The origin story for Pod Save America, one of the most popular podcasts in the country, reads like an Avengers script written by Aaron Sorkin. The villain—misinformation—has risen, say liberal pundits (and most everyone else), thanks to a new generation of radical right-wingers who’ve found massive audiences on social media. Facts no longer matter, if they ever did, to the president and those who support him.



Pablo Declan Esquire

Cue the unlikely heroes: Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor, a crack team of precocious ex–Obama staffers who launched a podcast company called Crooked Media to fight back. “People are tired of getting their political analysis in two-minute sound bites on cable news,” says Favreau. “Podcasts allow you to have a more nuanced conversation.” Their flagship product is PSA, hosted by all three (sometimes with their White House colleague Dan Pfeiffer). Its recipe is simple: one part policy discussion, carried out with wonkish rigor; one part activism; plus a dash of sophomoric humor. The challenge is how to go high as their conservative counterparts race to the bottom. “Limbaugh, Breitbart—they’re not trying to help people understand or to provide facts,” Vietor says. “They’re trying to sow racial animus and grievance. They’re trying to tear down government and tear down people.” Lovett adds, “Yes, we come at things from a liberal point of view. But we’re not trying to pull the wool over anyone’s eyes.”

Problem is, the other side has no shortage of sheep (for the wool, we mean): The weekly listenership for conservative radio’s top shows, according to industry analysts, is 14 million for Rush Limbaugh, 13.5 million for Sean Hannity, and 11 million for Michael Savage. (Not to mention the Drudge Report, with its 19 million monthly readers, and Breitbart, which peaked during the election with a breathtaking 45 million readers in a single month.) Contrast that with PSA’saudience of 1.5 million.

Crooked’s founders say they’re not progressivism’s saviors. A liberal movement isn’t built overnight, and certainly not by three hypereducated, technocratic white dudes. So they’ve launched six more podcasts (one hosted by longtime lefty Ana Marie Cox, another by Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson) and a site (crooked.com). This past fall, PSA hit the road for what was billed as Pod Tours America, selling out all but one show. (More dates are in the works.)

Jon Favreau, Tomy Vietor, and Jon Lovett Twitter

MEET THE “OBAMA BROS"

Pod Save America’s hosts met while working for the previous administration.

Jon Favreau, 36

Obama connect: Chief speechwriter

Tommy Vietor, 37

Obama connect: National-security spokesman

Jon Lovett, 35

Obama connect: Speechwriter

PSA took shape in the wake of the presidential election: Favreau & Co. owned up to miscalculating Trump’s chances big-time (it’s okay, we all did) and solemnly promised their listeners to never again be so blinded by bias. Much of their podcast’s appeal lies in seeing how this mea culpa has played out. They haven’t yet cracked the code, but their quest is an undeniable draw for disillusioned liberals who, since Obama left office, have had no port to call home.

This article appeared in the Winter '18 issue of Esquire.



Eric Sullivan Eric Sullivan is a senior editor for Esquire.

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