The Argument

Nate Silver thinks the center-left might be right about a lot of policy questions, but they're still losing the political argument. He joins Jerusalem Demsas, Matt Yglesias, and special guest Jeremiah Johnson (staff writer at The Argument and host of the New Liberal Podcast) to dive into his recent article, "12 questions for the center-left." They get into whether liberalism and centrism are actually the same thing, why liberals need to be more vocal about their accomplishments, and whether many "anti-establishment" politicians like AOC, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders are actually part of the establishment.
Plus a peer review of a new paper on AI-assisted decision-making in child protective services and what it reveals about human and algorithmic bias.
(00:00) Nate Silver's questions for the center-left
(03:48) Vibe check for the center-left
(07:44) Liberalism vs. centrism: not the same thing
(09:48) Zohran Mamdani and sewer socialism
(19:45) Answering Hasan Piker: do centrists believe in anything?
(24:52) Why the Democratic establishment won't get overthrown
(46:31) Why the center-left won't get angry
(50:36) What happened to the center-right?
(57:29) Is the DSA a threat to liberalism?
(59:57) California, LA, and the failure of one-party rule
(01:08:04) Peer review: Can AI make CPS decisions less biased?
Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com

New episodes every Thursday — subscribe so you never miss a debate!
The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.

Americans are spending more time alone than ever before. Derek Thompson, author of "The Anti-Social Century" and co-author of Abundance, joins Jerusalem Demsas and Matthew Yglesias to argue that this isn't loneliness in the traditional sense. This new brand of loneliness is a choice, and Derek fears it's spreading across the world. Jerusalem presses him on whether the data actually supports the trend, and Matt talks about how social technology has helped him stay connected to friends.
Plus a peer review of a new paper on joint custody after divorce in Sweden, and why both hosts are skeptical of its headline finding.
(00:00) Why Derek Thompson is obsessed with loneliness
(05:33) Americans are choosing to be alone
(12:33) The difference between being alone and being lonely
(17:48) The studies that show forced socializing works
(32:29) Are guilty pleasures a modern phenomenon
(34:35) Why English-speaking countries are lonelier
(43:10) Is American happiness actually declining?
(47:01) Matt's case that phones make him less lonely
(52:30) Social fitness: socializing as exercise
(59:14) Weakness of the will and winter camping videos
(01:02:02) Peer review: How joint custody affects parents and kids
Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com 
New episodes every Thursday—subscribe so you never miss a debate!
The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.

Who actually counts as an elite in America?
The Argument ran its own poll on elite perception, and the results scramble a lot of conventional wisdom. Billionaires and celebrities are the only groups a majority of Americans call elite. College professors, journalists, and people with graduate degrees barely register. Jerusalem Demsas and Matthew Yglesias dig into what that means for the anti-elite politics of both parties, and why Matt thinks the poll is an overwhelming win for the Bernie Sanders crowd. Matt even takes the poll on elites himself to see where his views match up.
Plus a peer review of a new paper on Ivy League admissions and elite networks.
(00:00) The Argument's poll on who counts as elite
(02:11) Celebrities, by definition, are elite
(10:01) Poll results, Bernie Sanders, and Chris Rufo
(21:26) Is the turn against feminism real?
(34:45) Hollywood, Green Book, and cultural power
(42:30) Career success vs. marriage and kids
(53:17) Progressive incoherence on population and climate
(01:00:23) Nobody thinks politicians are elite
(01:02:23) Peer review: Ivy League admissions and elite networks
Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com 
New episodes every Thursday—subscribe so you never miss a debate!
The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.

Is there really a loneliness crisis?

Jerusalem Demsas and Matt Yglesias read Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone, the 2000 classic that diagnosed America's collapse in community life. They argue about how bad the loneliness problem really is today, and whether Putnam's diagnosis about the loss of associational life actually holds up. They also get into Putnam's uneasiness about telling people to go to church, whether social capital really explains crime and civic health, what happened to the arguments the left already won, how much television and phones are to blame, and more.
(00:00) Why we're reading Bowling Alone in 2026
(05:14) Bowling alone is more concerned about church attendance
(12:08) Does social capital explain anything?
(17:00) Television, the internet, and the usual suspects
(27:26) How American associational life reorganized
(36:53) Has cooperation actually declined?
(43:57) Voting, civic engagement, and what counts
(55:57) The arguments the left already won
(01:05:21) Why do young people who are doing fine feel so bad?
(01:12:58) "Get off your phones" and other bad prescriptions
Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com 
New episodes every Thursday—subscribe so you never miss a debate!
The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.

Many people say the #MeToo movement went too far. Jerusalem Demsas disagrees: she thinks it didn't go far enough. Matt Yglesias wants to talk about what the movement actually was, and worries about the risks of a leaderless movement without clear standards. They get into the difference between social and legal standards for misbehavior, why the Aziz Ansari story split the discourse, and what vibe shift actually took place.
Plus a peer review of a new paper on migration, gentrification, and the people who prefer to move to better neighborhoods rather than fixing the ones they're in.
(00:00) Jerusalem's hot take: #MeToo didn't go far enough
(04:36) What Matt Yglesias thinks
(08:24) The "abolish police" problem for #MeToo
(09:54) Feminists using culture instead of the legal system
(21:11) Aziz Ansari and unfair consequences
(27:49) Social accountability vs. legal accountability
(35:05) The gender gap on #MeToo
(47:49) The Srinivasan essay and what #MeToo really was
(01:02:52) Peer review: Move or fix the neighborhood
Support the Show: Get a full transcript, show notes, and an ad-free version: TheArgumentMag.com 
New episodes every Thursday—subscribe so you never miss a debate!
Once a month, The Argument podcast does a book club episode. This month we are reading Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam. Read along if you are interested, and comment with any questions/ideas you'd like us to explore!
The Argument is produced by Justin Zuckerman, fact-checked by Eli Richman, with music by Breakmaster Cylinder and art by Ben Tousley.