ELECTION season is upon America –
and
so this week we take a peek into some of the podcasts providing
a
look at the political landscape during the countdown.
FiveThirtyEight Elections
Nate Silver became the most
respected
name in political analysis with his FiveThirtyEight column in
the
last round of US elections – and analysis is the beating heart
of
this podcast.
But don't expect a dry show full of
statistics and numbers, instead this is a real delight of a
show,
with a panel of guests – including Silver – talking about the
political issues of the day.
The latest show comes from the
Playstation Theater in Broadway, and is timely considering the
recent
bombing attack on New York, with the guests looking at the
response
to the attack and the likely effect it will have on the
political
landscape, particularly ahead of the first presidential debate
between
candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump last Monday.
There's an air of defiance in the
New
York audience coming out to a show in the wake of the bombing,
but
the show takes the situation in its stride as it focuses sharply
on
the ebb and flow of political polls, and the narratives of
election
season.
If you're a Donald Trump supporter,
this probably isn't the show for you, as the host and guests
generally sound baffled at the lack of any cohesion to the
Republican's policies and approach. Yet they take it seriously,
and
this is one of the most informative and neatly analysed looks at
the
current political landscape. It's fun too – full of snark and
laughs such as the speculation that Donald Trump might launch
his own
brand of tacos.
In short, if you want to be up to
speed
with the nitty gritty detail of the US election but want to have
fun
while keeping up with it, then this is absolutely the show for
you.
Presidential
The Presidential podcast takes a
look
back across the history of previous presidents to sit in the
White
House – and it's a fantastically educational show. The latest
episode takes a look at Gerald Ford, the president who arrived
by
circumstance rather than by being voted in, and in turn, the
show
talks to three guests – Ford's son, Steven, Berkeley professor
Daniel Sargent, and former White House photographer David Hume
Kennerly.
Ford took office in unlikely
fashion.
He became the first person to be appointed to the
vice-presidency under the 25th Amendment after Spiro
Agnew's resignation,
then became president after Nixon's term ended in scandal and
resignation. The unelected man, Ford, stepped up in Nixon's
place.
The warmest insights come from
Ford's
son, who talks of the man who would become President. He talks
of how
Ford met his biological father only once, in his teenage years,
a man
who had not been in his life until then and suddenly arrived
looking
to take Ford to live with him, an offer Ford roundly rejected,
saying
that his father, Leslie Lynch King, had never been his real
father.
Instead, he was raised by his stepfather and his mother, and
grew
into a man with long years in politics, who spoke of not being
able
to work with his opposition unless he could break bread with
them
too, who would sit down with rivals to work out the best
solution
rather than hurl abuse across the aisle.
Kennerly too highlights the humility
of
the man, revealing an argument over photographs of war in the
White
House, which were to be taken down until Ford intervened and
insisted
that images showing the consequences of war were never to be
removed,
as they acted as a reminder of the outcome of decisions made by
those
in office. His personal troubles are also highlighted, such as
the
fight against breast cancer endured by his wife, Betty, and the
effect that had on the then president.
The desire for bi-partisan politics
and
the humble approach of Ford marks a very different figure from
today's challengers. In the end, he never did win a presidential
election, losing out after his only term to the future President
Carter.
This is a great podcast, very well
worth your time and your attention.
Time
One of the biggest names in
journalism
is Time magazine – so it makes it rather inexplicable that the
company's politics podcast is so weak. An array of short, indeed
super short, podcasts is available. These clock in at just a few
minutes each and it's hard to fathom who the audience is,
because
they are so brief. The latest episode lasts just a little over
three
minutes and ostensibly is a rundown of how each of the major
candidate's policies will affect the US national debt –
Clinton's
policies seeing it rise by about 1%, Trump's seeing it rise by
nearly
a quarter. But there's just so little of it that it's hard to
feel
any substance to it – it almost feels like someone is simply
reading a press release. Another episode, on Trump's appeal to
black
voters, lasts just over a minute, and cuts off mid-sentence. It
looks
suspiciously like this is an area of Time's repertoire that is
overlooked and neglected, and frankly for such a strong brand,
you
would expect them to do better.
Got any recommendations for podcasts to cover? Let me know at @AlteredInstinct or in the comments below.
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