Ezra Klein
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Podcast Appearances
It's the Reagan-Clinton neoliberal order. And if anybody wants to get Gerstle Pilled, you can search in the archives of the show for our Gary Gerstle conversation right before the election.
It's the Reagan-Clinton neoliberal order. And if anybody wants to get Gerstle Pilled, you can search in the archives of the show for our Gary Gerstle conversation right before the election.
Well, here's a way in which it has happened. I mean, you wrote a whole book about the rise of an international reactionary right. Right. And to go to Andrew's nice line from earlier, we used to call it the alt-right, now we just call it the right. Right. One thing that seems completely clear, there's no snapback to an old Republican party. You look at 25-year-olds on the right.
Well, here's a way in which it has happened. I mean, you wrote a whole book about the rise of an international reactionary right. Right. And to go to Andrew's nice line from earlier, we used to call it the alt-right, now we just call it the right. Right. One thing that seems completely clear, there's no snapback to an old Republican party. You look at 25-year-olds on the right.
They are completely bought into a very extreme version of this, like the rising generation of MAGA. I mean, the guardrails are completely off. So in that way... it seems like the competition now is between some form of liberalism and some form of illiberalism. And that's definitely not going away. And like, maybe, you know, you survive this term, but then, you know, like, how do you see that?
They are completely bought into a very extreme version of this, like the rising generation of MAGA. I mean, the guardrails are completely off. So in that way... it seems like the competition now is between some form of liberalism and some form of illiberalism. And that's definitely not going away. And like, maybe, you know, you survive this term, but then, you know, like, how do you see that?
What if it began happening? Would make you write a piece. It's like, oh shit, maybe the timeline is changing. Yeah, maybe it's bad. Like you had said a minute ago, they don't have a theory of co-opting media.
What if it began happening? Would make you write a piece. It's like, oh shit, maybe the timeline is changing. Yeah, maybe it's bad. Like you had said a minute ago, they don't have a theory of co-opting media.
There was a moment where, you know, it seems like MSNBC is going to get spun off in some kind of future sale, or at least potentially is going to get spun off in some kind of future sale of assets. And you began to hear talk of like, would Elon Musk buy it? And right, just hollow it out. That's something you've seen in other countries.
There was a moment where, you know, it seems like MSNBC is going to get spun off in some kind of future sale, or at least potentially is going to get spun off in some kind of future sale of assets. And you began to hear talk of like, would Elon Musk buy it? And right, just hollow it out. That's something you've seen in other countries.
The oligarchic allies of the president purchase media outlets and then turn them towards the regime's goals. He already bought Twitter. He already bought Twitter and did exactly that with it.
The oligarchic allies of the president purchase media outlets and then turn them towards the regime's goals. He already bought Twitter. He already bought Twitter and did exactly that with it.
Although I have a very strong view that Twitter is a net negative for the Trump administration, but that's my endless thing that political movements suffer for being too brain-rotted by that place, not for not having enough power on it. That's your eternally hot take. Huh? That's my endless take. We've all been on those sites. We know what the brainwaves are like.
Although I have a very strong view that Twitter is a net negative for the Trump administration, but that's my endless thing that political movements suffer for being too brain-rotted by that place, not for not having enough power on it. That's your eternally hot take. Huh? That's my endless take. We've all been on those sites. We know what the brainwaves are like.
Yeah, the Democrats suffered in 2024 for having been so strong on Twitter in 2020. They convinced themselves of a bunch of very politically dangerous things, and they paid a price for it. And this world in which Elon Musk and everybody are talking themselves into great replacement theory on Twitter, this is a bad way to win over the median voter in America.
Yeah, the Democrats suffered in 2024 for having been so strong on Twitter in 2020. They convinced themselves of a bunch of very politically dangerous things, and they paid a price for it. And this world in which Elon Musk and everybody are talking themselves into great replacement theory on Twitter, this is a bad way to win over the median voter in America.