After critiquing the first 10 pundits in this series — which, as PJ Media VIP members, you have exclusive access to — a few intriguing trendlines have emerged: Some pundits have vast mainstream appeal yet very few dedicated fans. Others are less visible and get fewer views, but the fans who follow them aren’t just brand loyal; they’re verging on brand monogamy. This guy is their “ride or die,” and the emotional connection that’s been forged between pundit and viewer is virtually unbreakable.
Joe Rogan is probably the most famous podcaster in the world right now, but the depth of his loyalty is threadbare. Everyone’s aware of him, but — at least to this audience — there’s not much meat on the bone. “The Joe Rogan Experience” still holds brand interest, but minimal brand loyalty.
The PJ Media crowd could take it or leave it.
But when it comes to the pundits affiliated with The Daily Wire? The passion, loyalty, and dedication of their fans is palpable. They’ve taken brand monogamy to the next level, and at the forefront of it all is Ben Shapiro.
He’s the most important conservative commentator in the “40 and under” demographic. Arguably, he’s the most important conservative commentator, period. And because he launched his career when he was still a teen, his youth belies a reservoir of hard work and experience. He became a nationally syndicated columnist when he was 17, and before he turned 21, he had already written two books, “Brainwashed: How Universities Indoctrinate America’s Youth,” and “Porn Generation: How Socialism Is Corrupting Our Future.”
Since then, he’s written (roughly) 20 additional books — many of which were best-sellers — and he continues to publish weekly commentary for numerous sites, including here at PJ Media. But his primary contribution to the conservative movement hasn’t been via his op-eds, books, or essays, but through his mouth.
Ben Shapiro likes to talk. Fast. And often.
It was his quick wit and sharp tongue that first put him on the map. In 2013, CNN’s Piers Morgan brought him on-air to debate gun control, and he promptly eviscerated Morgan on national TV. It wasn’t even a competitive fight; Morgan staggered about, dazed and disoriented like Mike Spinks when Mike Tyson made him go nighty-night in the first round.
From that moment on, the world was put on notice: If you wanna debate politics, the Right now has a ringer.
And Shapiro has done just that, traveling the country, visiting colleges and universities — between just 2016 and 2017, he lectured at 37 different campuses — taking on all questions from all challengers. Seven months ago, he debated liberal YouTube streamer Destiny on the Lex Fridman podcast; as of today, their debate has been viewed over 10 million times.
He’s a ubiquitous presence online, with a lively X feed and a YouTube channel that’s updated numerous times each day. Some clips are short — only a minute or two — along with his hour-long program, “The Ben Shapiro Show,” which airs Monday through Friday.
Shapiro’s popularity with younger Americans is something of a mixed bag: On one hand, conservatism is fortunate to have a bright, capable pundit promoting our brand and popularizing our movement to the next generation of voters. But on the other hand, if Shapiro is your gateway to conservatism, then political novices will likely associate the more unpleasant personal qualities of Shapiro with the conservative philosophy. Deliberately or subconsciously, people make these kinds of mental connections all the time, and that can make it extraordinarily challenging to change their opinions.
Shapiro speaks fast, is high-pitched, and isn’t naturally charismatic. He’s not a gifted orator, nor is he an effective purveyor of emotions. Of all the pundits at The Daily Wire, Shapiro is probably the least likable. If his personality turns you off, then you might not be open to his message — which would be a real shame, because his political analysis is almost always excellent. In many ways, he’s the closest we have today to Rush Limbaugh.
But as impressive as he is at writing, lecturing, debating, and podcasting, his true legacy will be The Daily Wire. It’s the most underreported and underappreciated development in modern conservatism: Shapiro (and friends) successfully launched a thriving, growing, influential, multimedia platform! There are feature films (including “Am I Racist?” which is currently in theaters), TV shows, live events, and high-quality programming for children.
This is something that not even the great Rush Limbaugh, with his much-ballyhooed EIB Network and Limbaugh Letter, could accomplish. It’s an astonishing, monumental achievement, and had The Daily Wire been aligned with the Left, the mainstream media would be singing its praises on a loop. But because it's conservative, the media ignores it — hoping it'll just go away.
Sorry: Shapiro and company aren’t going ANYWHERE. Their fanbase is just too damn loyal. Commenters raked me over the coals for giving Andrew Klavan a (gasp!) B+. Some of the criticisms included:
“With no disrespect to the author, this is such a shallow and substance-less overview of an incredible talent.”
“Your column: grade F. Nothing useful here. Wasted my time.”
“Grade B+. Are you out of your ever loving mind!”
(The Daily Wire’s other two pundits whom I critiqued in this series, Matt Walsh and Jordan Peterson, received an A- and an A, respectively.)
Still, the extent of their fans’ loyalty was eye-opening. Most organizations would kill for that kind of branding — or pay a PR guy like me to try to help them. Not so for The Daily Wire: They’ve led with content and launched a movement. And now they’re commanding an entire army of grassroots activists… right in time for November.
The ultimate truth about Ben Shapiro just might be that he’s modern conservatism’s most important thought leader and tastemaker.
GRADE: A+
Prior commentators in this series:
