The Commentary Magazine Podcast — Gen-X Roundtable!

Date: November 6, 2025
Host: Abe Greenwald (w/ Christine Rosen, Eli Lake)
Episode Theme:
A Gen-X-infused roundtable exploring the escalating crisis at the Heritage Foundation over its response to rising antisemitism and the fallout from leadership decisions, the cultural shift among young conservatives, the left’s own radicalization, and the newest political figures upending New York politics. All in the language and spirit of Gen-X (“Pump Up the Volume,” Counting Crows, Nirvana, and more).

Episode Overview

This episode features Commentary’s Gen-X regulars—Abe Greenwald, Christine Rosen, and Eli Lake—unpacking the political and cultural earthquake at the Heritage Foundation, especially concerning their handling of Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes and subsequent staff and public backlash. The team also pivots to New York City’s mayoral shakeup with socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani, offering sharp insights into generational shifts propelling political extremism across the spectrum. The episode is rich in historical context, intra-movement analysis, and, yes, Gen-X references.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Heritage Foundation Crisis: Antisemitism, Tucker Carlson, and Institutional Chaos

Timestamps: 04:07–23:01

• Eliana Johnson’s Scoop:
  Heritage Foundation’s internal all-hands meeting leaked, showing President Kevin Roberts apologizing for defending Tucker Carlson after his interview with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.
• Staff Pushback—Amy Swearer’s Speech:
  Amy Swearer delivers a scathing critique directly to Roberts, charging “a master class in cowardice” for running cover for far-right antisemitism and lacking accountability.
  • Quote (Amy Swearer): “Over the last week, you have shown a stunning lack of both courage and judgment. ... We watched. You seem perfectly willing to attack all our friends and allies on the right, but say nothing about the guy who said he dislikes nothing more than Christian Zionists... Those are not the actions of a man who, quote, knows what time it is. Frankly, I'm not even sure they're the actions of a man who knows how to tell time.” [10:00–11:27]
• Religious Tensions at Heritage:
  New dividing lines appear among staff—Orthodox Catholics, Christians, and Jews—over Israel, Zionism, and whether attending Shabbat dinners is coercion or a gesture. Moments where staff interpret invitations to Jewish rituals as “litmus tests,” reflecting deeper anxieties.
  • Christine Rosen: “There seems to be a lot of hostility and suspicion of the Jewish faith among people who work at Heritage.” [16:38–16:59]
• Leadership Paralysis & Instability:
  Heritage staff openly question the plan for moving forward, leadership’s secrecy, and persistent affiliation with Carlson.
  • Abe Greenwald: “As they say, the call is coming from within the house. You have clearly Fuentes listeners there... It was a portrait of an institution that there's no faith in the leadership.” [16:59–18:22]
  • Eli Lake (on Roberts’ calculated apologies): “No such thing as halfway crooks. You can't... play footsie with this.” [21:30–22:30]
• Historical Parallels:
  Robust discussion about Buckley-era standards on keeping antisemitism and lunacy out of the conservative movement and whether such “immune system” responses will work today.
  • Hector Heritage’s Robert Rector: “Buckley said there are boundaries on the right. One of them is absolutely no anti-Semites and the other is no maniacs. And we are now opening the doors to anti-Semites and maniacs.” [25:52]

2. Gen-X Culture Commentary: Movies, Music, and Irony

Timestamps: Throughout; segment highlight 27:23–29:05; 59:52–62:35

• The episode is peppered with affectionate Gen X music and movie references (Counting Crows, Nirvana, Mobb Deep, Alanis Morissette).
  • Christine Rosen: “Let’s quote the great Mobb Deep, another Gen X reference—no such thing as halfway crooks.” [21:30]
• The trio debates the greatest Gen-X movies: “Heather’s,” “Pump Up the Volume,” and “Breakfast Club” all receive nominations.
  • Christine Rosen: “Pump up the Volume with Christian Slater… I think invented podcasting. What was his pirate radio show if not the first podcast?” [60:18–60:38]
  • Christine Rosen: “We can all agree on Heather’s.” [60:48]
  • Abe Greenwald: “If you rewatch St. Elmo’s Fire today, it is the worst major movie ever made.” [62:17]

3. Left-Wing Radicalization: Zohran Mamdani, DSA, and New York City

Timestamps: 33:13–54:51

• Mamdani as a Case Study:
  Analysis of how DSA’s radical flank (anti-Israel, pro-Boycott movements) came to power, with Mamdani’s election—backed by younger, college-educated newcomers—serving as both a local and national symbolic shift.
  • Eli Lake: “What I think you need to understand about Mamdani is that after October 7, 2023, a lot of the original Democratic Socialists of America members quit in disgust because the response... was applause and cheering. ... Mamdani stays in DSA... because he’s an illiberal radical.” [35:34–37:56]
• Generational Divide & Acceptance of Political Violence:
  Data shows younger generations on both sides are more accepting of political violence—demonstrating a worrying shift in civic norms.
  • Christine Rosen: “There’s a real generation gap on both sides of the aisle, unfortunately, about whether political violence is ever justified. And it’s the young who are far more likely to say, I mean, kind of astonishingly high numbers say it’s fine.” [38:22]
• Class, Identity, and New York’s Transformation:
  The “barista socialist” phenomenon—downwardly-mobile, highly educated young progressives transforming urban politics.
  • Christine Rosen: “Barista socialists, right? Two hyphenated studies degrees from liberal arts college...” [40:17–40:20]
• The Political Mirror: MAGA and DSA:
  Panel discusses how radicals at each end of the spectrum reinforce each other, and how political extremism on one side services the narrative of the other.
  • Eli Lake: “You are willing to forgive more of the norm violations from Trump when you see a radical leftist in charge of New York and you’re like, okay, if the choice is between DSA and MAGA, I’m choosing MAGA.” [41:41]
  • Christine Rosen: “The extremes benefit each other.” [41:56]

4. National Political Consequences: Infighting and Leadership Challenges

Timestamps: 45:36–47:16

• Fallout for the Right:
  Infighting on the right makes it harder to fight left-wing antisemitism and weakens overall opposition.
  • Christine Rosen: “Infighting on the right only helps political adversaries on the left because it... allows also folks on the left to downplay the seriousness of their own antisemitism problem.” [45:36]
• Trump’s Instincts & Inconsistencies:
  Discussion of recent legal events and Trump’s unpredictability—not always aligned with his base, particularly on tariffs and presidential power.
  • Christine Rosen: “He’s not a conservative and he’s not a free marketer.” [46:17]

5. Outlook & What’s Next

Timestamps: 54:37–56:50; Rapid-fire current events after 56:50

• Mamdani might become a superstar even if he fails as mayor; the DSA rank-and-file is likely to turn on him no matter what he accomplishes.
  • Abe Greenwald: “He can become a left wing superstar while being a terrible mayor. One is not connected to the other.” [53:48]
• The stakes of leadership and party identity on both sides—Apprehensions about institutional chaos at Heritage, what it means for conservative identity.
• Brief reflection on government shutdown: Most feel that practical impacts (like shut down airspace) will force resolution. Consensus: At some point, the basics will force hands.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Abe Greenwald [10:00–11:27]:
  “Amy Swearer... It was one of the most thoroughly rigorous prosecutions of a bad idea that I’ve ever seen.”

• Christine Rosen [13:01]:
  “There was a real, there’s a young movement of very orthodox observant Catholics and Orthodox Christians... who seem to be quite clear about where they draw lines in the religious sphere.”

• Eli Lake [21:30]:
  “No such thing as halfway crooks. You can’t... play footsie with this.”

• Christine Rosen [38:22]:
  “There’s a real generation gap on both sides of the aisle, unfortunately, about whether political violence is ever justified. And it’s the young who are far more likely to say... it’s fine.”

• Abe Greenwald [25:52]:
  “We are now opening the doors to anti-Semites and maniacs.”

• Christine Rosen [60:18]:
  “I’m going to say it’s Pump Up the Volume... I think [it] invented podcasting.”

Gen-X Flavor & Closing

The episode closed with entertaining banter about Gen X movies and musical influences, affirming the roundtable’s generational outlook as both a cultural lens and a source of comic relief after the intensity of the political analysis.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 04:07—Heritage Foundation crisis, Amy Swearer’s remarks
• 10:00—Amy Swearer’s speech (highlight)
• 13:01—Religious divides at Heritage
• 16:38—Suspicion toward Jews at Heritage
• 18:00—Leadership struggles, secrecy, plans for the future
• 21:30—Eli Lake: “No such thing as halfway crooks”
• 25:52—Buckley, history, boundaries on the right
• 33:13—Pivot to Zohran Mamdani/DSA and New York
• 38:22—Generational gap and political violence
• 41:41—MAGA/DSA, radical extremes reinforce
• 45:36—Infighting, right vs. left antisemitism
• 60:18—Best Gen X movies debate

For listeners and non-listeners alike, this episode provides an insider’s window into the philosophical, ideological, and generational tensions defining American conservatism, the transformation of urban liberalism, and the persistent culture clash that defines our era—with more than a bit of sardonic Gen-X flair.