5 episodes

Each week, your hosts--public radio veteran Stephan Cox, political science PhD candidate Chad Levinson, and Democratic strategist David Gershwin--unpack the week in politics and attempt to drill down through the chatter and into something that quite possibly resembles the truth.

Born during the 16-month long national nightmare that is the 2016 Presidential election, the show continues to evolve, examining greater and deeper themes and threads across the political and cultural landscape.

Stephan Cox is a broadcasting veteran, working in and around radio for over 30 years. He was the host of the former Salon.com Radio Show for PRI, and has reported for NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. He was a founding member of, and show host at, the groundbreaking interview website, Redband.com, while also hosting a weekly arts and culture show on KUSF in San Francisco, as well as a weekly call-in tech show for Talk Radio Network.

Chad Levinson is an academic political scientist, completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago. He is also a former Research Fellow in the International Security Program of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is currently a preceptor in the Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago, a degree-granting graduate program that trains future leaders in government, academics, and not-for-profit organizations world-wide.

David Gershwin is a Democratic strategist, and was the Chief of Staff to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. His consulting firm provides government relations, issue advocacy, media relations, crisis communications, and social media services for private sector, public sector, and non-profit clients.

The Think Outside the Beltway podcast Stephan Cox, Chad Levinson, David Gershwin

    • News
    • 5.0 • 13 Ratings

Each week, your hosts--public radio veteran Stephan Cox, political science PhD candidate Chad Levinson, and Democratic strategist David Gershwin--unpack the week in politics and attempt to drill down through the chatter and into something that quite possibly resembles the truth.

Born during the 16-month long national nightmare that is the 2016 Presidential election, the show continues to evolve, examining greater and deeper themes and threads across the political and cultural landscape.

Stephan Cox is a broadcasting veteran, working in and around radio for over 30 years. He was the host of the former Salon.com Radio Show for PRI, and has reported for NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. He was a founding member of, and show host at, the groundbreaking interview website, Redband.com, while also hosting a weekly arts and culture show on KUSF in San Francisco, as well as a weekly call-in tech show for Talk Radio Network.

Chad Levinson is an academic political scientist, completing his doctorate at the University of Chicago. He is also a former Research Fellow in the International Security Program of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is currently a preceptor in the Committee on International Relations at the University of Chicago, a degree-granting graduate program that trains future leaders in government, academics, and not-for-profit organizations world-wide.

David Gershwin is a Democratic strategist, and was the Chief of Staff to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. His consulting firm provides government relations, issue advocacy, media relations, crisis communications, and social media services for private sector, public sector, and non-profit clients.

    Mueller Indictments Explained, Plus Trump's Response to the NYC Terror Attack

    Mueller Indictments Explained, Plus Trump's Response to the NYC Terror Attack

    This week, we're joined by legal advisor (and My Liberal Pals member) Tabitha Chapman for a discussion about what special counsel Robert Mueller's indictments may mean.

    Then we discuss the alleged terrorist attack in New York, as well as Trump's somewhat predictable reaction to it.

    • 37 min
    Flake Is Woke, the GOP Is Taxing, and Trump and Kelly Blow the Dog Whistle on a Gold Star Widow

    Flake Is Woke, the GOP Is Taxing, and Trump and Kelly Blow the Dog Whistle on a Gold Star Widow

    Stephan, Chad, and David talk about Jeff Flake's oratorial moment and what it amounts to, and they opine on the future of the modern GOP in the era of Trump.

    Then a discussion on tax reform, and a related prediction about Trump's political expiration date.

    And finally, a discussion about Trump's ongoing feud with a gold star widow, and how chief of staff Kelly's attempt to paper it over only made it worse.

    • 38 min
    Stephan Takes a Vacation from All This Sh*t!

    Stephan Takes a Vacation from All This Sh*t!

    TOTB will be on vacation until October 20th. Talk at you then!

    Help out Puerto Rico: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/can-help-hurricane-victims-puerto-rico/

    • 2 min
    McCain Slays Graham-Cassidy, Plus Trump at the UN

    McCain Slays Graham-Cassidy, Plus Trump at the UN

    Stephan, Chad, and David deal with the breaking news that Senator John McCain may quite possibly have killed Graham-Cassidy, the latest (and please for the love of god final) attempt by the Republicans to repeal the ACA.

    Then they talk about the dotard-in-Chief's appearance at the UN General Assembly, and how David really likes the word "bellicosity."

    Oh, and they talk about Ken Burns' Vietnam documentary, and Stephan breaks out his Peter Coyote impression.

    • 39 min
    Trump, Chuck, and Nancy Make a Deal (Part II), and Hillary's Book Tour

    Trump, Chuck, and Nancy Make a Deal (Part II), and Hillary's Book Tour

    Stephan, David and Chad talk about the upsides and downsides of Trump's continuing dealmaking with Schumer and Pelosi, both for the Democrats and for the Republicans. And they discuss the MAGA meltdown.

    In the second half, it's all about Hillary Clinton's book tour, and how the 2016 election looks from the vantage of 2017.

    • 47 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
13 Ratings

13 Ratings

Hjushfyshbsgush ,

Great! Smart! Informative!

I love this podcast. It's in rotation with Pod Save America & On The Media on my phone. Good roundup of political news, good insights. They cut through hysteria and dumb takes and talk about what's important. Listen to it and get smarter!

krowanyoung ,

Smart & funny...

because we need both right now!

chadmac78 ,

The real deal

This is one of my favorite political podcasts. These guys really know what they're talking about and they present important information in an accessible, but thorough way. Has really expanded my understanding of the whole process. Also they're funny.

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