Ross Douthat

speaker

4,896 appearances 23 recordings 5 series first heard Jan 2026 last heard 27 Aug

Ross Douthat’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 23 in all, peaking in Feb 2026 with 6.

Appearances

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Interesting Times · How Older Americans Hoard the Future · 30 Jul 2026 podcast

I mean, we're going to find out. voice-verified

This conversation will determine just how interesting people find the times. voice-verified

But we're going to start with politicians, aging politicians, because right now we are watching Mitch McConnell, formerly the Senate majority leader, still an active senator, essentially seem to die in office with various problems. voice-verified

Conspiracy theories swirling about whether he is in fact already dead. voice-verified

One of the most consequential political decisions of the last decade was Ruth Bader Ginsburg's decision not to retire from the Supreme Court. voice-verified

Nobody on the Supreme Court seems to have learned anything from that. voice-verified

And of course, there was the Joe Biden incident. voice-verified

And there are some people who think that our current president may even be not quite young enough for the job. voice-verified

Start with the psychology of this phenomenon. voice-verified

What do you think is behind the refusal of older politicians and justices and powerful people to retire? voice-verified

We are. voice-verified

Is there some specific American thing or generational thing, or is this just put any group of human beings in a position of power at 84 years old and they will be likely to hold it? voice-verified

How far does this extend beyond the political realm? voice-verified

And again, especially in the United States, right? voice-verified

Because Mitch McConnell, RBG, Trump and Biden, right? voice-verified

These people are front and center. voice-verified

But do you see the same phenomenon in corporate leadership, in sort of private sector leadership? voice-verified

When do you join the gerontocracy? voice-verified

So what is so bad about this state of affairs beyond the specific... voice-verified

desire not to have, you know, someone who's not up to the job, right, in a position of power. voice-verified

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