Post-election UPDATE from Brian Tyler Cohen
What this covers
Post-election UPDATE from Brian Tyler Cohen
For more from Brian Tyler Cohen: Order my #1 NYT bestselling book SHAMELESS: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/shameless YouTube (español): https://www.youtube.com/@briantylercohenespanol Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/briantylercohen Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/36UvEHs Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0066rKCBIycIMI4os6Ec5V Twitter: https://twitter.com/briantylercohen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/briantylercohen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briantylercohen Newsletter: https://www.briantylercohen.com/sign-up/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@briantylercohen Substack: https://plus.briantylercohen.com
Source description (no synthesized summary yet).
The speaker argues that Democrats lost the 2024 election due to structural disadvantages including the right's dominant media ecosystem, global post-COVID inflation punishing incumbents, and the unfavorable political environment, not campaign failures; recovery requires building a competitive left-wing media infrastructure and maintaining engagement despite short-term despair.
- Right-wing media dominates top podcasts and platforms while Democrats cede ground to corporate media that doesn't serve their interests
- Global inflation across post-COVID environment made winning difficult for all incumbents worldwide, not a uniquely American problem
- Sustained engagement and organizing won Democrats the 2018 midterms after 2016 defeat, proving cyclical recovery is possible
This asset isn't compiled yet
You're seeing its claims, ranked. Compile it to build the argument threads, weight them, and check each claim against your library — the full view.
The New York Times ran approximately 60 cover stories about Hillary Clinton's emails, indicating mainstream media's role in undermining Democratic candidates
“the New York Times the same outlet that ran what 60 cover stories about Hillary's emails”
Inflation-driven punishment of incumbent governments occurred globally: Marine Le Pen gained against Emmanuel Macron in France, Sunak's government lost in the UK, Modi lost his majority in India, and ruling parties lost in South Africa and Senegal
“it happened across the world in France Marine Le Pen basically neutered mcon uh it happened to uh sunic in the UK Modi lost his majority in India South Africa senagal”
When people are mad about inflation, they blame whoever is in charge, and at the time of the 2024 election, Democrats were in charge, making them the target of voter anger
“when you're mad you blame the people in charge and the people in charge right now are the Democrats”
The Affordable Care Act still exists today because Democrats came together in 2018 and intimidated policymakers who threatened to repeal it; if people had disengaged after 2016, 50 million Americans would not have healthcare
“the reason the ACA still exists today is because we all came together in 2018 and struck the fear of God into anybody who threatened it if no one was paying attention if people checked out because Donald Trump had just been elected then 50 million Americans wouldn't have Healthcare right now”
This was a miserable environment for incumbents not just in the US but across the entire planet during the 2024 election cycle
“this was a miserable environment for incumbents not just here in the US but across the entire planet”
Donald Trump running a 'miserable campaign' including suggesting Nancy Pelosi was something (complete phrase not finished) the day before election day and his campaign featuring a comedian telling Puerto Ricans their island was garbage despite needing to reach out to Latinos
“Donald Trump ran a miserable campaign dude literally suggested that Nancy py was a what the day before election day his campaign trotted out a comedian that told Puerto Ricans their Island was garbage and he needed to be able to reach out to Latinos”
The right has a propaganda machine at its disposal that operates 24 hours a day on TV, radio, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Rumble, and Discord servers pumping out right-wing propaganda on an endless loop
“the right has a propaganda machine at its disposal that hums on for 24 hours a day on TV and radio and Tik Tok and Facebook and YouTube and Rumble and Discord servers everywhere that pump out right-wing propaganda on an endless loop”
Political disengagement is harmful because it gives right-wing opponents exactly what they want—a clear runway to continue dominating the country
“don't disengage take some time take days or weeks take the holidays but don't check out completely do not reward the worst people by giving them exactly what they want they'd want nothing more than for you to check out and give them a clear Runway to just continue running rough shot over our country”
Democrats need to bring younger people into political organizing and media to expand reach beyond current audience
“we need to bring younger guys into the fold uh on the left I've joined twitch this week to do exactly that”
After 2016 election defeat, Democrats organized and won the House in 2018 with the biggest House margin for Democrats in modern American history
“within two years of that moment we would come together to elect Democrats by the biggest house margin in modern American history in the 2018 midterms”
For most people in America who cannot afford a $400 emergency, the cost of goods increasing in the grocery store was their top priority in the 2024 election
“for most people in this country people who by the way can't afford a $400 emergency the cost of stuff going stuff going up in the grocery store was their top priority”
The mainstream media audience consists primarily of people who are already Democratic voters and high-information voters who don't need persuading, making it an inefficient target for Democratic messaging
“people who by the way are already Democratic voters already high information voters and don't need any more persuading that is not where the persuadable people are”
The political environment is cyclical, creating what the speaker calls a 'doom loop', which allows for prediction that recovery is possible after defeats
“I hate that we are in this cyclical hellscape this Doom Loop that we find ourselves in but it's informative in that we know what could come next”
Democratic voter engagement and organization is necessary for the predicted electoral recovery to occur; without sustained engagement, the predicted regret-based flip won't happen
“that means that we have to stay in this fight it means that we can't disengage”
Until Democrats find and persuade people where they actually are through alternative media, they will continue losing elections to the right
“find people where they are and until we do we will keep losing to the right”
The top 20 podcasts in America include Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Theo Von, Dan Bongino, Candace Owens, Megan Kelly, and Ben Shapiro, while the left only has The Daily and Podsafe America on that list
“the top 20 podcasts in America include Joe Rogan Tucker Carlson Theo Von Dan Bonino Candace Owens Megan Kelly and Ben Shapiro you know who who we've got on the left on that list the daily and podsafe America”
Many 2024 Trump voters either don't remember what Trump's presidency was like, are looking back with rose-colored glasses, are buying revisionist history, or weren't old enough to experience it
“a lot of the people who voted for Donald Trump this time either don't remember what it was like when he was in office are looking back with rose-colored glasses are buying some revisionist history or weren't even old enough to experience it”
Democrats need a left-wing media ecosystem that rivals what exists on the right, and politicians and thought leaders must embrace and prioritize alternative media over mainstream outlets
“we desperately need a left-wing media ecosystem that Rivals what they have on the right and we desperately need our politicians and thought leaders to embrace that idea”
The Harris campaign ran the best campaign they possibly could have given the circumstances
“I think that the Harris campaign did run the best campaign they could have possibly run given the circumstances”
The best candidate on Earth might not have been able to win in the political environment created by global incumbent punishment due to inflation
“the reality is that I don't know if the best candidate on the face of the Earth could have won in this political environment”
There is a period of global high inflation following COVID-19 that came about after the pandemic
“we are more broadly in a period of global High inflation that came about after Co”
Trump voters will experience chaos from Trump's governance and regret their vote in large enough numbers to flip elections back to Democrats, similar to what happened in 2018 midterms
“but they'll see the chaos that comes with it I can promise you that they will experience that chaos and come to regret it enough people will and they'll do what we did in 2018”
The speaker has had to beg politicians for interviews on their channel for months without response, while those same politicians readily appear on mainstream outlets like the New York Times
“sometimes I have to beg politicians for interviews uh for my channel for months and months and months and months and still don't even hear back and yet they'll fall over themselves to go talk to the New York Times”
Corporate media exists to serve its shareholders as a business before it is anything else, certainly before it is a protector of democracy
“corporate media exists to serve its shareholders it is a business before it's anything else certainly before it's some protector of democracy”
Self-care including eating, drinking, and sleeping is important for political activists in response to electoral defeat
“take care of yourself make sure you have a community of people around you eat and drink and sleep”
The speaker was shocked by the 2024 election results, indicating the outcome was surprising to them despite their political analysis
“I know pretty much all of us were shocked by the results”
The speaker was in their mid-20s when they watched Hillary Clinton lose the 2016 election and did electoral math on a whiteboard realizing Trump had won
“I remember sitting in my living room in 2016 uh with a whiteboard doing electoral math in my mid-20s and realizing the moment that Hillary Clinton had no more path to Victory and that Donald Trump had won”
The speaker started working in political media shortly after the 2016 election
“and I started working in political media shortly thereafter”
The speaker will attempt to figure out what changes they can make to be most useful to Democratic political efforts going forward
“I'll probably figure out what changes I can make um so that I can be most useful”
The speaker feels they could have done more to prevent the Democratic electoral loss
“to try to compensate for feeling like I could have done more”