Coming Soon: The Ezra Klein Show

2m 13s

Ezra Klein, host of the Ezra Klein Show at the New York Times, describes his conversation-based podcast as a platform to explore questions that obsess him. He highlights several core themes: the outsized influence of the presidency in American politics versus the Senate’s critical role in passing legislation, questioning how Democrats could transform the Senate into an effective governing body. Another topic examines whether the FDA and regulatory systems failed during the coronavirus pandemic by being too risk-averse, even when lives were at stake. Klein, a liberal from California, acknowledges that progressivism struggles to govern effectively in liberal states like California and New York, contrasting Trumpism’s obvious failures with progressives’ difficulties wielding power. He also addresses climate change, arguing that legislation alone cannot solve it quickly enough, prompting exploration of alternative options if politics fails. Finally, Klein stresses the importance of debating fundamental visions of the good society and virtuous life, which are often overlooked. The podcast launches on January 26th at the New York Times, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays and Fridays.

Transcription

393 Words, 2120 Characters

English

I'm Ezra Klein, host of the Ezra Klein Show, which is now at the New York Times. This is a conversation show. I get to talk with brilliant people about the questions that obsessed me. So I think the best way to preview the show is to simply tell you some of those questions. We often cover American politics as if the presidency is all that matters, but Joe Biden's agenda will live or die in the Senate. So what would it mean for Democrats to remake the Senate into an actual legislating deliberative body again, a seat of effective governance as opposed to these central national impediment to effective governance? There are so many shows right now to do on coronavirus, but I want to call this one out. Did the FDA and the regulatory structure more broadly fail? Were we are we right now to slow to risk averse to unwilling to move forward on imperfect information even when lives are on the line? And so what do we need to learn from that? I'm a liberal. I live in California and so I can't help noticing that liberalism, it isn't governing very well here or for that matter in New York. The failures and cruelties of Trumpism are obvious, but why are progressives having so much trouble wielding power well in the places where they do have it? And then there's this and I'm obsessed with this. We are not going to legislate enough quickly enough to stop climate change. That cannot be the only path. So then what options are left? What options do we have if politics fails? And on that note, we often take the point of politics for granted is if we all share a vision of the good society, but we don't. And one reason we don't, if here's a we don't talk about that question very much, we don't argue about it much. But politics is bigger than any one policy, building out that dream of what we are trying to build, that idea of the good society, and of the virtuous life. That's worth talking about and exploring too, and we will. Here's our clientele. We'll launch on January 26th at the New York Times, new episodes. We'll drop Tuesdays and Fridays from then on. Subscribe here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

Ezra Klein introduces his podcast, now at the New York Times, focusing on conversations about pressing questions.
Key topics include
The show launches on January 26th, with new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Summary:

Klein, a liberal from California, acknowledges that progressivism struggles to govern effectively in liberal states like California and New York, contrasting Trumpism’s obvious failures with progressives’ difficulties wielding power. He also addresses climate change, arguing that legislation alone cannot solve it quickly enough, prompting exploration of alternative options if politics fails. Finally, Klein stresses the importance of debating fundamental visions of the good society and virtuous life, which are often overlooked.

The podcast launches on January 26th at the New York Times, with new episodes dropping Tuesdays and Fridays.

FAQs

What is the Ezra Klein Show about?›

It's a conversation show where Ezra Klein talks with brilliant people about questions that obsess him, now hosted at the New York Times.

What is a key question about the Senate that Ezra Klein raises?›

How Democrats could remake the Senate into an effective legislating body instead of an impediment to governance.

What question does Ezra Klein ask about the FDA and coronavirus?›

Whether the FDA and regulatory structure failed by being too slow and risk-averse to act on imperfect information during the pandemic.

Why is Ezra Klein concerned about liberalism in California and New York?›

He notices that liberalism isn't governing well in these places, despite Trumpism's obvious failures.

What question does Ezra Klein raise about climate change?›

If legislation isn't enough to stop climate change quickly, what other options remain when politics fails?

What broader topic does Ezra Klein want to explore beyond policy?›

The idea of the good society and the virtuous life, and why we don't argue about that enough.

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