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Bad Takes — News
Bad Takes

Grid contributor Matthew Yglesias and his longtime editor, Laura McGann, Grid’s executive editor, discuss a take each week that’s gotten under their skin. They peel back the layers of the “bad take” to figure out what it tells us about American politics and policy.

Copyright: © 2022 Media Investment Projects OpCo LLC

Latest Episodes:

What Mindy Kaling’s ‘Velma’ tells us about cancel culture Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Kaling once said “The Office” wouldn’t get made today. Her new show muddies the waters.

Matt Schlapp and the limits of #MeToo Jan 11, 2023

Show notes

A Herschel Walker campaign aide said the conservative powerbroker fondled him.

George Santos lied. Now what? Jan 04, 2023

Show notes

Matt and Laura agree to disagree on whether Democrats should call for investigations into the congressman elect who made up wild details about his personal and professional life.

Little Women is about women — or is it? Dec 28, 2022

Show notes

A New York Times op-ed argues that Louisa May Alcott was a trans man. Matt and Laura wonder whether we can know anyone’s gender identity looking back 150 years. They also discuss what it would mean for feminism if the mother of modern women’s literature was really its father.
Send us a bad take to review at badtakes@grid.news

Liberals have won more than they think Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

What's the Matter with Kansas author Thomas Frank argues that conservatives are winning at dynamism, a take that Matt and Laura agree neglects major accomplishments by the left over the last 30 years and misdiagnoses the reason Democrats aren't winning more elections. Democrats' problem isn't being too boring, it's that they are too dynamic.

The enigma of Kyrsten Sinema Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Matt and Laura bring bad takes from either end of the political spectrum this week. After Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced her decision to register as an independent, some liberals called her a white supremacist, while some moderate Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah cheered her as a moderate. Neither take makes much sense.

Fossil fuel ads are fine! Dec 07, 2022

Show notes

A Semafor climate journalist quits over a Chevron sponsorship, spurring a conversation about the ethics of accepting fossil fuel dollars. Matt and Laura say that undermines journalistic ethics and offers a very unrealistic vision of climate politics and the world economy.

Suggested reads:

Bill Spindle’s Twitter thread about why he quit his Semafor gig [the “bad take”]

Send us a bad take to review at badtakes@grid.news

For a transcript of an episode of Bad Takes, please email transcripts@grid.news

Nate Silver’s ‘both sidesism’ Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Pollster Nate Silver says that reporting “both sides” of a story is better than the alternatives, to which Matt agrees but makes a narrow objection: That style of reporting crumbled in the last presidential election, not in the run-up to 2016.

Laura looks at how events like the Iraq War and Bush v. Gore inspired a generation of journalists to push beyond the “both sides” dynamic. Both discuss how covid further broke the “both sides” standard, convincing journalists there was no “other side” to the lab leak theory. Matt says journalists could use a little humility before making those kinds of judgments.

Suggested Reads

Nate Silver’s tweet [the “bad take”]

Send us a bad take to review at badtakes@grid.news

For a transcript of an episode of Bad Takes, please email transcripts@grid.news

Watch a closed captioned version of the episode here.

SBF was not for real Nov 23, 2022

Show notes

This week, the call is coming from inside the house: Laura deems Matt’s old take defending Sam Bankman-Fried’s character the “bad take.” A debate ensues about whether the FTX founder’s good intentions matter. Matt argues the cryptocurrency billionaire is an “effective altruist” who was funding projects no one else wanted to, like pandemic preparedness. Meanwhile, Laura maintains SBF is a bad actor but doesn’t take away from the “effective altruism” movement at large.

Suggested Reads:

Understanding Effective Altruism’s move into politics, Matthew Yglesias [the ‘bad take,’ according to Laura]

Sam Bankman-Fried gave millions to effective altruism. What happens now that the money is gone?, Matthew Zeitlin, Grid [Good primer on SBF’s ‘effective altruism’]

The fall of FTX: The stunning collapse of a massive crypto firm could send shock waves through traditional financial markets, Benjamin Powers, Grid

How FTX played both parties and almost won Washington, Matthew Zeitlin, Maggie Severns, Grid

Send us a bad take to review at badtakes@grid.news

For a transcript of an episode of Bad Takes, please email transcripts@grid.news

2024 predictions are irresistible Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

Matt and Laura agree it’s a “bad take” to say Democrats are in a great position for 2024, not because it’s wrong but because it’s unknowable. But they still can’t resist disregarding their own advice. They discuss their most embarrassing presidential predictions of yore and, for some reason, go all in on who they think will win in 2024.

Send us a bad take to review at badtakes@grid.news

For a transcript of an episode of Bad Takes, please email transcripts@grid.news

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