Stop having Ross Douthat on. Stop giving him a platform. He is a gleeful golem who is overjoyed Roe was overturned and could not be more happy with the state of women’s rights. With men like him just set your timer and wait. The New York Times will shuffle him off once we find out what he’s really like. Ezra is better than to need him anywhere near his work.

More stupidy and gaslighting, brought to you by the democrst trash at the NY Times.

Not as much fun as “How Did This Get Made”, but you’ll learn more and hear a fantastic example of how to engage with the world.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with the tech angle. You look at drug issues; back in the 80s, it was crack cocaine, and crime escalated because of it with drivebys, shootings, and robberies. Three strikes you out, 100,000 police officers were hired; the Clinton campaign promise, broken windows, basically crime was cracked down on. Gradually the last seven years, especially in blue states, crimes are not being prosecuted, and peaking to almost no crimes are being charged. You can do drugs anywhere, and police won't arrest you; in my state, they aren't doing car chases, so if you are pulled over, you can drive off from police, and they can't chase you, more drugs are being done so it creates more crime. Homelessness you gave kids living in tents, and some of those tent cities are crime gangs stealing from stores for drugs. You have gangs who've come up from South America. Then there are more murders. Driving from point A to B is more dangerous because there's shooting road rage happening each week; we just had three in one county on the highways attributed to road rage. Kids these days have less impulse control. I see them getting mad and throwing temper tantrums that you used to see in much younger kids; they want change now, too. I have to explain in the local government; job change doesn't happen fast, so they feel less appreciated, so the jump from job to job looking to be respected but learning the next job usually has the same problems. Your generation needs to get things under control and put in laws, laws that people can follow and feel safer, because right now places like Seattle are the wild west. The experiment of people being to police themselves didn't work.

Great discussion. Made me think that the problem with getting democrats on the same page as a political movement may be the lack of a bonding experience that Christianity brings to republicans.

Humble and so smart Thank you

Listen to this podcast regularly. Typically very thoughtful and high quality. But I was very, very disappointed in “Why are teens in crisis.” I understand Klein was trying to anticipate and address the “other side” of the argument that smart phones and social media are causing harm to young people — but in doing so relentlessly, I think he lost a big opportunity to educate families about these dangers.

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I find it fascinating that Ezra is now having “nuanced” conversations when he and his publications were main purveyors of the sky is falling mentality that all liberals are suffering from today.

Ezra is consistently able to spread out interesting 15 minute interviews over the course of an hour or so. It’s amazing. Today’s interview had the guest repeating herself so often that she began starting sentences with “once again.” Frankly, get an editor.

When I can’t sleep I listen to Ezra converse with his guests. I’ve learned so much from them about different ways of thinking about our world. Often during the day I think about something wise or Intriguing that I heard on the show, and I’ve realized that it expands the boundaries of my thinking. Thank you!

Like the podcast but this drives me crazy!

There are a lot of silly podcasts. This is not one of them. It’s almost always really interesting and about something important. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody say something patently false or poorly thought-out on this podcast, and this is kind of rare in the podcast world.

Liberal platform for propaganda

I’m a conservative independent, and a Christian. So I often differ with Ezra on ideas about policy and world view. BUT I really appreciate Ezra’s thoughtfulness and intelligence. I appreciate his calm demeanor and desire to have thoughtful, respectful discussions about complex issues. His guests are always so well educated and so well read. I learn and am challenged to THINK and consider my position on issues after listening. Ezra does not fear-monger or yell! Thank you for that Ezra!! Press on. You’re doing good work.

Here’s an idea. Let’s find the least charismatic dork on the internet and make him the host… Klein would be an amazing policy blogger tho

Talks over me or talks at me, but doesn’t talk to me. Ezra is the definition of pretentious.

If there's one thing the sometimes self-satisfied seeming Ezra Klein can truly be satisfied about it's how well read and how fulsomely prepared he is. And his amazing knack for getting interesting guests. And his timely topics. So that's more than one thing. He really needs to cut out putting music beneath people reading their poetry. That's just the pits.

Thank you for helping me think in the places I didn’t have words for that. And thanks for making my reading list grow constantly. Even knowing all those titles is a loot.

Unbearably arrogant. Hedges constantly. Clearly very learned but is greedy with his time on the show. I’ve had multiple individual podcasts recommended that are generally insightful (the recent episode about the SVB collapse, for example) but I can’t stand the way Klein holds court in these conversations.

These are always deep and thoughtful conversations with people who know a lot. Almost always fascinating!

This is one of the most thoughtful podcasts in existence. Whatever the topic, you can count on Ezra and guests to think about it deeply, and to always find the humanity behind the issues of the day. Thank you.

Ezra Klein has figured out how to get away with being extremely earnest in an extremely cynical world. He is also an alchemist with the capacity to gather up the most excruciatingly boring wonky materials and transform them into intriguing landscapes that listeners will want to explore. When many others are relying on cheap energy that they obtain by appealing to a sneering, nostalgic, nihilistic, or sentimental audiences, he is working to summon and empower a more energetic, more engaged, and better informed public — I think that he has good reasons for taking that work seriously. He does so in a manner that sheds light on what is at stake, while centering efforts to cultivate meaningful democratic dialogue. I appreciate that.

Ezra Klein gives us the platonic ideal of what public conversation —particularly about social and political issues — should look like. In a media works saturated with manipulation and sarcasm, Klein stands out as the opposite of those things: he is genuine, honest, thoughtful and morally provocative. I thank him for choosing this path and I urge him to simply keep doing what he’s doing. Being who he is IS his reward.

I get all my daily news from you

Always thoughtful, always excellent.

Excellent podcast, and Ezra is one of the only “normies” tackling AI in a comprehensive way. It’s amusing to see so many reviews bashing him for it.

I find that I listen to this podcast so often and while I enjoy the current event episodes my favorites are the interviews with poets and fiction writers - so refreshing!

Normally a fan of the Ezra Klein show, but the AI coverage is dull and one note. The only episode that I’ve enjoyed recently featured David French. I was sorely disappointed by the AI-focused AMA. I hope to see more diverse and engaging content going forward.

Please make fewer episodes about AI / Elon musk / “big tech” I simply don’t care! There has been SO MUCH about it and it’s not that interesting! Thank you

I think Ezra is at his best when it’s a political subject. It’s somewhat rare to have someone podcasting as thoughtful as he does. Some of the subjects just aren’t for me, but obviously you can’t have subject everyone loves every time and they’re easy to skip

I generally like EK and his usually measured approach to topics. But the recent episode on AI is delusional and sort of plays into the hands of tech bros (Sam Altman included) that are hyping this tech more than it should. Chat gpt is a very impressive auto complete. It is an algorithm. And to suggest it even has an ounce of “intelligence” is dangerous to gullible users. Invite Chomsky back please and he will explain it to you and audience perfectly…

The definitive thinking persons podcast.

I want to listen but it’s impossible to include a 1-2 hr podcasts (unless it’s the only pod you’re listening to) and still get to other podcasts. A 30-min abridged option and I’d listen.

David should be Ezra’s regular, as in monthly, guest. This episode is such a calm explainer that juxtaposes the ridiculous blathering of the progressive left and the MAGA right. I, for one, am disgusted with the unreasonable fringes dominating the discourse.

Ezra so organically guides his interviews; when I listen I always feel like I’m eavesdropping on two friends having a spontaneous, magnificent discussion. Astoundingly, Ezra’s ability to articulate issues is at least as brilliant as his guests whose area of expertise he is discussing. The topics are profound, the explorations are authentic and deeply engaging, and the ideas explored could often radically change our society for the better. It’s a rare episode that doesn’t spark epiphany. Thank you, Ezra!

I think this show is a great deep-dive podcast, but you’ve got to lay off the AI. It’s way too much. I’ll tune back in when you resume talking about anything else.

Intelligent conversations about important issues

Best Deep Dive podcasting out there.

Love to check in with Ezra, see how he’s thinking about it.

Awesome

I’m always looking for a podcast that goes beyond news and politics. I liked a few of these episodes, but man, did it quickly move beyond pretentious NPR style smarminess in a hurry.

I listen to this show regularly and always find it to be very engaging, interesting and thought provoking.

Thank you for being one of the few voices against George bush revisionism!! Also- more women are suicidal than men. More women attempt suicide but since men tend to have guns or maybe favor violence they are more successful in their suicide attempts.

AI is the current topic of interest. And it strikes me as a mirage, the last wisps of a mist disappearing with the morning sun. According to James Hansen, we may hit 1.5C of warming as soon as next year. This fact will revolutionize our future more than AI or any innovation we come up with. And the longer we ignore this fact the less power we will have to affect it. Yet we continue to be primarily fascinated with our own concerns and projects, like AI. Meanwhile the undermining of our civilization by global warming continues. Soon it will be too late to avoid irreversible processes, and we will wonder what we were so fascinated by? AI? Really? Was it just a distraction? Maybe the smarter species are the spiders. Maybe sentience is a mirage.

Loved the recent episode on physical pain and interview with pain psychologist Rachel Zoffness. I've been listening to Ezra Klein's podcast since he was at Vox. Always honest deep convos with interesting ppl and topics. His convos are so thoughtful

…and you will realize than this man completely uncritically platforms misinformed “experts” to spread falsehoods where politically palatable to his target audience.

Ezra talks too fast and swallows his words. Frustrating to listen to.

Love the discussions but Ezra’s acoustics have room for improvement. Too much bass compared to guest. Variations in frequencies are bad. Give him a proper recording studio + microphone.

Loved, loved the conversation with Jane Hirshfield.