Cato Podcast

Is a must-follow on Twitter

Protest, carry, die episode is the Mainstream media version only. This is not the normal CATO quality I expect.

While usually balanced, I do find that some of the journalists are misleading in their representation of the facts.

Since the departure of Caleb Brown, this podcast has been in a death spiral. Caleb brought clarity, coherence, and a disciplined commitment to intellectual honesty. His absence exposes how much of the podcast’s credibility rested on his stewardship. Discussions that once challenged assumptions with sharp inquiry now drift through MAGA talking points with little depth. The shift in tone is disappointing. This show increasingly sounds apologetic toward the current administration, softening criticism where a libertarian perspective should cut sharply. Instead of confronting state overreach and executive excess, recent episodes seem to contort themselves to avoid uncomfortable truths. The CATO Institute prides itself on defending liberty through fearless examination. Yet the podcast bearing its name no longer reflects that mission. What once served as a platform for challenging ideas now functions as an echo chamber that shields power rather than scrutinizing it. Sadly, it is difficult to recommend it to anyone who takes libertarian reasoning seriously.

I gave this a try expecting thoughtful, libertarian discussion—but it came across as oddly partisan and more conservative than I anticipated. Hard to tell if this was just a bad sample or if the tone has shifted overall, but it wasn’t what I expected from Cato.