wretched little crevice in your decrepit little body. As someone who loves a family member with a stutter, you have no fucking idea how hard they have it. They are mocked relentlessly by cruel bullies like you, and no matter how smart they are or what they’ve achieved, they constantly have their intelligence questioned. Routine shit that you or I take for granted, like ordering at a drive-through or calling to schedule a doctor’s appointment, generate horrible anxiety for them.If you don’t like Biden because of his policies, or even his personality, knock yourself out. But chucklefucks like you absolutely do not get to go after him, or anybody else, for having a speech impediment.
I came to second this. I’ve never known a person afflicted with stuttering until just this year when one of my new students in the fall stood up during introductions. This kid has a lot to say and works his ass off, so it infuriates me to no end when other kids snicker behind his back. Empathy is apparently, not within human nature.
Also:August 2008: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93914952April 2010: https://www.nais.org/magazine/independent-school/spring-2010/joe-biden-reveals-childhood-stuttering-at-lab-scho/September 2015: https://www.williamsonhomepage.com/spring_hill/community/how-vp-joe-biden-changed-the-life-of-one-franklin-teen/article_55810876-80fe-5bdb-b990-b6a9c67473f9.htmlJune 2016:
So, once again, get fucked.
Ok I’m not a huge fan of Biden, but he’s had a stutter since childhood and he’s been open about it for years, and it takes only a second to find videos on youtube of him talking about it over a decade ago. So don’t be a fuck.
The ‘both sides are the same’ argument is one of the most annoying things to come out of discourse in the past four years. The only thing that’s been more annoying is Trump and his allies accusing their rivals of the very transgressions they commit- and not enough people calling it out
If your not relieved that a level-headed centrist democrat is going to the White House after the absolute fascist shit show of the past 4 years and 400k dead Americans, then I don’t know what to tell you. Sorry, he’s not Bernie?
Dude I don’t think you could look more like a shill if you tried.
Leon Kass would hate this photo.
Joe “If Medicare For All comes through my desk I will veto it” Biden.Kind, sure.
Fuck off with the disingenuous quotes. He’s opposed to jumping immediately to M4A because he lacks the votes in the House and Senate to pass it and because the amount of industry pushback and public outcry there would be. That’s why he’s proposing a public option that he openly admits would help us transition more smoothly to M4A:https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1030086#blogHeaderI swear, there is a certain section of the internet left that would prefer nothing good happen if it isn’t exactly what they’re demanding.
How about you fuck off with your simping for this man.Read his quote again. He said if it comes to his desk, i.e. passes through the House and the Senate, he would veto it. This isn’t “If only we had the votes” thing. He doesn’t want it. He would never let it through. And he didn’t say it’s because of public outcry (more than two thirds of Americans support it), nor industry pushback (who gives a shit?), he said it was too expensive. Because taxing the shit out of billionaires or, God forbid, going after their tax evasion, is out of the question. Much less cutting the trillion dollar per year defense budget.And how great that his plan might help “transition more smoothly to M4A”. Could. Maybe. To do something that’s not fucking needed in the first place. Every M4A plan has a transition period built in. All this does is waste the momentum and support by introducing another shitty “market based solution” that will probably get pushed further right before it’s out the door anyway, just like it happened with Obamacare.You wanna know why good things are so difficult to happen in the first place? It’s because of people like you who do your opponents’ job for them and settle for compromised half-measures before the debate even begins, who vote for right-wing candidates to appeal to the other side. Worst part is that you don’t even stop at “This is the best we could do”, you manage to somehow convince yourself it’s actually great.
Read his quote again. He said if it comes to his desk, i.e. passes through the House and the Senate, he would veto it.
Firstly, this is straight-up horseshit. This is what he actually said:“I would veto anything that delays providing the security and the certainty of health care being available now. If they got that through by some miracle, there was an epiphany that
occurred, and some miracle occurred that said okay, it passed, then you
got to look at the costs. I want to know, how do they find the $35
trillion? What is that doing? Is it going to significantly raise taxes
on the middle class, which it will. What’s going to happen? Look, my opposition isn’t to the principle that you should have
Medicare. Health care should be a right in America. My opposition
relates to whether or not a) it’s doable, 2) what the cost is and what
consequences for the rest of budget are. How are you going to find $35
trillion over the next 10 years without having profound impacts on
everything from taxes for middle class and working class people as well
as the impact on the rest of the budget?”
Source: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/mar/10/facebook-posts/when-biden-was-asked-if-he-would-veto-medicare-all/You are welcome to criticize the guy for not wanting M4A, but stop pretending that he’s some Mitch McConnell-esque ghoul who doesn’t give a shit about human suffering. His points are valid and he’s arguing in good faith.
And how great that his plan might help “transition more smoothly to
M4A”. Could. Maybe. To do something that’s not fucking needed in the
first place. Every M4A plan has a transition period built in. All this
does is waste the momentum and support by introducing another shitty
“market based solution” that will probably get pushed further right
before it’s out the door anyway, just like it happened with Obamacare.
I know those snarky people on Twitter with the little rose emojis seem cool, but don’t just parrot everything they say. The public option Biden is proposing is not a “market based solution”, it’s literally creating a government-run insurance program that anybody can afford to join. Again, if the goal is to actually help people and not score performative internet points, then his plan is actually pretty important:https://www.vox.com/2019/7/16/20694598/joe-biden-health-care-plan-public-optionSecondly, both Biden and Obama wanted a public option in 2009, but they had to cave to fucking Joe Lieberman. This time around that’s not going to happen.
You wanna know why good things are so difficult to happen in the first
place? It’s because of people like you who do your opponents’ job for
them and settle for compromised half-measures before the debate even
begins, who vote for right-wing candidates to appeal to the other side.
I have literally never voted for a Republican in my entire life and voted for Bernie in both primaries, but sure, keep telling me how I’m a garbage centrist for being vaguely pragmatic. If you think $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, or a radical climate plan, or a $15 minimum wage, or cutting child poverty in half are all “half measures” then I honestly don’t know what to tell you. Biden has clearly demonstrated that he’s willing to work with progressives, and thankfully most of them have realized they’re better off working with the guy instead of throwing a fit over the fact he isn’t perfect. Personally I’m in favor of the Eleanor Roosevelt approach of “compromising up”, but you keep on doing your miserable git thing while the rest of us get to work.
Nice picture of Joe Biden purchasing 20 Dollar ice Cream and enjoying it.And we are also offering affordable children education programms on abcmouse sitewide deals on our website Best Saving Coupons abcmouse sitewide deals
Is this article from an alternative universe where GW and Reagan were never president?
I’m a fan of the Cracked-alum headed podcasts:Behind the BastardsWorst Year EverEven More NewsSome More News (the youtube version of Even More News)All are awesome podcasts, though politically, Worst Year Ever is my favorite.
Check out Small Beans if you haven’t yet! Michael Swaim is doing amazing things.
I do like them, yes; not political, but I try and follow all the cracked alumni on whatever platform I can.
Quick Questions with Daniel and Soren is a good listen, too.
“liberals and conservatives have become increasingly hostile toward each other”I really hate this framing. Liberals–or anyone reasonable–have become hostile towards conservatives because conservatives have become steadily more monstrous.
Truth. If anything, I’ve become more endeared to the Michael Steele, Joe Scarborough centrist conservatives with a conscience types.
Well let’s not get carried away
Yeah, really tired of the GOP doing some heinous shit, liberals saying “maybe we shouldn’t allow heinous shit to be done,” and the media being like both sides can’t agree on anything.
♪ Trump is ooo-ver ♪♪ God, we want it ♪
Checkout “Can Donnie Do It?” The hosts debate if Trump could do the things us normies do all the time like “Can Trump Ride a Bike?” and “Can Trump make a grilled cheese sandwich”.
That was also a regular bit Drew Magary did on Deadspin and the Defector. Always an interesting topic of discussion
The Qanon Anonymous is a good podcast to listen to take a deep and alternately hilarious and terrifying dive into QAnon. Such an amazingly dumb conspiracy theory espoused by amazingly dumb people who are also becoming extremely dangerous
when you say worst administration you don’t even mention Obama at all. whats up with that??
Worst administration in history? I think you need to read some history books. Not saying that Trump isn’t an A-Hole, just saying you need to research American history.
Slate’s “Trumpcast” podcast was usually really informative. It started in March 0f 2016 when the idea of Trump winning still seemed insane. The episode after the 2016 election when the despair started to set in, and when original host Jacob Weisberg realized the show wouldn’t end that week and he would have to keep doing a show about this awful stupid racist man… maybe a listen hard to listen to but very moving. I’m looking forward to the final episode of the show this week!
Evans rationally theorizes how a second American Civil War is all but imminent and explores the multitude of ways liberals and conservatives have become increasingly hostile toward each other.Um, only one of these groups staged a coup and ransacked the Capitol building.
The best politics podcast is Cum Town.