A classic eclecticmisc post: Cenk vs. Ana vs. John—And the winner is…
Today is a “classic” post from the vaults of eclecticmisc.org. In other words, I’m posting one of my old ones (from Jan 29, 2021). It’s comparing the main TYT hosts to decide once and for all who’s the best. Hope you enjoy!
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Regular viewers of The Young Turks know that there are three main hosts: Founder and CEO Cenk Uygur, Executive Producer and Host Ana Kasparian, and Host of TYT and The Damage Report John Iadarola.
First, let me say that they’re all awesome. And I’m not just saying that to kiss up, I really do like all three. But after 5+ years of watching TYT, here’s the conclusion I have about three categories. Note that each of these are not necessarily who my favorite host is, but who I personally think is the best in these categories:
the best solo host
the most progressive host, and
the best hosting duo
I’ll give my take on each category, and hopefully on here in the comments below, or the Twitter thread, YOU, dear reader, will give us your take. (And don’t forget to vote for which progressive cause Eclectic should donate $50 to this month, also linked to at the bottom of this post.)
1) Best solo host…Drum roll please… Cenk. Of course!!!
No one can go on a one-person rant like Cenk can. Calling out Republicans and Democrats, calling out corporations, anyone who deserves it. The OG is still the GOAT (as the kids might say). This is the fire, the passion, the honesty that drew me to The Young Turks. If it weren’t for Cenk, I might still be watching Rachel Maddow. Plus I like his quirky sense of humor/#dadjokes. And you know when he’s furious about something when he goes to break by screaming “YOUNG TURKS!” He could totally talk for two hours about one story, which annoys some people (including Ana?) but has fired up millions of people (over billions of views) over the years. More on this later….
2) Most progressive host…Drum roll please… Ana!
It depends partly what you mean by progressive. And even two or three years ago, I would have said John or Cenk. But Ana IMO has definitely moved further to the Left recently. It sounds like this is thanks in part to working with the late Michael Brooks and talking with and listen to Prof. Richard Wolff and his podcasts. Ana self-identifies with (democratic) socialism now. She’s vocally calling for a General Strike in addition to other progressive causes like Medicare For All and Green New Deal. She speaks out against capital and capitalism and talks about the need for Labor to unite. While John is further to the Left as Cenk on some issues, I can’t and haven’t seen either of them going as far Left as Ana on systemic economic issues. So for me, Ana’s the winner here — I’m #TeamAna all the way!
3) Best hosting duo…Drum roll please… Ana and John! Not Ana and Cenk? Drams…
John and Ana have amazing chemistry together. Their styles complement each other perfectly, IMO. Ana tells it like it is, with a huge helping of salt and legendary fire. John tells it like it is, with cutting sarcasm, humor, and analysis that I would take over anyone (everyone) at MSNBC any day. These two different styles go extremely well together. They’re both passionate. They’re both excellent at researching issues and breaking things down for us. As a politician, you don’t want either of them calling you out, much less both of them. Because You. Will. Lose.
Why not Cenk and John? They almost never co-host, and I’m not sure why. For election coverage, there will often be Cenk, and John, and one or two other people. So I would say there’s insufficient data on this, at least the past few years.
But why not Ana and Cenk? Two very strong, fiery people. But Cenk usually dominates the conversation. Ana holds her own with Cenk, and will interject if Cenk is going on too much, but this duo does not use Ana’s passion and analysis to its full, salty potential. It’s coming from a good place, but in my opinion Cenk is better solo (or maybe with John).
In terms of the main show, I’d like to see more:
Ana and John together
Cenk flying solo
Keep having the great co-hosts on frequently (regulars and special guests) during the week or for Pow-Pow-Power Panels, to bring in other voices and spice things up.
One “super last thing” — I love John Iadarola. I’ll have to do a post about him or TDR sometime soon (for example, comparing TYT and TDR?!). If I had continued in journalism — beyond the first year, lol! — I think I would aspire most to be like John in terms of his style, way of hosting, and breaking stories down. My personality in real life is more like his, or at least his on-air personality. It’s hard to imagine TYT without all three of them.
What’s your take? Let us know below, and 🚨 don’t forget to vote for which progressive cause Eclectic should donate $50 to in January! Voting closing Jan. 31 at 11:59pm Eastern.
