Kamala Harris closed out the 2024 presidential campaign by appearing on “The Howard Stern Show” and “Saturday Night Live.” This, of course, were the top two plays in the PR Handbook…
…if the year was 1997.
Look, “Saturday Night Live” is a cute show. Every now and then, it still has its moments. But on average, SNL has about 4.5 million viewers.
Do you know the number of YouTube views of Joe Rogan’s interview with Donald Trump?
We’re up to 50 million.And that’s just one platform, by the way! Tens of millions more watched it on Spotify, saw clips on X, and shared their favorite moments on social media.
2024 was the year alternative media devoured yesteryear’s media relics.
This, of course, is deeply disturbing to liberals, since they’re accustomed to having Pop Culture’s ear. That’s the way it’s supposed to be: Socially, they were simpatico; culturally, they were comrades; politically, they were partners. They were liberals in love!
And now, suddenly, they’re on the outside looking in, searching desperately for a liberal version of Joe Rogan to call their own.
People saying Harris should have done Joe Rogan are missing the point. That wouldn’t have helped her.
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) November 6, 2024
Liberals need to BUILD THEIR OWN JOE ROGAN. Somebody who can speak to the people he speaks to, without being a guy who wants to kiss ass to billionaires like Elon Musk.
Journalist Taylor Lorenz, formerly of the Washington Post (and probably most well-known to conservatives for the doxxing and outing of “Libs of TikTok” creator Chaya Raichik), released an article today: “Why Democrats won’t build their own Joe Rogan.”
It’s an entertaining screed; I encourage you to read it. But you can probably guess where she’s going with her critique. She worries about Rogan’s size, reach and influence:
While the right has spent years fostering a symbiotic relationship with alternative media, the left has failed replicate anything like it. There are simply no progressive content creators with Rogan's cultural impact and online following, and a quick look at the podcast charts or trending channels on YouTube shows the disparity between conservative vs progressive creators' reach online.
Without a network of culturally relevant influential content creators boosting and translating their messaging, the Democratic Party is rapidly losing credibility among younger, predominantly male audiences who have become ardent supporters of influencers that promote a distinctly conservative worldview.
She assumes a vast rightwing conspiracy:
The conservative media landscape in the United States is exceptionally well-funded, meticulously constructed, and highly coordinated. Wealthy donors, PACs, and corporations with a vested interest in preserving or expanding conservative policies strategically invest in right-wing media channels and up and coming content creators.
This creates a well oiled pipeline for conservative influencers: young TikTokers, YouTubers, livestreamers, or podcasters are discovered, developed, and pushed to larger platforms, often with the financial backing of conservative billionaires or organizations on the right who have long recognized the content creator industry a valuable means of shaping public opinion and policy.
She says it’s unfair:
Because they are not well funded, leftist creators also don't have money to pour into production teams or marketing for their independent media businesses. While Bari Weiss and other billionaire-backed right wing influencers who cosplay as independent media can hire large staffs and run national ad campaigns thanks to their robust funding, progressive influencers are forced to rely on organic growth on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok. Meanwhile, these platforms' distribution algorithms have been shown to reward conservative outrage and extremism.
There is simply no way that progressive content creators can compete. So, they burn out, they quit, and this further constrains the left’s ability to build a powerful leftist influencer ecosystem that could even begin to rival conservative influencers' reach and power[.]
She complains about the current product:
The closest thing to a "progressive Joe Rogan" in mainstream liberal media is probably the podcast Pod Save America. But the podcasters on that show operate with a clear allegiance to the Democratic Party establishment. They don't speak to the youth or the disaffected masses who are fed up with the entire system.
So on and so forth.
Well, I have excellent news for Taylor Lorenz: I’ve discovered the liberal Joe Rogan! Seriously! Let me tell you all about him:
First of all, he lived in Los Angeles for a really long time. He worked in Hollywood — been on several TV shows, and always got along with his fellow actors. So, you know he’s super-comfortable collaborating with liberal people. Many of his closest friends are in the LGBTQ+ community.
His political views are mostly center-left: He supports gay marriage, drug legalization, improved healthcare, and healthy living. He’s pro-choice and supports criminal justice reform — he’s one of us! For a little while, he was even backing Bernie Sanders for president!
And if that wasn’t enough, he’s a successful comedian with a really big following. In fact, he already has a podcast! Maybe you’ve heard of it:
It’s called “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
On the heels of losing the popular vote to Donald Trump on Tuesday, now might be a REALLY good time for liberals to take a long look in the mirror. They would still have a Joe Rogan if they hadn’t been intolerant jackasses who chased him away.
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