In today's show, I was served the ad for Washington Post, which surprised me considering the recent uproar around endorsements.
I haven't really decided where I come down on the endorsement issue, especially for national papers that are so distant from my own local experience. I do think the "getting back to our roots" excuse is BS, but the situation has also made me start to question the usefulness of the whole exercise. I rely on a couple local papers/websites for articles and endorsements in state and local elections - those reporters and editors are swimming in the same waters with me. For presidential elections, though, I have to wonder if any undecided voter thinks, "Why, I must see what WaPo/NYT/WSJ/LA Times thinks about this race, even though I never read any of them otherwise!"
If WaPo stops doing investigative reporting around elections, then I'll worry. Until then, I wonder how much their editorial sitting out this election really matters.
Anyway, just curious about the WaPo ad in today's episode.
I have stayed with you all the longest I have of any podcast. Thank you for riding the waves. I really believe the two of you being yourselves is what drives my continued listening and support. 💙
Anyone have tips for using the substack chat well? Sarah sounded so enthused by it in today's show but frankly at least mobile it's been very difficult for me personally to navigate (it seems to jump me around and I have no idea where I am in the chat at any given time/finding things I once read is difficult). Do I just need to give up on the app and use desktop?
I don't mean to put words in Sarah's mouth, but I think she means all the ways you can join the conversation here are much easier for her to see and navigate and like, you know who you're talking to.
So, she can respond here in the comments and you know it's Sarah, Beth can comment and you know it's Beth, Alise or I (except that right now I'm speaking as the voice of the podcast because that suits me). I think this is one of those "there are two kinds of people in the world" situations where some people prefer a chat where everything is there in one place and some people prefer channels where the topics are sorted. Sarah, in this case, is a "let's have a group text with everyone" person. (I'm a "let's organize it by channels" person...just for the record) -Maggie
Thank you Maggie this makes complete sense. I am the person my friend often asks if she should make a group chat with a group without me and loop me in. (My family doesn't even have a group chat 😂). So perhaps that's part of what feels so overwhelming to me every time I go in there. It's a little reassuring to know it's not simply I'm using it "wrong" and don't know how technology works these days.
I’ve been listening since 2015. Being part of this community for the past nine years has been a balm to the spirit, especially during the worst of the Trump years. PP and Co. has helped me maintain hope and faith in humanity. I still am prone to moments of despair, but I don’t stay there for long. I am very grateful for Sarah, Beth, Maggie, Alice, and this community. Big love and hugs to everyone as we navigate the uncertainty today. May we have decisive results that we can celebrate.
Thank you for always being transparent. I can't be easy to be vulnerable and open about yourselves, your business, and your families. You have helped me grow as a person, a parent, and to navigate the fraught media land political landscape for so many years. I found Pantsuit Politics through Anne Bogel's podcast in 2017 and have been here ever since. I am so grateful for the four of you and your work!
I found you guys in 2016, and at the time, the elevator pitch of liberal + conservative political commentary was what I was searching for. But I’ve stayed for the better part of a decade for the nuance and reliable coverage / deep dives into stories that I’ve found here. Thanks for all you do here ❤️
One thing I’ve noticed as a podcast listener is way that podcast discovery has changed — it used to be very analog, very word of mouth, but more and more I’m finding new shows to listen to via recommendation algorithms. Hopefully as those mechanisms mature and change, it will allow more and more people to find their way here.
This is funny, because I found PP through pilgrims I met on one of the Common Ground pilgrimages by Vanessa Zoltan, and now not only are Beth and Sarah joining Vanessa this week around Sacred Text, they're also doing one of her pilgrimages! The world, it turns out, is small and intimate, my friends.
I wish I could join PP and Vanessa in Switzerland next October, but the trip starts on the day of my 25th wedding anniversary and, while I am interested in Frankenstein, Mary and Percy are not the vibe I'm hoping for on that day!
I learned about podcasts at the first Women's March and found you shortly after. So glad you'll be on Substack tonight because I know you helped me through the 2020 election night by being live as well.
I'm so proud to be an original 2015 listener! You took my dumb emails and turned them into a relationship. You bring your great big hearts to everything you do. Your success is, to me, the least surprising thing about modern politics.
I've been listening since 2018. By recommendation. I was talking to a friend saying I wanted to listen to a political podcast that came from both sides and by women. It only made sense that Pantsuit Politics was the one she instantly recommended. I am so glad that I got that recommendation. I decided to start listening with the "Reacting to the Election" episode from 2016 to get a feel for the podcast. Talk about a doozy of an episode, but one that got me hooked! Been listening ever since! I do miss the "This is Sarah from the Left, and this is Beth from the Right." introduction. I hope that one day you find something that has the same ring to it.
I will be traveling for work tonight. So very glad to be able to join the Spice Cabinet this evening rather than be completely alone in my hotel room ❤️
I started listening in October 2016 (what a time) and have been a regular listener ever since. I really appreciate how you have stayed true to you and to having a meaningful independent conversation throughout the years. And Alise and Maggie are great to hear from as well! Beth - I’ve known so many people who have walked your path the last eight years and while it must have felt hard and lonely to be doing it publicly, you are not alone! And it is so more meaningful to hear people wrestle with big questions and shift perspectives than have them cling to labels.
Beth and Sarah..I am very new to your community here. Really appreciated this episode. The nuance of it all. The struggle of feeling like a disappointment and being courageous in the face of that is really something a lot of us struggle with. Feels a bit like women live their lives in meaningless sound bites about being powerful. This episode is the opposite of that. Congratulations to you both for what you’ve built here.
Thank you. We didn’t need to know any of this, but that you open the doors to give us a tour was very gracious of you. I appreciate you (the 4 of you) and appreciate this community. I know I am a demographic minority but I feel welcome and enjoy the chatter. My only regret is that I wasn’t listening back in 2015.
Thank you so much for this. It's great to hear the background on how it all runs especially how you went from doing it part time to full-time and how the advertising works. I can't imagine how you ever did this "part-time"....you all put so much effort and research into everything you create. I will never forget all the content you provided while you were on vacation this summer (can we still call it that?) with all the political drama that happened at that time.
In today's show, I was served the ad for Washington Post, which surprised me considering the recent uproar around endorsements.
I haven't really decided where I come down on the endorsement issue, especially for national papers that are so distant from my own local experience. I do think the "getting back to our roots" excuse is BS, but the situation has also made me start to question the usefulness of the whole exercise. I rely on a couple local papers/websites for articles and endorsements in state and local elections - those reporters and editors are swimming in the same waters with me. For presidential elections, though, I have to wonder if any undecided voter thinks, "Why, I must see what WaPo/NYT/WSJ/LA Times thinks about this race, even though I never read any of them otherwise!"
If WaPo stops doing investigative reporting around elections, then I'll worry. Until then, I wonder how much their editorial sitting out this election really matters.
Anyway, just curious about the WaPo ad in today's episode.
I have stayed with you all the longest I have of any podcast. Thank you for riding the waves. I really believe the two of you being yourselves is what drives my continued listening and support. 💙
Anyone have tips for using the substack chat well? Sarah sounded so enthused by it in today's show but frankly at least mobile it's been very difficult for me personally to navigate (it seems to jump me around and I have no idea where I am in the chat at any given time/finding things I once read is difficult). Do I just need to give up on the app and use desktop?
I like that the threads I’ve viewed or replied to turn blue if there are new comments!
I find using the browser on the phone (or computer) rather than the app to be easier. Especially if I just link from the email I get about new posts.
I don't mean to put words in Sarah's mouth, but I think she means all the ways you can join the conversation here are much easier for her to see and navigate and like, you know who you're talking to.
So, she can respond here in the comments and you know it's Sarah, Beth can comment and you know it's Beth, Alise or I (except that right now I'm speaking as the voice of the podcast because that suits me). I think this is one of those "there are two kinds of people in the world" situations where some people prefer a chat where everything is there in one place and some people prefer channels where the topics are sorted. Sarah, in this case, is a "let's have a group text with everyone" person. (I'm a "let's organize it by channels" person...just for the record) -Maggie
Thank you Maggie this makes complete sense. I am the person my friend often asks if she should make a group chat with a group without me and loop me in. (My family doesn't even have a group chat 😂). So perhaps that's part of what feels so overwhelming to me every time I go in there. It's a little reassuring to know it's not simply I'm using it "wrong" and don't know how technology works these days.
I have the same question. I am liking Substack generally but the chat is hard.
I’ve been listening since 2015. Being part of this community for the past nine years has been a balm to the spirit, especially during the worst of the Trump years. PP and Co. has helped me maintain hope and faith in humanity. I still am prone to moments of despair, but I don’t stay there for long. I am very grateful for Sarah, Beth, Maggie, Alice, and this community. Big love and hugs to everyone as we navigate the uncertainty today. May we have decisive results that we can celebrate.
Thank you for always being transparent. I can't be easy to be vulnerable and open about yourselves, your business, and your families. You have helped me grow as a person, a parent, and to navigate the fraught media land political landscape for so many years. I found Pantsuit Politics through Anne Bogel's podcast in 2017 and have been here ever since. I am so grateful for the four of you and your work!
Ha! I found both Anne Bogel and Pantsuit Politics via Kendra Adachi, The Lazy Genius. Thank you Kendra 🙏
I found them on Anne Bogel's podcast too!!
Beth, can you share the title of the fun novel you are reading to stay off X today?
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune is helping me stay off X
I started First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen last night. It seems to be off to a light read with a touch of magical realism.
Just coming here to ask because I need fun right now! 🥰
I'm reading Liars and Weddings by Kevin Kwan. Totally fun
Fantastic book! Highly recommended!
Ok, that is up my alley!
The Push by Ashley Audrain. Not fun, but totally engrossing!
Such a good read!
I’m picking up The Whispers by Ashley Audrain at the library today. The Push was so intense and I hear this one is too. Maybe not my best decision.
Looked it up. Not a book for me. I need light reads most of the time.
For sure not a light read! if you like fun and spicy romance, I LOVED the Bromance Book Club series
I love this series too! I think I might be a book or two behind on this one.
I'm also curious!
I found you guys in 2016, and at the time, the elevator pitch of liberal + conservative political commentary was what I was searching for. But I’ve stayed for the better part of a decade for the nuance and reliable coverage / deep dives into stories that I’ve found here. Thanks for all you do here ❤️
One thing I’ve noticed as a podcast listener is way that podcast discovery has changed — it used to be very analog, very word of mouth, but more and more I’m finding new shows to listen to via recommendation algorithms. Hopefully as those mechanisms mature and change, it will allow more and more people to find their way here.
Grateful for you guys, especially today.
This is funny, because I found PP through pilgrims I met on one of the Common Ground pilgrimages by Vanessa Zoltan, and now not only are Beth and Sarah joining Vanessa this week around Sacred Text, they're also doing one of her pilgrimages! The world, it turns out, is small and intimate, my friends.
I wish I could join PP and Vanessa in Switzerland next October, but the trip starts on the day of my 25th wedding anniversary and, while I am interested in Frankenstein, Mary and Percy are not the vibe I'm hoping for on that day!
I learned about podcasts at the first Women's March and found you shortly after. So glad you'll be on Substack tonight because I know you helped me through the 2020 election night by being live as well.
I'm so proud to be an original 2015 listener! You took my dumb emails and turned them into a relationship. You bring your great big hearts to everything you do. Your success is, to me, the least surprising thing about modern politics.
I've been listening since 2018. By recommendation. I was talking to a friend saying I wanted to listen to a political podcast that came from both sides and by women. It only made sense that Pantsuit Politics was the one she instantly recommended. I am so glad that I got that recommendation. I decided to start listening with the "Reacting to the Election" episode from 2016 to get a feel for the podcast. Talk about a doozy of an episode, but one that got me hooked! Been listening ever since! I do miss the "This is Sarah from the Left, and this is Beth from the Right." introduction. I hope that one day you find something that has the same ring to it.
"I'm Sarah, and I'm an American." "And I'm Beth, and I'm an American."
It will be seared into my memory forever.
“I don’t think it should take this much to be me.” I felt this in my soul, Sarah.
I will be traveling for work tonight. So very glad to be able to join the Spice Cabinet this evening rather than be completely alone in my hotel room ❤️
I started listening in October 2016 (what a time) and have been a regular listener ever since. I really appreciate how you have stayed true to you and to having a meaningful independent conversation throughout the years. And Alise and Maggie are great to hear from as well! Beth - I’ve known so many people who have walked your path the last eight years and while it must have felt hard and lonely to be doing it publicly, you are not alone! And it is so more meaningful to hear people wrestle with big questions and shift perspectives than have them cling to labels.
Beth and Sarah..I am very new to your community here. Really appreciated this episode. The nuance of it all. The struggle of feeling like a disappointment and being courageous in the face of that is really something a lot of us struggle with. Feels a bit like women live their lives in meaningless sound bites about being powerful. This episode is the opposite of that. Congratulations to you both for what you’ve built here.
Thank you. We didn’t need to know any of this, but that you open the doors to give us a tour was very gracious of you. I appreciate you (the 4 of you) and appreciate this community. I know I am a demographic minority but I feel welcome and enjoy the chatter. My only regret is that I wasn’t listening back in 2015.
Thank you so much for this. It's great to hear the background on how it all runs especially how you went from doing it part time to full-time and how the advertising works. I can't imagine how you ever did this "part-time"....you all put so much effort and research into everything you create. I will never forget all the content you provided while you were on vacation this summer (can we still call it that?) with all the political drama that happened at that time.