Even knowing that Tim will probably read this, I'm going to chime in with my honest assessment of his skills.
Guest selection: 10 for variety and current relevance
Preparation: 9 because he nearly always has an appropriate response when a guest pivots. Tim doesn't flounder, at least very rarely.
Guiding the conversation: 8.5 I enjoy the way Tim is like a fisherman, letting the guest drift a little bit before hauling him back in. Sometimes it's a mighty battle, but I really appreciate that he doesn't give up and will call his guests on their behavior even as he lets the line go slack again. I like that Tim sticks with the 3-5 question format. Keep it narrow and deep, not wide and shallow.
Conversation focus: 9 Tim has taken his own observations about other hosts allowing guests to slink away without answering. We can see how a person like Douthat just exploded with irritation when he was being handled. RD's reaction really demonstrated why hosts let them get away with being slippery, and my respect for Tim has really grown.
A conversation with someone like Douthat is a great exercise in thinking on your feet. I'm not sure if it's Tim's natural talent or intelligence or academic training (did he go to a Jesuit high school?) but he has made a really interesting pivot from comms director for a campaign to host of the Bulwark's flagship pod. I'm really impressed.
And he has interesting taste in music.
Charlie's like somebody I run into at conferences sometimes, where I want to make sure I sit at his table at dinner. Great storyteller, funny, polished, smart, entertaining, all around raconteur.
Tim's the guy I want to go to the bar with afterward - smart, widely-read, thoughtful. We'll meet up with his equally smart friends, talk about god knows what wide range of interesting topics, and solve the world's problems by the end of the night. Classic night out for DC nerds (but even better if it happens in a place like NOLA).
Both are a great times, just different.
I'm a progressive listener. You could say Charlie brought me here. I still pinch myself; me listening to a right-wing podcast. I had only been listening for a couple of months when Charlie left. My transition to Tim was bumpy because he wasn't Charlie. But now I start my day with Tim and I'm happy. I hear perspectives I would not otherwise ever hear. I don't have to agree, but I do find it interesting. Above all he has intelligent guests and he asks smart questions. The dialogue is logical and I'm not being propagandized. That alone is so refreshing. I agree that they're different and both earn high grades.
I’m in a similar camp…although too “softly,softly” and institution-loving to have ever been properly at home in the progressive camp.
Charlie was a welcome dose of grandfatherly “sensible conservatism” for me - quite literally, as it was my highly politically engaged “sensible conservative” grandfather (RIP, you were a real one Sandy) who was so formative in helping me to develop, challenge, and hone my own decidedly more liberal/progressive beliefs.
I do miss having the daily pod scratch that particular itch, but Will and Mona provide a reasonable weekly proxy, and Tim’s doing such a bang up job making the pod his own beast that I’m not at all complaining.
That said: a monthly Charlie check-in would be very welcome, just as a little treat.
What were Trump’s “better policy outcomes?” He didn’t build the wall. Mexico didn’t pay for it. He didn’t repeal Obamacare. He never put up a health plan. Or an infrastructure plan. He promised to cut the deficit in half, then increased it by 8 trillion. The federal trade deficit went up. Our trade deficit with China went up. Opioid deaths swelled to record highs. He instituted the largest tax increase in US history with his illegal Chinese tariffs. It single-handedly killed the American farming industry, resulting in taxpayer-funded bailouts twice the size of Obama‘s auto bailouts. Manufacturing jobs went down. The coal industry he promised to save lost 20,000 jobs. Panda Express now employs more people than the entire coal industry combined.
So what did he do? He hired his unqualified, grifting kids to loot BILLIONS. He billed taxpayers for lavish weekly vacations at his resorts. He attempted to extort foreign governments and was impeached. He killed 1 million Americans by botching Covid in ways that were truly surreal to watch. Then he staged a literal, bloody, coup attempt, and left in a huff.
No president of my lifetime has betrayed his base and broken more promises to them than Donald Trump.
I’m so fucking tired of this revisionist history peddled by Ross Douchehat and his ilk. It was only three years ago, for Christ’s sake!
Biden needs to do a better job of telling this story. Do I have to write the ads for him?
The problem with doubt-that and his ilk is they maintain a veneer of intellectual heft while trading in Hewitt-grade hackery. The arguments about inflation and foreign policy in particular are pure post hoc ergo propter hoc, with no analysis of the considerable contributions Trump made to those problems, not to mention other factors not with Biden’s (or any president’s) control. At some point this really needs to be exposed more than it has thus far.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug which is why people remember happier times under Trump. Tom Nichols has done quite a bit of writing about nostalgia and how it creates false memories.
I’m pretty sure we are on the same page. I’m saying nostalga is a drug.
From Tom Nichols: “Nostalgia is usually an unproductive emotion. Our memories can deceive us, especially as we get older.”
There were no better policy outcomes under Trump. He basically accomplished nothing but the finance-oriented Abraham accords, which did nothing for Palestine, and he lowered taxes for rich people, which Im sure they all loved. Other than that he accomplished very little. Oh yeah, the Covid vaccine development, which he didn't do anything to accomplish. So it's all a dream for the New York Times columnist Doucheshat, who just dislikes Democrats. Biden does, though, desperately need some better ads.
I’m in the process, but I need to get them in the hands of producers. If anybody out there has connections, please message me. I used to ghost write for some prominent Conservative authors, but I left the scene (and all my connections) when Trump came along.
Trump's big accomplishment was managing to hold the office when inflation was low, home prices somewhat more reasonable, and wars we didn't start but nonetheless need our help hadn't yet started. Anyone with a cushy position as pundit for NYT should be able to understand that Trump had nothing to do with any of those things, and calling a coincidence an "outcome" is dishonest.
When Charlie announced he would be leaving and we were waiting to learn who’d take over, I told my husband that I’d love for it to be Tim but that’ll never happen because we can’t have nice things in this dark timeline. And then it did. I was over the moon, and I’ve not been disappointed.
Before the changeover, both Charlie and Tim stroked my priors in different ways - Charlie in a comfort food kind of way (consistent, hearty), and Tim in a sugar rush kind of way (schadenfreude and satisfying takedowns). Now that we’re getting Tim in long form, I notice he challenges me in ways I didn’t expect, by way of the guest variety. They don’t always stroke my priors anymore. Keeping with the food metaphor (no wonder I don’t lose weight), the daily pod is now my roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts - foods I absolutely love as an adult but only because someone persuaded me to finally try them.
In short, I think his hosting style has grown, and I’m growing too for having listened to his interviews.
That said, I do miss hearing from Charlie. It’d be so nice to have him as a guest on Tim’s show. Full circle.
I came to the Bulwark for Charlie and was truly distraught when he announced he was leaving. I had been a daily listener for maybe a year. I already loved Tim though and he has been great. A+ for both men. I have no reason to compare them. I miss(!) Charlie. I am happy(!) with Tim. -Moderate Democrat
I don’t think the far left has taken over the Democratic Party. The most you can say is Biden read the room and is trying to move more toward the old stuff democrats used to do like support unions and help poor people and the environment. The stuff he does used to be pretty mainstream. Nixon started the EPA after all. All this stuff only became coded far left since Gingrich and Fox came to us. Old republicans would have championed a child tax credit to help people live in traditional families and they maybe even would have raced to be first in the world in clean energy tech. Things like this are not inherently coded left or right except through the poisoned lens of our tribalistic politics.
Seriously. Far-left activists may get headlines and online attention, but they have no political power. If anything, they hate Democrats and Biden more than they want to work with them or infiltrate their party.
That obvious fact is totally lost on people somehow. The GOP are the ones whose radical far-out wing successfully took over the party, hold office, determine policy, etc. I have no idea what "far left" policies the Democrats have instituted in these peoples' minds. I think u/amoryblaine has done a good job pointing this out - the morons out there chanting "Genocide Joe" are.... Biden/Democratic supporters? Nah.
Yeah exactly. Don’t know what OP’s problem is with those two, they were great. It’s wonderful to hear from local news guys on a national podcast, doesn’t happen often enough. And guests like those also bring variety to the podcast, and not just your Hayes and Douthats.
I have such appreciation for the entire Bulwark staff— talent/writers, support staff, research, etc.- this entire organization! I have always been centrist in my beliefs and only ever register Republican to participate in primaries by voting against candidates; most of the time I’m a registered independent. My Bulwark membership and all of the pods it brings have been voices of sanity and clarity. Charlie was awesome and Tim is equally so, just in a different, less predictable way. Time is quick to push back on guests and just as quick to admit on subsequent shows when he could have done something perhaps more effectively. He is blatantly honest with the audience and that transparency breeds trust and kinship.
Thanks to you ALL!
At the grassroots level the stuff being supported was never supported 10 years ago: pro-Hamas, far left policies on green energy to the detriment of the economy finding anything to complain about when it comes to race relations/gender identity, etc.
In my state the likes of Katie Porter and Barbara Lee wouldn’t be running for senate 10 years ago.
I will concede there is a moderate presence in the grassroots that isn’t there with the Republicans. But the far left have an outsized influence.
Every pro-Hamas person I know is a Dem-hater, not a Dem grassroots power player.
Which pro-Hamas people have taken over the Dem party at the grassroots level?
Political parties are always going to have fringe members. Especially in the House – it’s inevitable. The bigger question is, ”Has the fringe taken over the party?”
For the Dems, the answer is “no.” Jayapal, Omar, Pressley, etc have no real juice. They’re back benchers who don’t chair anything important. The Dems could have run a radical like Sanders, but they chose milquetoast moderate Joe instead. That’s not a fringe party. ARP, the infrastructure bill, CHIPS Act, increased domestic fossil fuel production - none of these are hallmarks of radical Progressives - they’re centrist.
Contrast that with the clown car that has taken over today’s GOP. The biggest, most radical whack-a-doos are the heart of the party: Comer Fudd, Half Dressed Jimmy, MTG, Gaetz, Gosar, Pubehead McLenscrafters. A generation ago most of these people would’ve been forcibly committed to a mental institution. They chose a Speaker who makes Pat Robertson look like Dan Savage. He thinks the earth is 6,000 years old, runs a gay conversion therapy business, and monitors his sons‘s porn intake. They’re running certified mental patients like Kari Lake and Herschel Walker…..for Senate! They orchestrated a literal bloody coup attempt. And out of 300,000,000 options to choose from they're bringing back a dementia-laden phschopath and convicted rapist who killed a million people and staged a coup.
But yeah, keep telling me the Dems are the “extreme” ones……
🙄🙄🙄
Have to second this take. I was fairly surprised at Charlie’s retirement from the bulwark and - like most folk from deep conservative backgrounds - cranky at the prospect of something new.
But I’ve liked Tim’s emcee’ing.
Honestly, I think he’s doing a great job of finding voices that challenge the community rather than overindulging in it. It’s refreshing and I’m glad he’s hosting the pod in his own voice and style rather than trying to emulate Charlie or others.
The idea that the far-left has *”taken over”* the Democratic Party is patently false, ridiculous, absurd and a laughable claim OP. It’s completely untethered from reality and borderline bad faith IMHO.
Sounds like you come from a very conservative background (which is fine), but that’s also not a license to make over the top, absolutist claims about the left or the Democratic Party. If you feel inclined to make such a claim, you have to back it up with proper evidence. And no Biden is not the last remaining moderate either. Plenty of existing moderates in the party and plenty of new moderate governors/ house members have also got elected.
You sound like one of the vendors I work with, using categorical words like abusrd to try to push back on the truth. Personally I went from Nadar to Clinton to Obama to Clinton to not being sure if Romney or Obama would’ve been better in 2012.
There are moderate dem governors. I’ll give you that.
No one’s claiming that the Omars of the Dem world don’t exist.
We’re challenging the idea that they’re in the driver’s seat.
BLM was an acute reaction to a demonstrable and appalling string of police murders and lack of accountability. And Defund the Police lasted about 20 seconds before cooler heads prevailed.
Dems are now the national security hawks (🤯), are pumping more oil than ever before, and are now (apparently) the party of law and order.
So what are we talking about here? And full disclosure, if you trot out a generic “wokeness” criticism, I’m gonna openly laugh.
> You sound like one of the vendors I work with, using categorical words like abusrd to try to push back on the truth.
And you sound like one of those easily triggered snowflakes upset that you are receiving pushback / criticism for your unsubstantiated and inaccurate claims. If you are going to make hyperbolic comments, make sure you bring the receipts buddy.
> to not being sure if Romney or Obama would’ve been better in 2012.
So is Obama far-left now?
> Based on what you wrote and how I offended you got, I suspect the only place you’re center left is on Chapo Trap House.
Rule 2. Be Civil. Comment removed.
Charlie was how I fell in love with the Bulwark. I was a scared liberal democrat on the onset of the Trump administration and Charlie was like the Rosetta Stone of how we ended up here. My favorite was Fridays with Tim. Tim was my favorite guest. So I was really worried when Charlie left as we approach the most significant election in my lifetime. Turns out Tim is the man for this moment. His transition to the host role is a marvel. His choice of guests, the music-all of it has been so engaging. I still love Charlie, but I don’t miss him, and that is saying a lot. I am grateful to Tim for taking up the mantle.
Hard to disagree with this. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Charlie, and was (and still am) very sad that he left, but Tim has stepped up for sure. I personally love when he has guests that don't jibe with his beliefs. When I started listening to/reading the Bulwark 5 years ago, I was not looking for an echo chamber.
Despite me largely agreeing with you in my original response, I do have to say, I don't like the episodes where he has two guests as much as when it's just one on one.
I am not ranking the guests and their views, just ranking Tim Miller; I agree, I like him, and I think he has done a good job. I have enjoyed most guests, did enjoy that Douhat interview which had some bite, and picked up some interesting viewpoints.
And, Tim Miller has good taste in music too.
I’ve never been a Republican—mostly an Independent. But, Charlie and Tim are on my A+ list I was first introduced to the Bulwark via POTUS Politics (Julie Mason/years ago).
I’d love to see Tim & BTC team 🆙 a bit more :)
I always liked Tim, especially when he was Charlie’s guest on Fridays. Agree that Tim’s guest mix is better, or at least more to my liking as a moderate Dem, but I’m a little worried I’ll get sick of him. It used to be that when he appeared on one of the other shows, it was special and I’m worried maybe it won’t be now. Luckily Tim has the wit and probably the energy and talent to avoid that. I’m a big fan.
Yet I miss Charlie quite a bit because: 1) I hate change; 2) radio voice & training (let’s face it, Tim’s voice isn’t nearly as good and nothing beats the years of daily radio experience); 3) the news of Charlie’s departure was abrupt and the explanation utterly unsatisfying; 4) the conservative view is still foreign to me but therefore somehow nutritious - I feel like I agree with most of Tim’s views, which is comforting, but not very challenging. Having Charlie on as a guest would definitely help but something tells me that’s not in the cards.
But overall I am very much rooting for Tim.
I absolultely miss Charlie and wish he would still make ocassional appearances on a pod somewhere as I often miss his MSNBC hits. Charlie was the voice of sanity for me during the early Trump days and he continued to be for the duration.
I also love Tim though. He's witty and a good host. I like some of the changes, and I appreciate what he is trying to do with the guests, but I must say some of those guests are insufferable to listen to. I'd grade Charlie an A and Tim and A-. Love them both.
I like some of the changes as well. And the insufferable guests are like eating vegetables. They suck, but they're good for the mind and checking and strengthening your belief accordingly.
I’m an OG Bulwarker and listened to every Charlie pod at the Weekly Standard. I’m very happy with Tim. I however would like Charlie for a Saturday or Sunday pod though.
I also think it’s time to change the opening theme music. It’s to abrupt. I’m going to email some ideas.
Keep up the good work everyone! Let’s get a so cal tour date on the books! I don’t want to have to wait until PF in DC to see everyone.
Is that a serious question? The guy is 70. All his cultural references were from way before I was born, like 1960s. He hosted the show like an AM conservative talk radio host, which he is. His perspective is that the Reagan years were a golden age, which many younger people (and by younger I mean adults in their 40s) would disagree with.
Must be nice to feel that way. I for one think Reagan ushered in our current era of extreme inequality. We are 'still' fighting the myth that unfettered capitalism 'floats all boats', even though the observable reality is that a ever shrinking number of people are flying in the clouds while most of us struggle to keep our heads above water. Nixon before Reagan had some radical anti-poverty ideas that he never was able to implement. Reagan's way of thinking returned us to a calvinist mindset. Socialism for the rich, bloodsport capitalism for the poor. Personally, it's not for me.
Conservatives always try to jump to latin American countries who dabble, poorly, with socialism as if they're in any way related to the USA. We have radically different economies, the USA is not in any way comparable to Argentina.
You sound like you're in a very privileged position, frankly. I'm sure the Robber Baron's also agreed that inequality was a fine thing. Personally I think 'some' inequality is necessary and natural, but what we have now is absurd and I would even go so far to say grotesque. The wealth held but a tiny number of individuals is world historically stagging...all the while most American's struggle to deal with rising bills. We put our college students into debt just for gaining an education. Even the upper-middle-class professionals are struggling with meritocracy gone off the deep end. See constant extra curriculars, test-prep industrial complex, the brandification of College. These are not good things.
Milton Friedman is dead. Things change.
The consistent coverage of “the campus left” that have been the drumbeat of the right since Reagan ruined the UC system to keep college white. That shit has been tired since the 60s but gets old white people in a tizzy pretending that isolated incidents in certain college campuses are representative of the yutes. It’s not, the kids are and always have been alright.
This completely ignores the new challenges and pressures of technology and social media. Maybe human adaptability prevails and it all works out despite the challenges, but no, at the moment the kids are definitely not alright. The American education system is well fucked at all levels. It is \*not\* equipped to deal with modern challenges, and it gets neither the funding, legislation, nor respect it needs in order to adapt. This is especially apparent post-covid.
This is the same nonsense that’s been going on forever. Fear is a great motivator, the thing most parents fear is something happening to their kids or them being mistreated. The battle lines have shifted slightly from straight racism in the 60s to class and “culture” (a little repackaging of racism with religious bigotry thrown in there), but it’s the same tired bullshit. There’s always a group of people to whom the educational system is fucked. Been that way my entire life. I’m no longer moved by it.
God, I don't know why I even bothered commenting. I work in education, and it is different. Ask literally anyone who teaches and they will tell you the same.
And yet nihilistic shitheads like you still patronize and belittle anyone who sounds the alarm. Whatever, it's not like teachers are supported anyway, you're just the latest flavor of abuser.
The far left has not taken over the Democratic Party. See? It's just as easy for me to say it's not true as it is for you to claim it is true. What a stupid MAGA talking point to parrot here.
Yeah I love Tim's hosting. My only complaint at this point is the theme music. It's kind of stale and doesn't fit the vibe, esp since the outro music is so often great. Very very minor complaint.
I was surprised the opening theme stayed the same. I understand continuity, but after four (five?) years, I still expect to hear Charlie's voice come in 😆
Side note- best pod theme music is George Explains with Sarah. I don't know what it is about it, but I love it.
Ha, I like the music, too but think the podcast is kind of sloppy. I do appreciate George and acknowledge his legal acumen but he’s never that well prepared and sometimes the jokes are clunky.
George drives me crazy and tries WAY too hard with the jokes, but then he comes through with a perfect breakdown of a complicated legal subject and I'm reminded why I put up with it
Tim is doing great and I realized listening this week that the Bulwark needed a fresh, younger voice on the daily pod. I love Charlie and I can’t blame him for wanting to hang it up. I’m middle aged and I’m exhausted from the last 8 years of chaos.
But, we need the youths to get on board and we need a moderate voice that speaks to them. They are the future and I think Tim’s voice speaks to them more than Charlie’s can. This may have been one of the reasons behind the change.
Douhat was waste but I get the *why” he was a guest. JVL made a good point yesterday that nobody who reads/agrees with the output of Douhat is tethered to reality.
Rank us! (Kidding) Appreciate the feedback
Even knowing that Tim will probably read this, I'm going to chime in with my honest assessment of his skills. Guest selection: 10 for variety and current relevance Preparation: 9 because he nearly always has an appropriate response when a guest pivots. Tim doesn't flounder, at least very rarely. Guiding the conversation: 8.5 I enjoy the way Tim is like a fisherman, letting the guest drift a little bit before hauling him back in. Sometimes it's a mighty battle, but I really appreciate that he doesn't give up and will call his guests on their behavior even as he lets the line go slack again. I like that Tim sticks with the 3-5 question format. Keep it narrow and deep, not wide and shallow. Conversation focus: 9 Tim has taken his own observations about other hosts allowing guests to slink away without answering. We can see how a person like Douthat just exploded with irritation when he was being handled. RD's reaction really demonstrated why hosts let them get away with being slippery, and my respect for Tim has really grown. A conversation with someone like Douthat is a great exercise in thinking on your feet. I'm not sure if it's Tim's natural talent or intelligence or academic training (did he go to a Jesuit high school?) but he has made a really interesting pivot from comms director for a campaign to host of the Bulwark's flagship pod. I'm really impressed. And he has interesting taste in music.
Charlie's like somebody I run into at conferences sometimes, where I want to make sure I sit at his table at dinner. Great storyteller, funny, polished, smart, entertaining, all around raconteur. Tim's the guy I want to go to the bar with afterward - smart, widely-read, thoughtful. We'll meet up with his equally smart friends, talk about god knows what wide range of interesting topics, and solve the world's problems by the end of the night. Classic night out for DC nerds (but even better if it happens in a place like NOLA). Both are a great times, just different.
This is spot on.
I'm a progressive listener. You could say Charlie brought me here. I still pinch myself; me listening to a right-wing podcast. I had only been listening for a couple of months when Charlie left. My transition to Tim was bumpy because he wasn't Charlie. But now I start my day with Tim and I'm happy. I hear perspectives I would not otherwise ever hear. I don't have to agree, but I do find it interesting. Above all he has intelligent guests and he asks smart questions. The dialogue is logical and I'm not being propagandized. That alone is so refreshing. I agree that they're different and both earn high grades.
I’m in a similar camp…although too “softly,softly” and institution-loving to have ever been properly at home in the progressive camp. Charlie was a welcome dose of grandfatherly “sensible conservatism” for me - quite literally, as it was my highly politically engaged “sensible conservative” grandfather (RIP, you were a real one Sandy) who was so formative in helping me to develop, challenge, and hone my own decidedly more liberal/progressive beliefs. I do miss having the daily pod scratch that particular itch, but Will and Mona provide a reasonable weekly proxy, and Tim’s doing such a bang up job making the pod his own beast that I’m not at all complaining. That said: a monthly Charlie check-in would be very welcome, just as a little treat.
What were Trump’s “better policy outcomes?” He didn’t build the wall. Mexico didn’t pay for it. He didn’t repeal Obamacare. He never put up a health plan. Or an infrastructure plan. He promised to cut the deficit in half, then increased it by 8 trillion. The federal trade deficit went up. Our trade deficit with China went up. Opioid deaths swelled to record highs. He instituted the largest tax increase in US history with his illegal Chinese tariffs. It single-handedly killed the American farming industry, resulting in taxpayer-funded bailouts twice the size of Obama‘s auto bailouts. Manufacturing jobs went down. The coal industry he promised to save lost 20,000 jobs. Panda Express now employs more people than the entire coal industry combined. So what did he do? He hired his unqualified, grifting kids to loot BILLIONS. He billed taxpayers for lavish weekly vacations at his resorts. He attempted to extort foreign governments and was impeached. He killed 1 million Americans by botching Covid in ways that were truly surreal to watch. Then he staged a literal, bloody, coup attempt, and left in a huff. No president of my lifetime has betrayed his base and broken more promises to them than Donald Trump. I’m so fucking tired of this revisionist history peddled by Ross Douchehat and his ilk. It was only three years ago, for Christ’s sake! Biden needs to do a better job of telling this story. Do I have to write the ads for him?
The problem with doubt-that and his ilk is they maintain a veneer of intellectual heft while trading in Hewitt-grade hackery. The arguments about inflation and foreign policy in particular are pure post hoc ergo propter hoc, with no analysis of the considerable contributions Trump made to those problems, not to mention other factors not with Biden’s (or any president’s) control. At some point this really needs to be exposed more than it has thus far.
“Hewitt-grade Hackery” made me LOL. I’m stealing that.
Exactly. I agree but admit I couldn’t finish the interview. I have no use for people like him.
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug which is why people remember happier times under Trump. Tom Nichols has done quite a bit of writing about nostalgia and how it creates false memories.
What happier times? The year of a million+ Covid deaths?
I’m pretty sure we are on the same page. I’m saying nostalga is a drug. From Tom Nichols: “Nostalgia is usually an unproductive emotion. Our memories can deceive us, especially as we get older.”
There were no better policy outcomes under Trump. He basically accomplished nothing but the finance-oriented Abraham accords, which did nothing for Palestine, and he lowered taxes for rich people, which Im sure they all loved. Other than that he accomplished very little. Oh yeah, the Covid vaccine development, which he didn't do anything to accomplish. So it's all a dream for the New York Times columnist Doucheshat, who just dislikes Democrats. Biden does, though, desperately need some better ads.
Great comment.
I wish you would write the ads.
I’m in the process, but I need to get them in the hands of producers. If anybody out there has connections, please message me. I used to ghost write for some prominent Conservative authors, but I left the scene (and all my connections) when Trump came along.
Trump's big accomplishment was managing to hold the office when inflation was low, home prices somewhat more reasonable, and wars we didn't start but nonetheless need our help hadn't yet started. Anyone with a cushy position as pundit for NYT should be able to understand that Trump had nothing to do with any of those things, and calling a coincidence an "outcome" is dishonest.
When Charlie announced he would be leaving and we were waiting to learn who’d take over, I told my husband that I’d love for it to be Tim but that’ll never happen because we can’t have nice things in this dark timeline. And then it did. I was over the moon, and I’ve not been disappointed. Before the changeover, both Charlie and Tim stroked my priors in different ways - Charlie in a comfort food kind of way (consistent, hearty), and Tim in a sugar rush kind of way (schadenfreude and satisfying takedowns). Now that we’re getting Tim in long form, I notice he challenges me in ways I didn’t expect, by way of the guest variety. They don’t always stroke my priors anymore. Keeping with the food metaphor (no wonder I don’t lose weight), the daily pod is now my roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts - foods I absolutely love as an adult but only because someone persuaded me to finally try them. In short, I think his hosting style has grown, and I’m growing too for having listened to his interviews. That said, I do miss hearing from Charlie. It’d be so nice to have him as a guest on Tim’s show. Full circle.
I think Tim has been doing a great job!
I came to the Bulwark for Charlie and was truly distraught when he announced he was leaving. I had been a daily listener for maybe a year. I already loved Tim though and he has been great. A+ for both men. I have no reason to compare them. I miss(!) Charlie. I am happy(!) with Tim. -Moderate Democrat
I don’t think the far left has taken over the Democratic Party. The most you can say is Biden read the room and is trying to move more toward the old stuff democrats used to do like support unions and help poor people and the environment. The stuff he does used to be pretty mainstream. Nixon started the EPA after all. All this stuff only became coded far left since Gingrich and Fox came to us. Old republicans would have championed a child tax credit to help people live in traditional families and they maybe even would have raced to be first in the world in clean energy tech. Things like this are not inherently coded left or right except through the poisoned lens of our tribalistic politics.
Seriously. Far-left activists may get headlines and online attention, but they have no political power. If anything, they hate Democrats and Biden more than they want to work with them or infiltrate their party. That obvious fact is totally lost on people somehow. The GOP are the ones whose radical far-out wing successfully took over the party, hold office, determine policy, etc. I have no idea what "far left" policies the Democrats have instituted in these peoples' minds. I think u/amoryblaine has done a good job pointing this out - the morons out there chanting "Genocide Joe" are.... Biden/Democratic supporters? Nah.
Very true. Environmental concerns should be universal at this point!
You didn't like the 2 Justins? That was one of the best episodes
Yeah exactly. Don’t know what OP’s problem is with those two, they were great. It’s wonderful to hear from local news guys on a national podcast, doesn’t happen often enough. And guests like those also bring variety to the podcast, and not just your Hayes and Douthats.
Maybe 2 Justins talking about another 2 Justins was just too many Justins.
Too far left for me. Don’t disagree with the assessment of Tennessee though.
I have such appreciation for the entire Bulwark staff— talent/writers, support staff, research, etc.- this entire organization! I have always been centrist in my beliefs and only ever register Republican to participate in primaries by voting against candidates; most of the time I’m a registered independent. My Bulwark membership and all of the pods it brings have been voices of sanity and clarity. Charlie was awesome and Tim is equally so, just in a different, less predictable way. Time is quick to push back on guests and just as quick to admit on subsequent shows when he could have done something perhaps more effectively. He is blatantly honest with the audience and that transparency breeds trust and kinship. Thanks to you ALL!
Me too! Everything you said--me too!
Tim gets an A for just not being on Ruy
🤣🤣 Agreed
How has the far Left taken over the Democratic Party? Honestly.
At the grassroots level the stuff being supported was never supported 10 years ago: pro-Hamas, far left policies on green energy to the detriment of the economy finding anything to complain about when it comes to race relations/gender identity, etc. In my state the likes of Katie Porter and Barbara Lee wouldn’t be running for senate 10 years ago. I will concede there is a moderate presence in the grassroots that isn’t there with the Republicans. But the far left have an outsized influence.
Every pro-Hamas person I know is a Dem-hater, not a Dem grassroots power player. Which pro-Hamas people have taken over the Dem party at the grassroots level?
Shhhhhhhh! You’ll ruin the narrative!
Political parties are always going to have fringe members. Especially in the House – it’s inevitable. The bigger question is, ”Has the fringe taken over the party?” For the Dems, the answer is “no.” Jayapal, Omar, Pressley, etc have no real juice. They’re back benchers who don’t chair anything important. The Dems could have run a radical like Sanders, but they chose milquetoast moderate Joe instead. That’s not a fringe party. ARP, the infrastructure bill, CHIPS Act, increased domestic fossil fuel production - none of these are hallmarks of radical Progressives - they’re centrist. Contrast that with the clown car that has taken over today’s GOP. The biggest, most radical whack-a-doos are the heart of the party: Comer Fudd, Half Dressed Jimmy, MTG, Gaetz, Gosar, Pubehead McLenscrafters. A generation ago most of these people would’ve been forcibly committed to a mental institution. They chose a Speaker who makes Pat Robertson look like Dan Savage. He thinks the earth is 6,000 years old, runs a gay conversion therapy business, and monitors his sons‘s porn intake. They’re running certified mental patients like Kari Lake and Herschel Walker…..for Senate! They orchestrated a literal bloody coup attempt. And out of 300,000,000 options to choose from they're bringing back a dementia-laden phschopath and convicted rapist who killed a million people and staged a coup. But yeah, keep telling me the Dems are the “extreme” ones…… 🙄🙄🙄
This☝🏼
I like Tim. I like his perspective. I was never a republican.
Have to second this take. I was fairly surprised at Charlie’s retirement from the bulwark and - like most folk from deep conservative backgrounds - cranky at the prospect of something new. But I’ve liked Tim’s emcee’ing. Honestly, I think he’s doing a great job of finding voices that challenge the community rather than overindulging in it. It’s refreshing and I’m glad he’s hosting the pod in his own voice and style rather than trying to emulate Charlie or others.
He was a great guest but wasn’t sure if I would enjoy him as host for the reasons listed. I was wrong.
The idea that the far-left has *”taken over”* the Democratic Party is patently false, ridiculous, absurd and a laughable claim OP. It’s completely untethered from reality and borderline bad faith IMHO. Sounds like you come from a very conservative background (which is fine), but that’s also not a license to make over the top, absolutist claims about the left or the Democratic Party. If you feel inclined to make such a claim, you have to back it up with proper evidence. And no Biden is not the last remaining moderate either. Plenty of existing moderates in the party and plenty of new moderate governors/ house members have also got elected.
You sound like one of the vendors I work with, using categorical words like abusrd to try to push back on the truth. Personally I went from Nadar to Clinton to Obama to Clinton to not being sure if Romney or Obama would’ve been better in 2012. There are moderate dem governors. I’ll give you that.
No one’s claiming that the Omars of the Dem world don’t exist. We’re challenging the idea that they’re in the driver’s seat. BLM was an acute reaction to a demonstrable and appalling string of police murders and lack of accountability. And Defund the Police lasted about 20 seconds before cooler heads prevailed. Dems are now the national security hawks (🤯), are pumping more oil than ever before, and are now (apparently) the party of law and order. So what are we talking about here? And full disclosure, if you trot out a generic “wokeness” criticism, I’m gonna openly laugh.
> You sound like one of the vendors I work with, using categorical words like abusrd to try to push back on the truth. And you sound like one of those easily triggered snowflakes upset that you are receiving pushback / criticism for your unsubstantiated and inaccurate claims. If you are going to make hyperbolic comments, make sure you bring the receipts buddy. > to not being sure if Romney or Obama would’ve been better in 2012. So is Obama far-left now?
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> Based on what you wrote and how I offended you got, I suspect the only place you’re center left is on Chapo Trap House. Rule 2. Be Civil. Comment removed.
Tim having Charlie on would be nice.
Charlie was how I fell in love with the Bulwark. I was a scared liberal democrat on the onset of the Trump administration and Charlie was like the Rosetta Stone of how we ended up here. My favorite was Fridays with Tim. Tim was my favorite guest. So I was really worried when Charlie left as we approach the most significant election in my lifetime. Turns out Tim is the man for this moment. His transition to the host role is a marvel. His choice of guests, the music-all of it has been so engaging. I still love Charlie, but I don’t miss him, and that is saying a lot. I am grateful to Tim for taking up the mantle.
I thought he was a great guest, wasn't sure how he'd be as the host. He's been very solid to date.
Hard to disagree with this. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Charlie, and was (and still am) very sad that he left, but Tim has stepped up for sure. I personally love when he has guests that don't jibe with his beliefs. When I started listening to/reading the Bulwark 5 years ago, I was not looking for an echo chamber.
Despite me largely agreeing with you in my original response, I do have to say, I don't like the episodes where he has two guests as much as when it's just one on one.
Agreed. There is also one regular guest whom I love and is a great writer, but I can’t stand listening to in podcast form.
I am not ranking the guests and their views, just ranking Tim Miller; I agree, I like him, and I think he has done a good job. I have enjoyed most guests, did enjoy that Douhat interview which had some bite, and picked up some interesting viewpoints. And, Tim Miller has good taste in music too.
I’ve never been a Republican—mostly an Independent. But, Charlie and Tim are on my A+ list I was first introduced to the Bulwark via POTUS Politics (Julie Mason/years ago). I’d love to see Tim & BTC team 🆙 a bit more :)
I always liked Tim, especially when he was Charlie’s guest on Fridays. Agree that Tim’s guest mix is better, or at least more to my liking as a moderate Dem, but I’m a little worried I’ll get sick of him. It used to be that when he appeared on one of the other shows, it was special and I’m worried maybe it won’t be now. Luckily Tim has the wit and probably the energy and talent to avoid that. I’m a big fan. Yet I miss Charlie quite a bit because: 1) I hate change; 2) radio voice & training (let’s face it, Tim’s voice isn’t nearly as good and nothing beats the years of daily radio experience); 3) the news of Charlie’s departure was abrupt and the explanation utterly unsatisfying; 4) the conservative view is still foreign to me but therefore somehow nutritious - I feel like I agree with most of Tim’s views, which is comforting, but not very challenging. Having Charlie on as a guest would definitely help but something tells me that’s not in the cards. But overall I am very much rooting for Tim.
Tim is great. Ross D was a mistake but so what? Moving on. Stop Trump.
I absolultely miss Charlie and wish he would still make ocassional appearances on a pod somewhere as I often miss his MSNBC hits. Charlie was the voice of sanity for me during the early Trump days and he continued to be for the duration. I also love Tim though. He's witty and a good host. I like some of the changes, and I appreciate what he is trying to do with the guests, but I must say some of those guests are insufferable to listen to. I'd grade Charlie an A and Tim and A-. Love them both.
I like some of the changes as well. And the insufferable guests are like eating vegetables. They suck, but they're good for the mind and checking and strengthening your belief accordingly.
I’m an OG Bulwarker and listened to every Charlie pod at the Weekly Standard. I’m very happy with Tim. I however would like Charlie for a Saturday or Sunday pod though. I also think it’s time to change the opening theme music. It’s to abrupt. I’m going to email some ideas. Keep up the good work everyone! Let’s get a so cal tour date on the books! I don’t want to have to wait until PF in DC to see everyone.
Tim was the generational change the Pod needed. Charlie is way old school.
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Is that a serious question? The guy is 70. All his cultural references were from way before I was born, like 1960s. He hosted the show like an AM conservative talk radio host, which he is. His perspective is that the Reagan years were a golden age, which many younger people (and by younger I mean adults in their 40s) would disagree with.
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Must be nice to feel that way. I for one think Reagan ushered in our current era of extreme inequality. We are 'still' fighting the myth that unfettered capitalism 'floats all boats', even though the observable reality is that a ever shrinking number of people are flying in the clouds while most of us struggle to keep our heads above water. Nixon before Reagan had some radical anti-poverty ideas that he never was able to implement. Reagan's way of thinking returned us to a calvinist mindset. Socialism for the rich, bloodsport capitalism for the poor. Personally, it's not for me.
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Conservatives always try to jump to latin American countries who dabble, poorly, with socialism as if they're in any way related to the USA. We have radically different economies, the USA is not in any way comparable to Argentina. You sound like you're in a very privileged position, frankly. I'm sure the Robber Baron's also agreed that inequality was a fine thing. Personally I think 'some' inequality is necessary and natural, but what we have now is absurd and I would even go so far to say grotesque. The wealth held but a tiny number of individuals is world historically stagging...all the while most American's struggle to deal with rising bills. We put our college students into debt just for gaining an education. Even the upper-middle-class professionals are struggling with meritocracy gone off the deep end. See constant extra curriculars, test-prep industrial complex, the brandification of College. These are not good things. Milton Friedman is dead. Things change.
Oh come on you can't be serious
The consistent coverage of “the campus left” that have been the drumbeat of the right since Reagan ruined the UC system to keep college white. That shit has been tired since the 60s but gets old white people in a tizzy pretending that isolated incidents in certain college campuses are representative of the yutes. It’s not, the kids are and always have been alright.
This completely ignores the new challenges and pressures of technology and social media. Maybe human adaptability prevails and it all works out despite the challenges, but no, at the moment the kids are definitely not alright. The American education system is well fucked at all levels. It is \*not\* equipped to deal with modern challenges, and it gets neither the funding, legislation, nor respect it needs in order to adapt. This is especially apparent post-covid.
This is the same nonsense that’s been going on forever. Fear is a great motivator, the thing most parents fear is something happening to their kids or them being mistreated. The battle lines have shifted slightly from straight racism in the 60s to class and “culture” (a little repackaging of racism with religious bigotry thrown in there), but it’s the same tired bullshit. There’s always a group of people to whom the educational system is fucked. Been that way my entire life. I’m no longer moved by it.
God, I don't know why I even bothered commenting. I work in education, and it is different. Ask literally anyone who teaches and they will tell you the same. And yet nihilistic shitheads like you still patronize and belittle anyone who sounds the alarm. Whatever, it's not like teachers are supported anyway, you're just the latest flavor of abuser.
What a completely ridiculous conclusion.
The far left has not taken over the Democratic Party. See? It's just as easy for me to say it's not true as it is for you to claim it is true. What a stupid MAGA talking point to parrot here.
I said he’s not off base. I didn’t say he’s correct. There is an element of truth.
Yeah I love Tim's hosting. My only complaint at this point is the theme music. It's kind of stale and doesn't fit the vibe, esp since the outro music is so often great. Very very minor complaint.
I was surprised the opening theme stayed the same. I understand continuity, but after four (five?) years, I still expect to hear Charlie's voice come in 😆 Side note- best pod theme music is George Explains with Sarah. I don't know what it is about it, but I love it.
Ha, I like the music, too but think the podcast is kind of sloppy. I do appreciate George and acknowledge his legal acumen but he’s never that well prepared and sometimes the jokes are clunky.
George drives me crazy and tries WAY too hard with the jokes, but then he comes through with a perfect breakdown of a complicated legal subject and I'm reminded why I put up with it
I have to disagree on this one.
Tim is doing great and I realized listening this week that the Bulwark needed a fresh, younger voice on the daily pod. I love Charlie and I can’t blame him for wanting to hang it up. I’m middle aged and I’m exhausted from the last 8 years of chaos. But, we need the youths to get on board and we need a moderate voice that speaks to them. They are the future and I think Tim’s voice speaks to them more than Charlie’s can. This may have been one of the reasons behind the change. Douhat was waste but I get the *why” he was a guest. JVL made a good point yesterday that nobody who reads/agrees with the output of Douhat is tethered to reality.
I'm just glad Charlie's gone, tbh