Thanks, Really enjoyed your show.

mike rothschild was a very engaging interview.

What happened to this podcast? The content is decent - the delivery is embarrassing.

You are just as hypocritical as every other dem. You really think democratic legislators save lives.

Excellent interview! More Brian Fallon, please.

I knew I would miss David and Steve but I have to say I am really enjoying hearing Amanda and Faiz’s point of view. Their quests are quite good too. Looking forward to them helping me see all points of view going into the 2022 elections. Thanks

This podcast used to be one of my favorites. David Plouffe and Steve Schmidt were so poised, knowledgeable, and eloquent. The new hosts may have some-based knowledge, but they are just not on the same level of either of the previous hosts. I feel like I’m listening to a college radio talkshow that gets some guests that are impressive. Unfortunately, those guests know significantly more than the hosts and the dialogue is not interesting. I wish Steve and David would come back, but I doubt that that’s going to happen. So I am unsubscribing.

I suggest you do some homework and invite Frank back to discuss education. He caught you flat footed on an issue. You had a great opening. Luntz has realized (as many of us white privileged folks have) that American systems haven’t worked so well for brown and black Americans. The problem in education is complex but it’s not a problem of not enough accountability. To close the achievement “gap” the trajectory of kids who begin behind in the “race” has to be STEEPER than the trajectory of the kids who begin at the starting line of the race or ahead of the starting line. Now WHAT is a plan for that? I spent 30 years teaching young children to read. By the end of my career I felt like I was spending way too much time testing - it felt like my job shifted from planting, watering and nourishing young plants to pulling them up every day to see if they were growing!

On the podcast with Luntz, you had the perfect conversation and opportunity to show how “combative” can be ok during disagreements but still end up in a civilized note and with actually a more unifying message (that is until we get to hear the comments you make afterwards and the expectations you appeared to have but never mentioned during the conversation e.g. “he should take responsibility for all he caused”. Well if you wanted that, you should have said it, it was worse to hear you comment about afterwards. Not an “honest” conversation either like you said you wanted). Anyways, the division is really impacting our lives now and the fact that you said they just have rage, well, we have to admit that resentment on our side isn’t great either.

I was concerned that you allowed him to take the high road on education. Implying that teachers not teaching is the main issue in education. When we know food and housing insecurity, personal safety and even environmental issues that cause lead poisoning or asthma and YES the funding that would allow every child to have their own books. Republicans have starved these children and their services forever. Luntz played this to perfection. Same old stupid R talking points..”best economy ever!” “tax cuts are great”. You can’t get to common ground with a bad faith actor.

I looked forward to this podcast when it was Schmidt and Plouffe. The Frank Luntz interview will be my last. Plouffe and Schmidt know how to interview and give the guest the opportunity to defend their positions. You let Luntz talk and he made a good deal of sense. Then after a gracious ending, you trash the guy. Frankly, it seemed like you were afraid of a confrontation and so your saved all your snarky comments for after he was gone. My impression from this podcast episode is that you are not interested in finding common ground. You’re speaking to a specific audience. If you had listened to Luntz, you’d have heard him talk about the danger of talking in an echo chamber. Everything you said about the unwillingness of the Republican Party to deal is true. But it does us no good to reinforce that with people on the left; in essence to give up. We need to find reasonable people on both sides who are willing to come together and find agreement. I will be unsubscribing from your podcast. Give it back to Steve and David.

I agree with everything you both said after the podcast it would’ve been better if you said a lot of those things directly to him.

This had long been on my list. I imagine that the new hosts are generally excellent at what they do but I was very disappointed in the episode I just heard with Frank Luntz. This was an episode to talk across the political divide. For me, this means finding common ground. Instead, the hosts immediately disagreed and confronted their guest and continued to throughout the whole episode. After the interview, they proceeded to trash on Mr. Luntz, oblivious to their own narrowness of viewpoint. I am not sure I will listen again to this podcast.

He was frustrating! I was screaming while listening to him! The part about Arnie Duncan SMDH! Ugh! Thank you

Unfortunately these two are very clearly amateurs, which is in itself not a problem, but they just aren’t up for interviewing the caliber of gas that they have on, and does the interviews are very poorly done.

Too bad Plouffe transferred this formerly great podcast to these people who believe anyone that is not “progressive” is grifting and corrupt because they are all (SOH??) part of the white male power structure. It is these folks that are responsible for Democrats losing all but POTUS (wow - old white male) in ‘20 - and are likely to lose House and Senate in ‘22 as they pitch defunding police and socialism.

Change of hosts interesting and off to a good start. The quantity and placement (up front and mult times in stream) are a turn off.

Are awful. Scratch this one off the list.

Both of the host are sellouts and ended this podcast in the lamest way possible. Very unfortunate that Schmidt brought down the ship.

This podcast has been so great to listen to, and I wouldn’t have imagined being excited about it changing one bit. But the new hosts sound smart, fresh and engaging. Will miss Schmidt & Plouffe and their unique perspectives. Hope they re-emerge on a future incarnation of some kind!

New hosts sound great! Excited to listen to them going forward.

She is so even-handed, incisive yet kind. Two thoughts for our media: Focus much harder and hit much harder the story of Republican efforts to create a new Jim Crow era. Yes, I hear some media covering it but it’s diluted. It’s the biggest story (other than insurrection) of our time. Connect the two hard and push it like Fox. Cuomo: too much media attn on this. Why? It’s easy. Reporters don’t like him and it makes them look fair, maybe righteous. All this coverage on this Governor and where is the coverage on the man who caused an insurrection, and has literally committed huge crimes and works still to topple our democracy? Media looks craven and weak when it does this. We NYers see that. We are willing to let investigation play out to see just exactly what is true and what is overwrought and hyped. Overall, we like Cuomo. Good leader and pretty real. The Dems piling on? They look self-aggrandizing. We see that too.

I learned more in the podcast about the filibuster than I learned in college. And I took classes in poly-sci. But Steve needs to come back. Don’t let the anti cancel culture party cancel you. I am hoping that most of TLP’s supporters, big and small, stand by them. It seems to be going that way despite what the media is trying to sell us. The Hill declared TLP dead already. But the media loves to eat their young. They love cancel culture. They do it to themselves. They build people up into God like status and then give wall to wall coverage when someone isnt perfect. Because this was always going to happen. No one is perfect and trumpers were just waiting for a weakness to exploit. Yes, it was a big one but really the media is focusing on the money stuff more than the stuff with one of the founders. That’s because they know that he was ejected. And there was no way to spin that into “they all knew and were ok with him doing what he did” -at least for anyone that thinks for themself. But the money stuff and be exaggerated and speculated about endlessly. I do wish that Steve hadn’t aired his dirty laundry with Jennifer Horn on Twitter. But he apologized and seemed sincere which is not what we are used to. I hope that they can reconcile someday. But when you boil it down, TLP is accused of having a founder that was a preditor-which seems to be true. Now he is gone and they vow to change the culture of the work environment. Great. Let’s do that. So then....they are accused of what else exactly? Paying themselves with money sent to them in a PAC which by design doesn’t have to be spent a certain way or disclosed. The people on top of any organization make more than the people on the bottom. It’s not fair but its the way things are everywhere. And if TLP says it’s going to change that and be transparent and have a more diverse leadership-great-even better. No one could’ve predicted that Trump himself would propel TLP to raising millions of dollars. Their donors were never told they were feeding the poor or curing the sick with the money. They were told that they would get in Trumps head with ads they knew he would watch AND it worked. He reacted in public to it. Priceless! Literally. Not because I’m evil and I like to torment people but because I’ve been tortured with every thought in his head all over TV and the internet for 5 years. Even and especially when trying to avoid him. They never said they would convert republicans into democrats. Although it happened in my case because Jennifer and Tara really made me look at myself and what I stand for. I was hoping the Republican Party would self correct after Trump but Jan 6th and the efforts to suppress the votes in so many states show that they aren’t the party of ideas. They are the party of outrage. And white grievance. So on top of getting to Trump and his enablers, TLP founders put out multiple podcasts and appeared on multiple others and many TV shows. This is valuable content that people are willing to pay for especially during a pandemic, a reckoning with racism and a very stressful election season...when we are dying for new content and destructions. We got what was advertised and more. It’s not ignoring something and hoping it gets swept under the rug. It’s owning up to mistakes and fixing them. It’s character. It’s strength. All we wanted was former republican operatives to use the dirty tricks they used to use against democrats and to fight fire with fire but we actually got much more. TLP held our hands through Election Day and all that followed. Explaining everything and telling us the TRUTH even when it was hard to hear. Because that’s what people need-the truth and someone telling them what their options are. It makes us feel better than hearing lies to protect us like “it will all disappear like a miracle”. In fact there IS still truth in the world and people can feel it when someone is being sincere. I stand with TLP and especially Steve because I feel that he is sincere in wanting to fix his and their mistakes. But even if I’m wrong, it’s better than the alternative which is waiting for democrats to do what they’ve always done and hope the outcome changes. That’s no good. Of course they want TLP to go away. Don’t let them win.

Two of the brightest minds of these perilous times for democracy — Plouffe and Jentleson — clarify the nuances of the filibuster and the imperative of eliminating it.

David is great but I do miss listening to Steve. Hope he’s back soon

Thank you for the informative podcast. I agree that the Democrats must do away with the Filibuster and pass the two voting rights acts, in order to save our democracy. I was not familiar with the history or it, or how it has developed over the years. It's recent usuage, by the minority, to stop progress for the American people, was the opposite of what the Founders wanted to happen. I hope people will listen to this podcast, become informed, and call their Senators to demand this change. I will also post on Twitter.

Fantastic podcast from March 1 regarding the history of the filibuster. This should be required listening! I’m on board now with getting rid of the filibuster. You are correct, if McConnell has the opportunity, he would get rid of it in a NY minute!!

30 minutes and I learned more about the filibuster and it’s history than hours of political claptrap. Thank you David. Much appreciated.

I’ve learned so much about what I didn’t know about politics. Appreciate Steve realizing sometimes you need to take care of you first.

Appreciate the detailed information on the Senate rules and history. I will be calling both of my Democratic Senators today.

Adam Jentleson should sue the US Senate, as the filibuster is unconstitutional.

Lincoln project pedophiles zero

Thank you so much, gentlemen. This is helping me so much during our troubled political times. I have a surprise for me to boot: I see David and Steve or a Democrat and Republican. So nice to hear common ground. I will listen to more episodes

Love your podcast. You & Steve have soothing radio voices with so many great topics & guests. The commercials, however are shockingly loud, startling me every-time. Please coordinate the volumes between you & them. Instead of listening to something I might be interested in purchasing, I promise myself I’ll never purchase it & even actually consider campaigning against it. Thank you

Really enjoyed this recent episode with Eugene Scott.

Might as well watch CNN. These clowns need to find a new career.

I have to unfollow and stop listening. David you need a new partner. Get one and I’ll be back

Please save Florida from itself Steve Schmidt. And tell your boy Rick Wilson to do the same

Great interview with Marc Elisa, thanks for your always informative and important discussions!

Steve and David really engage well and bring smart guests to have important, need-to-have conversations. Big thumbs up! My favorite podcast.

I look forward to these podcasts every week!

Try to catch both guys as often as I can on different platforms!

Thank you, thank you!! Fr. Martin is my “moral authority” and I am so grateful you’ve given him this platform. Love the pod all the time, but this wa special.❤️

I tuned in tonight because Fr. Martin was the guest. I wanted to hear his wisdom about going forward in these times. I am a fan of David and Steve from MSNBC and Twitter and was very curious what questions they would ask. I was not disappointed! I will share this episode with friends. I will be back for more Battleground!

always thoughtful folks here. too bad so hard to find the review button

Great podcast. Especially enjoyed the interview with Father Martin. We need more religious leaders like him. I’d maybe start having faith in them again. Agreed with everything he, David and Steve said.

I love to listen to David and Steve. I never write reviews but I was compelled to write one after this episode. The last ten minutes are absolutely, breathtakingly true! As a lifelong southern Baptist girl, I have felt this so deeply in my heart and gut for years. When Steve asked about the Mega Church pastors and the priest stated the same for hedge fund managers...YES! Forgiveness but accountability...Amen!!! Essential = Sacrificial, devastatingly true! This episode was profound! Keep up the great work!

What a great resource to try to understand what we are facing in America. Straight talk not opinions. It’s just what we need!

Good discussion with Father Martin. One issue Father Martin might wish to consider, is his blindness towards women. Until he must carry a child to term and be responsible for its life, he is truly unable to speak on the issue of choice.

Absolutely worth my time. Great conversations about the most important topics.