Not great Bob. Normally I look forward to the Roundtable but Andrew Sullivan needed to Let Other People Talk! I had to turn it off after 20 minutes. Looking forward to the regular crew soon.

How many pretentious libertarians does it take to ramble about nothing, apparently four.

I am not a libertarian per se, I would not be considered “orthodox” enough by most for that label, but the minds at Reason Mag are simply fantastic. The podcast is rigorous, fun, and probative. Well worth your time. In this age of idiocracy, where most of the people you know divide into two odious and disgusting authoritarian camps rife with uninformed culture war bias with almost no humanity in their actions and words, spaces like this are genuinely important.

Nick, stop being an idiot!!! There was already a deal and that was the signing ceremony. Just one more question and then Zilinsky provokes a response. I listened very carefully and even though JD Vance didn’t back down, he didn’t provoke it. What was amazing was that Trump didn’t respond for quite awhile. The United States should not be nation building. The reason why we are not reliable in matters of nation building is because the country is divided on the issue. I know that Nick dreams about having a leftist dictator so we can be reliable nation builders. Reason has become more and more unreasonable and more closely aligned with the warmongering deep state. It’s is up to Ukraine to decide if they want peace, but it’s up to the United States if we want to continue to waste money, time and energy funding Biden’s proxy. The reality is that Ukraine needs the United States funding and military support, but it’s not in the best interest of the United States to continue risking all out war.

I love how Katherine claims to be an anarchist but flies into a panic when Elon Musk and Trump introduce anarchy into a system that so clearly needs to be burned to the ground. Embrace the chaos woman, it's going to be such fun.

All are good thinkers and writers, but Welsh can barely speak and the roundtable "humor" turns me off. They need to put more effort into this show. Katherine - do we really need THREE dopey straight guys? And who cares what they've been consuming?

I did not vote for Trump, but these two dopes are the very reason Trump won by continually clutching their pearls.

The hosts of this podcast really need to get over themselves. The arrogance and smugness on display here is ridiculous.

Love the panel style, love the differing opinions and thoughtful discussion. Wouldn't mind fewer interruptions when someone is getting their thoughts out, and editing for clarity (uhs, ums, etc) would be awesome, but certainly not a deal breaker.

They have an interesting and refreshing take on govt and policy. I don't always agree but I appreciate the perspective.

This group generally has a pretty refreshing take on what’s happening. Most pods are so painfully to listen these days. Either the hosts have some trump disorder where they hear his name and can’t separate the issue from the person or they are so scared of the mainstream media that anything they say has to be a lie.

It’s impressive that Reason can fit this many insufferable people into one just podcast. Bravo!

Many of us feel like the world is going crazy until we hear people like you who are voicing common sense ideas without obvious corporate two party bias. Thank you!

I really enjoy hearing the analyses of current events the Rountable members offer. Different viewpoints than I hear anywhere else in the media. Only reason I can’t give it a 5-star is the arrogance with which they approach any idea with which they disagree. Every member of our government, every member of the Ivy League community…all of them are “idiots.” Maybe a little nuance and grace here.

The gang (Katherine, Matt, Nick and Peter) have great discussions on topical issues. The only thing I LOATHE is they sometimes speak until they have no more breath and the subsequent noises are so annoying. Breathe!

I normally listen to this podcast every week. But in the 11/27 episode, where each was asked their preferred state for living, 3 out of 4 commentators said California, preferring the most highly regulated state in the country. So much for libertarianism. Do they really believe in the cause?

The cast reminds me of a group of nerds or theatre kids who think they’re funny but in actuality just throw out jokes that fall flat. That being said it’s interesting to see more sane Libertarians having conversations on today’s major events and topics. Take in small doses.

Katherine Mangu-Ward never fails to add nothing to the podcast. Her wishy-washy, nihilistic, soccer-mom “anarchy” has worn very thin.

Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell. Give a read and you will understand this podcast.

Love the show. But is it necessary for Matt, every time he introduces the current POTUS (I’m writing this in 2023, future readers) as a topic, to say “Joseph. Robinette. Biden. Junior.”? Just say Joe Biden or President Biden or Biden, and get on with it, please.Jr.,

Amazing that this content is free. It is so intelligent! And the commentators make such good points.

I enjoy the podcast mostly for the input of Nick and Catherine. Welch is difficult to listen to. He’s just a horrible broadcaster with his stammering over words and constant “Ums” and other filler words. Suderman seems totally out of place on a libertarian podcast. He clearly leans left politically, as does Welch, with little of their input sounding as if it has anything to do with libertarianism.

This podcast is wonderful, unique commentary and insights, great dynamics between the regular panel, but man Peter Suderman makes it difficult to listen to sometimes. He is so long winded, no sense of what it might be like to listen to him bloviate as an audience member. Not to mention the jokes; bad, painful, sad. Remember when Krusty the Clown counseled us that puns are lazy writing? Whenever other panelists answer a question or share “what they’ve been consuming” it relatively the same length, perhaps even more brief if it’s a simple movie or book review. When Sudermans turn is up prepare yourself for a minutes long monologue. And if it happens to be about superheroes or video games I highly suggest you find something to bite down on for 5 minutes. If you have ever received a pedantic lecture on how the first Star Wars isnt actually the first Star Wars after casually mentioning it at a cocktail party then you’ll know exactly the vibe of Sudermans soliloquy’s. Its like he has a automatic spring-loaded “actually” up his sleeve ready to fire into any gap in the conversation. I wish I could say he keeps me from listening to the podcast but overall it’s pretty great. It would be wonderful if they gave him a timer.

Good points made but most of the people here are just “too cool for school”. They think are so hip and with it. If they would tone down their all so witty and sometimes crude side comments, they would have a very insightful podcast.

Also loved the Amadeus reference in the March 20, Kathrine.

You can call DeSantis war on woke misguided, but it’s the reason I’m voting for him.

Five out of five on this podcast even the fact that Catherine, Maggie Ward, I’m not a big fan of it is still one of the best Iain podcast in America. I respect deeply and admire deeply all four of you, Nick Gillespie I have a special affinity for you and your own podcast, Matt Walsh I love you on the fifth: you are a true libertarian. Don’t let these whack a doodle libertarian steer you wrong you are the true libertarian voice.

Before giving criticism I am making it clear that this podcast is great an I listen weekly to make sense of the world so tune in/subscribe/donate. The few podcast I listen to are on are on a continuum from non woke left/Democrat to non crazy right/republican. My complaint with the panel is that they speak as if they are not on the left right/republican democrat continuum because they call themselves librarians. The common claim that we don’t have a team jersey just calling balls and strikes. After 2 years of listening I would say all four hosts can be described as center left with a few conceptual librarian pet projects. 80% 1995-2015 Democratic voter, 20% late night dorm Atlas Shrugged debate. This can be seen in the uneven coverage of the pros/cons of Polis and DeSantis. Polis is all good governance and DeSantis all culture war. Not showing that both Govs are are doing good governance and culture war stuns.

I listen to this podcast every week.

I turned it off, unfollowed and deleted after a recent episode where someone said that for libertarians there was no difference between Governors Newsome and DeSantis and they should have no preference between the two. What absolute nonsense.

They all gone lefties! My mistake I thought this was libertarian. Border Crisis Prop Pawns are being murdered along the way By the coyotes. This crises is on Biden and his crazies he has On this administration, whom are only qualified by Identity politics. More legal citizens, are now on a rush and head back to their country home land because this country is going downhill. No, your a joke, they are not vetted. Start living in the real world and step out of your high castle- you won’t survive the city’s.

… despite Nick Gillespie interrupting and talking over everyone incessantly, which is obnoxious and annoying. (He also does this in his interviews, stepping over a guest’s comment in order to make his own joke or reference.) Enjoyable nonetheless.

Even folks who are not a fans of Reason Magazine should give this a try. The hosts are experienced journalists from multiple generations (boomer to millennial, and maybe even gen z?) They are very knowledgeable about current events which they discuss thoughtfully and intelligently. All four of them, as well as their periodic guest hosts, regularly articulate points of view that are contrary to those out out by MSNBC or Fox or whatever. They hardly ever agree even with each other, which is at least half of what makes it an entertaining listen. This show will almost always get you thinking. Give it a shot.

A recent comment on the website sums up what Reason has become: whenever the Democrats do something indefensible, the reason lefties pronounce it just another example of how both sides are bad. Not all of them endorsed vaccine mandates, but at least one of the hosts has. And a common conversation about masks is to lament the “culture war” over masks. The last straw for me however is the raid on Mar a Lago. Like, indefensible thing that you should have extreme skepticism about on the part of the FBI. But the Roundtable’s hosts are here to remind you that ACKTUALLY somehow this is Trump’s fault because he is an idiot and according to vax Karen, “a terrible president.” Wouldn’t write a review but they get a lot of money to advance the ideas of libertarians.

Not nearly as good as the Fifth Column or Nick Gillespie’s Reason Interview, but if you need more Gillespie or Welch, here’s a podcast for you. There’s a lot of good information but too often they assume you’re already a true believer instead of making the argument for a libertarian solution. (Mangu-Ward is actually an anarchist and is hard to take seriously much of the time.) And they often think they’re funnier than they are. The show would probably benefit from other Reason staffers sitting in. Still, I listen to it most weeks.

I’ve enjoyed listening for several years now, even influenced my decision to subscribe to their magazine! Generally libertarian minded but at times can be a bit milquetoast, naive and overly influenced by the cultural left. Still, a great way to kill an hour of mind numbing physical labour on a Tuesday morning.

The best four people to hear talk about politics and culture on the internet. Notice that I didn’t say three people, in case I would vote for The Fifth Column.

Something missing from media today is that journalists (corporate media) often take themselves way to seriously often I sign of deep insecurity about their positions This show provides thought provoking well reasoned analysis while constantly pocking fun at the hosts own humanity and quirks, giving the listener confidence that hosts are honest and trying their best to truly understand the world as it is.

As a centrist who’s grown bored with polarized arguments on the left and right, I was hopeful I’d found a pod with more balanced and substantive commentary. The first few episodes were good but by 5-6 episodes, my interest started to wane. As others have commented, the hosts are ideologues who do nothing but pick apart policy positions on either side without ever putting forth substantive alternatives. The recent episode on gun restrictions and mass shootings was a new low-point. The crew took the easy way out and filled a full 70 minutes blithering on about trivial nonsense that was shockingly aloof and tone deaf in light of recent events. I’m left-leaning and was looking forward to a thoughtful discussion about Second Amendment rights, but instead got an earful of sophomoric and meaningless babble. Time to move on.

These smug ideologues talk over each other, offer no practical solutions, and stay very shallow on all issues. In all fairness I did outgrow libertarianism years ago with these precise complaints, after law school.

Although I don’t agree with everything they say, and they rarely agree with each other about everything, this roughly hour long show feels like it’s 15 minutes long, which means something….. IT’S ENTERTAINING! Also check out The Fifth Column - Matt Welch’s other podcast, involves a lot more alcohol, laughs, Moynihans and the funniest dude ever - Kmele Foster

Katherine and Matt are great, Peter has his moments, but I’m going to throw my phone through the window if I have to hear another Nick Gillespie rant about personal finance or college education.

I don’t always agree with the Libertarian party, but this podcast offers a panel of various libertarian perspectives that let you come to your own pro-liberty conclusions. Reason Round Table and Based Politics are the two podcasts I come back to every week.

I just started listening today, and wow what an impression. Within 2 minutes I heard incredible humor and sound, reasonable argumentation - what else could one want? Rarely do I feel ideologically at home and this is my new podcast. Thank you for doing what you do. It’s hard to be a young libertarian in a faltering neo-liberal world.

I enjoy Reason’s podcasts. You’ve assisted my evolution into a libertarian. I was recently surprised by a promotional choice. I understand accepting the Long Time Academy’s advertising money, but after listening to several episodes I’m baffled that your on-air staff promotes it. One episode is blatantly socialist.

My go-to pod for the Libertarian slant on current news. Not an exercise in groupthink either, despite my humorous title above.

These people remind me of college professors who really don’t seem to understand the reality of the world today. They have honed their speaking skills to sound as if they are an intellectual group of thinkers when in fact only 1-2 of them may actually be smart and logical. They seem to hang on to ideas even when they don’t work and the girl seems not very fun to be around whatsoever. I tried my hardest to like them because of what they try to stand for but I can’t.

I’m glad I found this. I don’t necessarily agree with where Reason falls on each individual issue, but I do agree with the overarching priorities and concerns. I also greatly appreciate the thoughtful analysis. My favored news source the last couple of years has been the Economist - but it was recently (reasonably) pointed out to me that it would be good to take in news from other angles as well. Conservative radio was painful to listen to, most of the liberal sources were not much better (npr seemed okay if repetitive). Ultimately this seems a good, thoughtful addition.

Yikes your take on the rittenhouse case is embarassing you should be ashamed

What a bunch of freaks. That is why I enjoy the show. If you could put the listener email at the end of the show, as sometimes I skip past that and don't want to miss the what you are consuming. I think of Katherine everytime I feed my dog and punch a hole in the bottom of the can (cranberry jelly reference) Nick when I am talking to friends and I use their first and last name. Matt when I come up with a good Non Sequitur, and Suderman never.