I tried to post a comment in Stitcher, but I kept getting an error, so I’m posting it here, at least for now: I’ve been listening to Best of the Left for ~3 years now and this show remains one of my absolute favorites. The Best of the Left episodes compile tid-bits from others of my favorite shows (like Rachel Maddow) into a format that is easy to listen to & navigate. I find the voice mail section more and more interesting as podcast listeners call in to give their opinions re. topics covered. Most callers seem to be VERY articulate, informed and brilliant, for which I envy & admire them, especially Tanya, in episode #831, who inspired me to check out the comments section & write a review. Thanks so much J!

I certainly appreciate that not everyone will like every source or discussion topic I choose. In this particular case, I chose the clip in question because they were addressing an issue that I didn’t hear discussed anywhere else. I don’t see myself as having any kind of quota to fill but I do try to be as diverse as possible, both in the stories I cover and sources I use.

Personally, I’m a fan of Radio Dispatch and think they do a good job of covering issues many other outlets seem to overlook. It would be foolish to argue that they aren’t comparatively amateurish in relation to most of the other sources on the show and I know this will be a turn-off for some but I think they mostly make up for that with the relative uniqueness of their story choices that are worthy of broader awareness.

Anthony, I remember the clip to which I think you’re referring, & I’d have to concur. Every once in awhile it seems to me like J is struggling a bit to fill a quota of show notes & includes a lower-quality discussion as in this episode. I just skip over them & remain thankful that skipping over clips is so easy to do w/ J’s format. Overall, however, I love this show (some topics more than others, of course)! Thank you J!

Hey J!
I’ve been listening to the Best of the Left for about 4 years now and this is the first time I’ve commented here.
Usually the standard of the material is really high and very thought-provoking, but the radio dispatch clip has let your show down today.
They were inarticulate, smug, rude, and just didn’t have a coherent point, frankly. It was like listening to two slightly drunk teenagers talk about something they only slightly understood, but still had strong opinions on.
In other words, I inwardly cringed, switched off the podcast, and went about setting up an account here to tell you to please be more careful about the clips you select. Please make sure they are from grown-ups who have a worthwhile, meaningful point to make.
As I said, I’ve been a listener and a fan for a long time, I love the show, and I wouldn’t want it to turn into something low-brow, mean, and snide.
Thanks for reading,
Anthony

Disappointed with the inclusion of the radio dispatch clip. I thought that the criticism that Nate Silver’s hiring practices aren’t as diverse as we would prefer, but the clip itself was rambling, without focus, and completely ignored the fact that Nate Silver is gay and, thus, has been subject to some of the exclusion that was mentioned in the clip. If anything, it would have been vastly improved if it the clip had been contracted to remove the conjecture and fact-less “discussion” that had made up the end of the clip.

As usual, I love the show. I note this mainly because I hold the show to high standards. This clip does not match those standards, in my opinion.

I thought Tanya from CA nailed it in re. to the discussion about marriage equality. I especially appreciated her input re. those of us who are single-never-married & intend to stay that way.