Something Better

During the first lockdown, I signed on to the Ezra Klein show (a podcast run by the New York Times), because they had brilliant interviews about Ukraine, and there was a very generous opening offer. That offer’s expired, and I’m now paying over £50.00 a year, but it’s still totally worth it, and one of the few positive highlights of my week.

Ezra Klein is seriously intelligent. He reads a lot, thinks hard about what’s happening, and finds the right, precise questions to ask his guests in sustained 1:1 interviews, usually longer than an hour. They like coming on his programme, because they’re given time to develop what they have to say, and aren’t subjected to artifical arguments to entertain the audience. But that doesn’t mean it’s soft or easy. Klein’s recently completed a series of six programmes on Gaza, talking to a range of experts who between them cover a vast spectrum of viewpoints. You may not end up with an easy answer, but you do get considerably wiser.

Not that he’s not interested in answers. A recent programme explored the possibility of Biden not being the Democratic candidate. He is at the moment, and shows no inclination to stand down, but Klein thinks that may change. He likes Biden, admires what he’s done, thinks he could be President - but doesn’t think he can win the election. At the moment polls suggest that’s right, so Klein devotes careful, ingenious thought to exploring exactly how the Democrats might end up with someone else. Not obvious, but intriguing and constructive; definitely worth a thought.