Left, Right & Center

Left, Right & Center does exactly what the name promises: it puts people from different parts of the political spectrum in a room and lets them argue. Produced by KCRW, the legendary Santa Monica public radio station, the show has been running for years and remains one of the few genuine cross-partisan political discussions on the air. David Greene hosts, with Josh Barro and Rich Lowry serving as regular panelists representing different ideological viewpoints. Each week, they bring in guests from across the political map -- progressive voices like Mo Elleithee alongside conservative commentators like Sarah Isgur Flores -- to debate the biggest stories. Episodes run about 50 minutes, packed tight with substantive back-and-forth. The format is the star here. In a media environment where most political shows are echo chambers catering to one audience, Left, Right & Center insists on genuine ideological diversity in every episode. That does not mean false equivalence -- the hosts push back on weak arguments regardless of which side makes them. Greene moderates with a light touch, giving panelists room to develop their positions before challenging them. The show has a 3.9 rating from nearly 5,000 reviews, lower than some competitors, partly because the format inherently annoys partisans on both sides. But that is kind of the point. If you want to hear how the other side actually thinks rather than a caricature of it, this is one of the few places to go.