Don’t Call it a Comeback

Brian Derrick: [00:00:00] The pundits are spiraling and the stakes are unprecedented.

Glennis Meagher: Because the 2024 election and the future of democracy hinges on vibes only. And the vibes this week

Joe Biden: Tonight we can proudly say the state of our union is strong and getting stronger.

Brian Derrick: Joining us to talk about how that speech reshaped the vibes to kick off the ’24 general is Democratic strategist Keith Edwards.

Glennis Meagher: Keith will stick around as we talk about how Biden has been riding the momentum, releasing a budget for 2025 that would shift tax burdens from families to the wealthiest Americans and corporations.

Brian Derrick: Meanwhile, Trump, in an appearance on CNBC the same day, expressed a willingness to cut quote, entitlements. such as Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Donald Trump: There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting.

Glennis Meagher: We’ll round out the news of the week with a conversation about a House bill put forward that could ban TikTok.

Brian Derrick: Then we’ll play It’s Giving, pull up our group chat, and leave you with a good vibe. Let’s get into it.

Glennis Meagher: [00:01:00] I’m truly thrilled to have Democratic strategist, digital mastermind, Keith Edwards in the house. Keith, welcome to Vibes Only.

Brian Derrick: Keith!

Keith Edwards: Hello. You’re popping my podcast cherry. Can I say that?

Brian Derrick: Absolutely.

That’s what we’ve wanted all along. I’ve been waiting for you to say that to me. We’re so excited to have you on and it’s perfect timing with this episode too. This was like the perfect one to have you on for. So if you don’t follow Keith already online, um, posts, amazing content, breaking down what’s happening in the news, particularly on the campus.

pain trail, I would say you have a knack for, I think, finding the moments that are going to resonate with people. And, you know, we, we have to stay on top of the vibes of the far right. And you do, you always know, you have a sense, you have a sense for when they’re saying crazy things. And I know that I can count on you to lift that up.

Keith Edwards: Well, what I try to do too is like, I feel like I have a core team of super engaged Democrats. So I’m just trying to like focus the messaging for them. So they have [00:02:00] like little talking points to go out into the world with that is the kind of overarching thought. And that I don’t know if it’s working and that you do, you do it well, you do it

Glennis Meagher: with this Democrat.

It’s working with this Democrat. So we’re going to start this week. Talking about the state of the union. So we all, I think we’re collectively butt clenched going into the state of the union because it is prime time, baby lights, camera action. President Biden, it’s the biggest stage he arguably has before the November election, and I think he delivered boys.

What do you think?

Keith Edwards: I thought the vibes from that and sense had been incredible. I thought he really did deliver exactly what he needed to. I think part of the problem going into it for Republicans was that they set this expectation that Biden is essentially a corpse. One of the worst things you want to do for your political opponent is sets a bar so low that literally breathing.

Is overcoming it 100%. [00:03:00] And so he wouldn’t have knocked it out of the park anyway. But I think so many people, even people on their side who have bought into that narrative, like, we’re like, Oh shit, President Biden actually can like do this thing. Like, of course he can, but it was, it’s like amazing that they kind of set themselves up for that immediate failure.

Glennis Meagher: Totally. Were there any moments for both of you that like stood out in particular where you’re like, okay, he’s doing it.

Brian Derrick: I had several. I agree with you. I think that the bar was low going in. I thought that there was only risk. I didn’t think that Biden really could like crush the night. I thought only like he, he can only screw, screw it up, honestly.

But he proved that he could actually like blow us away. I, I was blown away. I yeah. Ended the state of the union. Like I had just drank three Red Bulls. I was fired up and I’m still feeling that. I think that for me, me too, like, well, right, we were our group chat. I know our group chat

Keith Edwards: was. It was just like, it was like the anxiety that was hanging on my shoulders.

Just like, [00:04:00] is this

Brian Derrick: happening? Is this really happening? Oh, right. It was incredible. And he showed exactly why people supported him in 2020. It was like a best of my favorite moments. Honestly, while the speech was incredible and we can talk about. Like the content of it were his improv moments were the ad libbed pieces, especially when he got into back and forth with Republicans.

There were four times that he pulled Republic while Republicans tried to heckle him and he turned it right back around on them on the border on taxing the rich on, I think January 6th and on Medicare and Medicaid. And every time he honestly came out looking better than them and they looked like a disaster.

Super like who booze asking the rich to pay their fair share. They booed. You know what I mean? Like he really trapped them. It was incredible.

Keith Edwards: I mean, that goes back to, I think what was reported on that. There’s like this wider strategy. I don’t know if it’s within the white house or the campaign. I don’t know if it was the [00:05:00] times I reported on or, or I don’t know who it was, but they’re just basically like, let Biden.

Be Biden, you know, and I don’t know what has been going on the past six months or a year where they’ve really tried to contain him and they’ve been super careful, but I, I think this is actually part of that, that larger strategy where they’re like, Biden is just going to go out and be the person that we all voted for.

And I think this is really goes to show that not only it works for him, but energizes his base. Absolutely.

Glennis Meagher: For sure. And there were, there are being a progressive, there are two moments I do need to call out. One of it. Being when he was improving and, you know, referred to an immigrant in this country as an illegal, which is, of course, dehumanizing language.

And he is paying the price for that. But I think, you know, hopefully we’ll recover in his language moving forward as it relates to the immigration crisis in this country. And I would love him. He did apologize. He like apologized immediately. Yeah, he did apologize. I do appreciate that. It’s just like, You know, we all have [00:06:00] lessons to learn.

He learned one that day and I just want him to say abortion more. Like, please just say abortion more. And I understand that he’s like an older Catholic man, but it’s not a, it’s not a dirty word. And I would love to see him on the record saying it more. It may seem trivial, but to many repro activists, it’s not into many women.

It’s not.

Brian Derrick: That was enough for me. I have to, I will take issue with that and say, when you have When you bring two guests to the State of the Union and reference two separate guests in your, in your speech, in your address, um, both about reaper rights, he brought a woman in Texas who had to leave the state.

To get care. And then also brought a woman in Alabama who was trying to have a child via IVF and couldn’t because of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling. And so I feel like he did make it a centerpiece of the address. And so yes, I understand the desire to get him to say the word, but I think that it misses the [00:07:00] overall point of like, he is trying to center the issue and build the largest possible tent of people fighting for access and for basic rights.

Glennis Meagher: You’re saying actions speak louder than words. I’m just saying, not everyone is going to know who the principles are taking to the state of the union. So by saying it, he gives the movement more visibility. But again, I think as we get closer to election day, we’re going to be seeing him, you know, widening his repro vocabulary, which I Would appreciate, uh, some of the achievements he outlined a lot, the inflation reduction act, clean energy investments, manufacturing infrastructure, the Finland and Sweden joining NATO and having the PM of Sweden there was a huge statement, huge statement, the economy, 15 million new jobs, unemployment at 50 year low, 16 million Americans starting small businesses.

The racial wealth gap, smallest in 20 years, inflation’s down from 9 [00:08:00] percent to 3%, trending lower, wages are up, investments in family farms, and he made a, a strong contrast to Trump without saying his name. I

Brian Derrick: thought that the content Was really well done. He came out fiery. We all loved the energy, but he had the substance too.

It wasn’t like he was just there to point fingers and, and like stir shit up. He literally went point by point, the issues that are actually affecting everyday Americans. What he has accomplished that others could not like the infrastructure was a good contrast where he was like, Trump tried to do this a million times.

He couldn’t. I did. And then he’s also looking forward and we have to talk about the framing, the comeback, he talked about it as being like the great American comeback and it really resonated for me. I don’t know how y’all What did he

Keith Edwards: say? Like, Americans turn setback into comeback. There it is. Beautiful.

Put that on a hat. That’s so American. It is so American. And it

Brian Derrick: shows that like, [00:09:00] he’s not saying everything’s perfect. Right. And he’s, he’s saying we went through some real shit. We are on the up and up. Like we are on the upswing. Let’s keep going. Let’s keep pushing in that direction. He’s not saying the economy is great.

Be grateful to me. You know what I mean? It’s, it’s much more of like, uh, This is a team sport and we’re on the same team here. Let’s, let’s keep fighting.

Glennis Meagher: Totally. I did like that moment when he looked like directly at the Supreme Court justices.

I was like,

Glennis Meagher: Ooh, he clocked you. He clocked you. And then he said something else that did resonate with me, which was clearly those bragging about overturning.

Those

Joe Biden: bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade have no clue about the power of women. But they found out when reproductive freedom was on the ballot we won in 2022 and 2020 and we’ll win again in 2024 Period

Brian Derrick: women are not without electoral power. Yeah, the supreme court face off moment was a Big deal. It was historic.

I believe I read it was the first time a [00:10:00] president has ever directly addressed the Supreme court and, and a recent decision in that way during a state of the union, which is also a big deal. And I think that it shows that, well, it shows a couple of things, but it definitely shows that Biden is ready. to take the fight wherever he has to, to get it done, right?

Like, I, I genuinely feel like that was a recognition or an acknowledgement that the far right has turned the Supreme Court into a political pawn for their agenda, and he’s not afraid To call them out on it. Like, I, I, I really appreciated that.

Glennis Meagher: So did I.

Keith Edwards: Did you see their faces? Yeah, they were like. I think the liberals were like, try, I think they’re trying not to smile.

Right. That was

Brian Derrick: my reading of, they’re like. There were a lot of faces for us to be watching because. We also have Mike Johnson in the back. Can

Glennis Meagher: we talk about that for a second? There was a really funny tweet. I don’t know who tweeted it, but Emily on your phone posted it that it was like, Mike Johnson [00:11:00] looks like he’s about to have his, you know, accountability app read by his son about how much porn he’s taking in.

Cause he was just like so confused and like, looked so anxious and was clapping sometimes and realized he was clapping at the wrong thing. I’m like, you got to know your party lines. If you don’t know your party lines.

Keith Edwards: That’s what I thought was really interesting. Was it? He didn’t seem like a leader. He looked like he was looking for like their approval.

And that’s I think the first time I’ve ever seen that from someone sitting in that chair.

Brian Derrick: Yeah, it was. It was pretty embarrassing for him overall, especially because he also just got it. Owned in the government shutdown fight, which we don’t, we don’t have to get into, but it was clear. Here’s what I’ll say.

It was clear to me that Biden was 100 percent in command of that room the entire time from the moment Lindsey Graham was laughing. Yeah. Lindsey Graham was like,

Keith Edwards: I think I got to give it to you.

Brian Derrick: Oh my gosh, I almost forgot. Wait, we asked favorite moments. My actual favorite [00:12:00] moment was Lankford was Biden is getting into this back and forth with Republicans.

They’re booing him for the bipartisan border bill. And he’s like, Oh, actually, and from the, from the top, literally lists all the things that the bill would have done. It would have hired a thousand new law enforcement officers for the border, 400 new asylum judges. It would have taken cases that currently take six years while people wait in the United States and solve them in six months.

And they cut to James Lankford, the Republican, very conservative Senator from Oklahoma, and he just mouths, That’s true. And I was like, yes, that was iconic. That was amazing. Who

Keith Edwards: knew to cut to him? Who knew, who knew to do that? He was the co sponsor of the bill. But some producer was like, Can we get a clap

Glennis Meagher: for that producer who knew to have the camera on him?

Unsung hero. Unsung heroes. Floor watchers. There was one callback that I did really appreciate. Biden saying, Anybody think wealthy, the wealthy should get another 2. 3 [00:13:00] billion in tax cuts? And like everyone saying,

Joe Biden: No! Folks at home, does anybody really think the tax code is fair? Do you really think the wealthy and big corporations need another 2.

3 billion? 2 trillion tax break. I sure don’t.

Glennis Meagher: That’s a vibe check at the State of the Union. That was my check. And my number one vibe at the State of the Union. I just want to I want to note this was the VP like just giving Mike Johnson the cold shoulder for those first 10 minutes just like standing there and I’m like the energy coming off of her is iconic.

And then it was lovely to see her and the second gentleman lock eyes. It was a sweet moment. It humanized them in a way that I thought was very lovely because You know, we need more of that.

Brian Derrick: Barbie code. Absolutely. Well, the State of the Union, as we’ve said, has really created a vibe shift, and one of the places that we’ve seen that in stark contrast to before State of the Union, to after the State of the Union, is from the Did you [00:14:00] see the piece?

Keith Edwards: Oh, I saw.

Brian Derrick: Tell us, tell us your take. Tell us what, what did he say before? If people haven’t seen it, what did he say after? Like, tell us a little bit about it.

Keith Edwards: So he essentially was like, what are we doing? Biden has to drop, you know, there’s never been blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But the overall sentiment was like, Biden did it before.

But he’s not going to be able to do it again, you know, actually that was piece was really annoying because he kind of said nothing without, well, actually saying everything he said, Biden should drop, but it could also win, but most people took it as like Biden needs to drop. And it really went

Brian Derrick: around circles.

It was in a lot of my group chats.

Keith Edwards: Yeah. Cause it’s a big deal as reclined to say something like that. And then literally three days ago, he comes out with an op ed that says. Fine, nevermind. Call it a company, get a grip. That’s right. Shout out to the real ones who knew. Yeah. The whole time. Right, right.

Glennis Meagher: I, our group chat.

It’s

Brian Derrick: frustrating because obviously the follow up [00:15:00] piece where he changes his mind and says, if that’s the, if that’s Biden, then like, I, I want that essentially isn’t going to get the same play, isn’t going to reach all the people that the first piece reached. And like, that’s, what’s frustrating about it.

Totally. To me, but yeah, I think that Biden’s doing everything that they can to ride this wave. We’ve seen a huge ad buy where they’re running like clips that contrast what Trump is saying these days with what Biden is saying. I mean, the content of the state of the union was popular. There were, there were like flash polls.

They asked people immediately after they watched the state of the union, do you agree with the stuff that he’s pushing? And it was like 60 to 63 percent of people were saying, yes, I agree. With what he said. And so that’s a powerful tool and we need to like put that in front of more people. And it seems like the body campaign is trying to do that.

Glennis Meagher: Yeah. They also ran a really good ad. Everyone should watch. I don’t want to spoil it. No spoilers. But I think my biggest frustration with the Ezra Klein, you know, article, and then I’m saying, okay, fine. He’s okay. It’s like. There’s [00:16:00] nuance to this argument that Joe Biden is going to be or should be our next president.

We can all agree he is old. We’ve talked about it on this podcast. He is not perfect. That’s okay, because what he has done and what he is trying to do moving forward is better than what Donald Trump is trying to do, which is take us back.

Keith Edwards: Well, my frustration with it is that it’s like the media creates these.

Hype cycles and they create these cycles of like dread and to me, it’s actually the media just like jerking itself off all the way through. So it’s like the media saying, Oh, no, no, no, no. What are we going to do? What are we going to do for three months? And then it takes one speech to be like, no, no, it’s actually fine.

You know, it’s like, well, actually, we thought it was fine the whole time. You’re the ones that have been saying It’s not fine with not much evidence aside from polls that do not predict what happens in November polls that happen in February and January never [00:17:00] predict or rarely predict an outcome in November.

If that were true, we’d be saying President Hillary Clinton and President Romney. Right? Yeah. You know, so it’s just frustrating. There’s none of that context with what they’re doing. And then when they’re like, I guess it’s gonna be okay. It’s like, well, then why did you, you were so sure before? Right,

Brian Derrick: right.

So to, to recap here, ignore the polls, Biden is, unless they’re good. No, I ignore those too. No, no, no. Ignore them all. Get Biden out there. We want to see Biden on TV every day, just absolutely prosecuting the case against Trump and for a second Biden term. The easy, easy case. And we need. What I’m also hearing is like, we, what we need is for the base for people who see the value in what Biden has accomplished and the benefits of a second Biden administration to say it out loud and to embrace [00:18:00] that and not be like so tepid about like one foot in one foot out, but like it’s happening, we’re going to win, we’re going for it, get on board.

Yes, absolutely. That’s the vibe. Well, if we didn’t need as if we didn’t need more of a reminder about the differences between the two parties, immediately after Biden’s stunner of a state of the union, we were treated to the most unhinged rebuttal that we’ve ever seen in the history of state of the union rebuttals.

Glennis Meagher: Truly. It was like a waiting for Guffman, which is a niche reference rebuttal of just like, C list, D list theater, screaming? Scream talking? From a kitchen? I was blown away. We

Brian Derrick: see you. We hear you. President

Glennis Meagher: Biden’s border.

Brian Derrick: Oh my god, I love that. President Biden’s border policies! Like, she’s about to explode!

It was so wild. [00:19:00] The alliteration, it’s Who wrote that? Who wrote that? I did make a super cut of it on Instagram and it was just so easy to pull clips in like brutally murdered and slaughtered. Like it was just so dark and unhinged. So over the top. So

Glennis Meagher: hyperbolic. Yeah.

Brian Derrick: Yeah. Well, okay. And then we, I mean, we have to, we have to comment on not only was it so hyperbolic, but then it was also like, not true.

It was like full of lies. Fusted

Glennis Meagher: with lies and. It was like a manipulation tactic, scare tactic, like the oldest game in the book.

Brian Derrick: 100%. Well, let’s set the stage a little bit. She came across looking like it was the Handmaid’s Tale and then told this horrific, violent story about a woman that she had met who was sex trafficked.

And then a TikTok journalist the very next day found the story that she was referencing. And it actually happened when George. Bush was president and had nothing to do with Biden. And so to like bring in this [00:20:00] weirdly violent sexual violence story felt very on brand for Republicans in the moment where all they have is to like scare the shit out of people, but is like, again, very unhinged.

Glennis Meagher: Very unhinged.

Keith Edwards: I thought though, like there’s, I have two thoughts about this. And there’s one, which is, I think one of the net benefits of this was that One of the best ways to fight authoritarian movements is actually not to like meet truth with the level of the lie because then you’re basically elevating the lie to the level of truth.

And like, and when you protest something with the level of anger, anger that they have, then you’re, you know, say that, say that. But one of the best ways is to actually meet it with humor. And this was actually quite easy because it was so over the top, but all of it is over the top. This whole thing is over the top.

Uh, a fertilized egg as a person, like it’s all so crazy. Right. But one of the [00:21:00] best ways to fight this, take the wind out of it is not to get upset or to like, be like, that’s not true. It’s just to make fun of it. Totally. And this was such a great example that if you just laugh at them, they lose all of their power, right?

And I just love that the SNL thing that happened, which I thought was a little like on the nose, whatever, but everyone is laughing at it rather than being scared of it. And I think that needs to be kind of like the strategy heading towards November is like, yes, what they want for the country is terrifying, but it’s also absurd and in absurdity is humor.

Glennis Meagher: Watch any of generator. Collectives clips, and you would know that no, it’s such a good point, Keith, because it is, if you actually think it’s fully true, it will scare you, but if you know that it’s so over the top and absurd, and we can make a caricature of the things that are not even true. We can continue to build and move forward and just kind of have a little laugh on the side.

I do think we need to take, you know, conservative voters seriously. They do show up to the polls, et cetera. But [00:22:00] if we, you know, on the left can do what we can to get our people to the polls by using that humor, Keith, to your point, I think it’s a good strategy for sure.

Brian Derrick: Definitely. I couldn’t agree more.

And I don’t think that it means that we don’t have to take politics seriously. It just means that we use humor as a tool. As a tool. To show the authority. And I’m, I’m very team that. I can’t wait to see more from who is now my favorite wife. Mother and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot.

Scarlett Johansson killed that. She killed that. It might have been on the nose, but it was funny. It was funny. I laughed out loud. I thought it was good. I think it was funny. But I like

Keith Edwards: that people thought it was funny.

Glennis Meagher: No, but Keith. To your point is that there’s an audience who’s going to watch SNL who did not watch the state of the union.

So they’re getting the message that needs to be delivered by SNL or not even the state of the union. They’re not watching the rebuttal to the state [00:23:00] of the union.

Keith Edwards: I think there’s like an SNL litmus test though. And I think, I really do think what they do with politics there is like a reflection of the temperature of the nation.

So like the fact that they made Joe Biden a cool guy. Which they have not done, typically. It’s like, to me, it’s all like, Oh, okay, so that is how, like, Like, that, to me, is a more accurate poll than polling. It’s like, what’s SNL’s take on this?

Brian Derrick: I agree. I especially think it’s useful to know what stories are breaking through, not in our political, but chamber right?

Like the three of us are very plugged into what’s happening in politics at a federal and state level all over the country. And sometimes it actually is hard to know what is going to show up on my friend’s timelines or news feeds that, that don’t follow politics at all. And the Katie Britt thing. Really popped off as one of those moments where even if you didn’t watch the state of the union, even if you didn’t watch the rebuttal, you definitely saw something about this crazy lady in a green dress,

Glennis Meagher: white woman.

Yeah. [00:24:00]

Brian Derrick: Um, you definitely saw something about it online. And that I, I agree with you. SNL is a good barometer for what is penetrating.

Oh, in

Glennis Meagher: other begging news, Biden’s 2025 budget actually wants to peg billionaires, which I am all for. So. Now, I want to preface this conversation on the 2025 budget for the audience in that it is not for sure legislation that is going to be passed, but this is outlining what kind of future Joe Biden would want to create with the budget for this country.

So all that to say, like, if he had every kind of Means at his disposal to get legislation passed. This is what he would do. Understanding that that is not the reality and might not be the reality in 2025. Just FYI,

Brian Derrick: but that’s always true with every president that we elect. It is not a dictatorship. Knock on wood, somebody, [00:25:00] um, like it, it is up to the president to negotiate with Congress to iron out what legislation is going to be done.

That’s why we have a check, a system of checks and balances. He gets to set an agenda and this is the Biden second term agenda that we have been waiting for to see. Like what, what are we running for? Obviously we know what we’re up against. We know that the stakes are really high. We know that democracy is on the line.

What are we fighting for in 2025 and beyond? And he has laid out a pretty sickening agenda.

Glennis Meagher: Under Biden’s 2025 proposed budget, he would increase the child tax credit and the payments would return briefly to the 2021 level funded by the pandemic relief package that Joe Biden put out, which is great.

Brian Derrick: That’s the thing that cut child poverty. In half in a year, he’s like, let’s do more of that. Let’s eliminate child poverty. Let’s not let children go hungry in the United States. Yes, continue. Yes,

Glennis Meagher: please. Parents making under 200, 000 annually would have access to child care with most eligible families paying no more than [00:26:00] 10 a day.

I ain’t got no kids,

Brian Derrick: but that sounds good.

Glennis Meagher: No, child care is one of the most exorbitant expenses if you have children, because either you stay at home and take care of the kids, so they have child care, so you lose that income, or you pay for it. So that is major. Homebuyers, I also don’t have children, by the way, this is what I’m hearing from my friends.

Homebuyers could get a tax credit worth up to 10, 000 in down payment aid for first time buyers. That’s Good.

Brian Derrick: That’s really good, especially when people are complaining about, like, not being able to get a house. That’s actually a really big deal. Hundreds of dollars per month towards your home.

Glennis Meagher: Totally. And I know that housing is obviously a huge issue across the board for many, many, many Americans.

This budget would include 258 billion to help build or preserve 2 million homes, helping to address this national shortage that Is keeping housing prices extremely high. I’m on Zillow all night. Just looking, looking at 5 million mansions in like Woodstock, Vermont. And I’m like, who’s buying these? [00:27:00]

Brian Derrick: It’s walking.

Just won’t do

Glennis Meagher: this. This sauna, not big enough. Okay. Now we’re getting to the good stuff, which I think is, it’s totally wild to me that this does not already exist. Corporate taxes would jump while billionaires would be charged a minimum tax of 25%.

Brian Derrick: I will jump in and add that Biden did specifically reference this in his State of the Union as he did many of these points.

And I think that the average The average tax rate that billionaires are paying right now is like seven or eight percent, something like that. So it’s not way lower than what you and I are paying.

Keith Edwards: Wasn’t it like 90 percent during like the greatest creation of like public services in our nation? Way back.

It definitely could be over 90. It was like super

high.

Glennis Meagher: It just really. Blows my mind that billionaires created their wealth under the United States, like capitalist system, they should be taxed fairly because that money should be going back into social services to make it a more equitable country,

Brian Derrick: [00:28:00] right?

Like if, if you became a billionaire, it was because you had an educated workforce to hire and because you had infrastructure and free markets to sell into and like all of these things that are a product of a strong America and like that costs money. Girl, so you got to pay for

Glennis Meagher: sure. I think a lot. I don’t know if you guys think a lot about this, but I think a lot about social security.

Do you guys think about social security at all?

Brian Derrick: Okay. For those who have never seen her, Glenis is in her thirties.

30

Glennis Meagher: personal. I am. I’m 36, which is like whatever. Also social security, Donald Trump, that man wants to. Social Security benefits. He wants to raise the retirement age, Brian. He wants to raise it.

And for the average American, this is not cool. If you have been putting in back to my point on billionaires, if we just like raise their, their [00:29:00] rate to 25%, we could close that, that Delta that the IRS needs to continue to like fund Social Security. Do you guys not care about this? Do you not care that Donald Trump wants to?

Yeah, this is like a major thing that I think more Americans should know about because It would chap a lot of people’s asses. Okay.

Brian Derrick: She went for it. It is definitely a political third rail, like for sure. So even if I personally don’t think all the time about cashing in my social security, I, it is an extremely important program that has served a vital role in our societal safety net.

And yeah, we should call him out. when he’s saying things like he wants to cut entitlements and not give people payouts from the system that they paid into. 100%.

Keith Edwards: Yeah. As a millennial, an elder millennial, I’m sick of them pulling up the ladder from everything, from all the good stuff. College used to be cheaper.

Homes used to be cheaper. We used to like be able to [00:30:00] Have one job and that one job could support a family of four or five or six. And now they’re also like, you got to retire older and there might not even be social security when you get there. It’s totally, it’s infuriating.

Brian Derrick: A hundred percent. And the fact that we know that their agenda when they are in power is to give away more money to the super wealthy, to like, to those people who own all the things that you’re talking about, who own all the property, who own all the businesses is.

I think a stronger case that we need to make to the American public. People agree that the economy and affordability are like the most important things. And so the idea that one party is going to make things more accessible and one less is compelling.

Glennis Meagher: Yeah. Joe Biden has my social security back and I’m here for that.

Thank you, Joe Biden. Well,

Keith Edwards: can I say that’s where the GOP is so masterful with their messaging is that because this really is something that I think most Americans agree on, that they want to keep social security, that they want to improve it. They want it to be [00:31:00] properly funded, but they make the enemy immigrants or something else, and they put their anger towards something that has really like a very small impact in most Americans lives, like drag queens reading books.

D E I. Remember CRT? Yes. Remember CRT? Yes, of course. Whatever that. Totally. But instead of focused on focusing on these things that they’re actually saying they’re going to do, they get, they still vote with them because they speak to their heart rather than to their mind. Right.

Glennis Meagher: Their vibe. What is that clip from RuPaul’s Drag Race?

Look over there. Look over there. Yeah,

Brian Derrick: watch that. It’s totally that. Yes.

Glennis Meagher: That’s the Republican strategy.

We’re all chronically online individuals. So I want us to briefly touch on this topic. That’s been in the digital zeitgeist the last few days, which is the potential ban on an app that we all use. Tick tock.

Brian Derrick: We’re going to [00:32:00] fight about it. We’re going to fight about it. Let’s fight.

Glennis Meagher: So the house is moving ahead with a bill that’s targeting TikTok and Donald Trump, who also tried to do this a few years ago, is now flipping to oppose this bill that like kill Supreze.

He is now going back on his word and saying, actually, because there’s over a hundred million U. S. users on TikTok every single day, many of them Gen Z and millennials. So he understands why many of them are upset and are blaming the Biden administration for this. There is bipartisan support to pass this legislation, which would force the Chinese owner of TikTok, it’s a called ByteDance, to sell the platform or face being barred in the United States.

So it’s a forced sale. And if they can’t sell it within six months, then it, then it shut down Trump. What he said about it this week is

Donald Trump: frankly, there are a lot of people on TikTok that love it. There are a lot of young kids on TikTok who. Who will go crazy without it.

Glennis Meagher: Myself included. I love to talk. We all know this.[00:33:00]

Yeah. I’m one of the 100 million, but he acknowledged in that interview that he still considers the app a national security threat. So that’s the other layer of this. It’s. Both administrations and almost every government agency, including the ones that look under the hood for national security threats, are saying TikTok is a major one because of the data they have access to and the amount of time that Americans spend on it.

So. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck. Quack quack.

Brian Derrick: Keith, are you pro or anti for sale?

Keith Edwards: Man, I don’t know. I’m like kind of on, I’m on the fence on both sides. I, which I know is not good entertainment, but I used to be extremely anti ban, but because the reason why this all happened, and Is happening is because meta created this propaganda war got against tick tock and it grew legs within the government where they really started to see it as a Chinese threat.

Now, I’m not an intelligence officer. Surprise, surprise. I’m [00:34:00] not an intelligence officer. But my thing is, but I do trust experts. You know, I think that’s, that’s a thing that we kind of don’t do anymore, but I kind of do still trust expert experts. And if the experts are saying it’s a national security threat, then I choose to believe them.

But at the same time, it was, it was originally musically, it was an app made in America. Right. The code was created in America by Americans. You know, it was bought by a Chinese company. Uh, but I think that there has been a lot of misinformation around. And there’s also been no evidence. There’s been no evidence, no, but there’s no evidence.

Like my thing is like, there’s no evidence to show that there has been any sort of, I

Glennis Meagher: agree with you. There’s a messaging problem. You know, the government should maybe outline what exactly Yeah,

Keith Edwards: show me, show me the money, baby, because I’m like, like, yes, if it isn’t, it truly is an issue [00:35:00] and get rid of it.

But I don’t think it’s okay for a government to like our government, a liberal government to single out an app, right?

Brian Derrick: Brian. I am for the legislation. And mainly because it’s not a ban. Like there’s no world in which TikTok doesn’t get sold. It’s one of the most valuable platforms in the world. Like, I just don’t think that it’s really that reasonable to think that it will like, stop exist.

I don’t think that tick tock will stop existing. Basically. I agree with Keith’s assessment on experts opinion on the national security threat that it poses. I don’t think that a forced sale is out of the question. I also agree with you that there could be litigation around tick tock. Banning a specific company and naming a company that could end up making this whole thing melt down.

But in general, I do think that the national security threat is real and a forced sale is reasonable. It looks like this bill is going to pass the House. So as you already [00:36:00] noted, Trump is flip flopping on it. He said that he wanted to ban it. Now he’s against that. I think because some lobbyists, including one of his biggest donors, are investors in TikTok.

And, uh, Number two, I think that he’s making a play for young people. He sees like the Israel issue, splitting young people away from Biden, and he’s just trying to snap up as many young people who are not political and care more about having access to Tik TOK than they do like housing or tax policy. But it doesn’t matter because Trump’s not president, Biden’s president.

Biden has said that he will sign it. And so it all comes down to the Senate and it is unclear right now. Whether it can pass the Senate tick tock is like lobbying super hard. But I also just read that senators are turning down meetings with tick tock and are saying they won’t be lobbied and that they’re for the bill.

So who knows, who knows[00:37:00]

Keith, thank you so much for coming on vibes only. You really brought good vibes today and we’re thrilled to be your first ever pod. Thanks for having me on.

Glennis Meagher: Thank you, Keith. We will definitely be talking to you soon.

Brian Derrick: In the group chat.

Glenis. I already know that your phone was popping off on Sunday in a way that mine was not because it was the off

Glennis Meagher: for sure. My, my phone was on fuego was yours. Did you watch

Brian Derrick: the one clip that I saw was. The Jimmy Kimmel and Donald Trump clip.

Glennis Meagher: Let’s watch it.

Jimmy Kimmel: I just got a review and, um, Has there ever been a worse host than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars?

His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not and never can be. Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up but cheap ABC talent. George Slopinopoulos, he would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, [00:38:00] and more glamorous, blah, blah, blah, make America great again.

See if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truesend. Thank you for watching. I’m surprised you’re still watching. Isn’t it past your jail time? Got em! It’s Gimmie.

Brian Derrick: Get a job. I do not need our president to be commenting on pop culture issues, including the Oscars. Like, get a real job.

Why are you

Glennis Meagher: sitting live tweeting? It’s also giving what Keith Edwards said earlier, which is like, we’re gonna combat your unhingedness with humor. Absolutely. Go away. You’re not a serious individual.

Brian Derrick: It’s giving clown. Clownery.

Glennis Meagher: It’s getting clown.

Brian Derrick: Yeah. Put the red nose on his face and give a little honk.

Glennis Meagher: Yeah. Put him in the clown car and send them off.

Also, you just sent this to the [00:39:00] group chat, which was RFK’s. Guys Potential running mates. Rfk

Brian Derrick: Jr apparently is considering Aaron Rodgers as his potential running mate. Yeah,

Glennis Meagher: that, that Aaron Rodgers. Yeah,

Brian Derrick: that is so cringe and very on brand and Deeply unserious people, deeply unserious people,

Glennis Meagher: deeply unserious people.

Brian Derrick: The other thing that was in my group chats this week that I thought was interesting was the Trump and Elon T where there’s all this shit going on between Trump and Elon that nobody knew about. Number one, Trump tried to get Elon Musk to buy true social last year and the deal fell through. Insane.

Number two, Trump is basically out of money and his campaign is pretty deep. Broke and especially compared to Biden and the DNC, and he went to Elon Musk to beg for cash, and I can’t imagine a worse scenario than having [00:40:00] a president who already is like very clearly influenced by the president. Donors and foreign governments and all of these things to also be under the thumb of Elon Musk, who already has way too much power and abuses it wildly.

Like, that’s a nightmare. A nightmare!

Glennis Meagher: Already has quite a large contract with the United States government. Right, right.

Brian Derrick: Just like turn off the internet.

Glennis Meagher: Well, that’s, I’m glad Elon said no. He said, bye, bye girl. Do we know? We don’t know yet.

Brian Derrick: He said that he would not be giving any money directly to a candidate, which is a cop out answer because he wouldn’t be donating directly to Trump.

He would be setting up an IE, an independent expenditure, which he can put in unlimited amount of dark money. into. So yeah, he made he made no such commitments. And even if he did, I wouldn’t believe them for a second

Glennis Meagher: period. Okay, Brian, good vibe. Goodbye. But this was gonna be a little different than most weeks because this whole episode has been pretty high vibe.

And we want to wrap it up in a [00:41:00] nice pretty bow. And you posted something on your socials. I think it was during your good vibe. Friday. Good news roundup about it. The Biden administration. Care to share?

Brian Derrick: Absolutely. We are riding high. I do feel like there’s a real vibe shift and we’re riding it this week.

I did post a top 25 list of my favorite things that Biden has accomplished and we do not have time to go through all of them, but just to highlight a few that I personally, even Biden very closely, that I personally had not caught on to. Did you know that Biden has preserved Over 24 million acres for conservation purposes since he became president.

I did not. That’s kind of fierce. I was also pretty gooped that renewable energy sources passed coal in terms of like energy production for the United States for the first time ever. Okay, that’s major. Kind of major. Now, now it’s the second leading energy production source domestically, which is huge. The other thing [00:42:00] that was new to me was that Biden has funded 14, 000 mental health professionals to start in schools, in high schools and elementary schools, which I thought was really dope.

Glennis Meagher: I think that’s, uh, part of the new office for gun violence prevention that was set up by the Biden administration. So, another good thing.

Brian Derrick: 100%. We could go on and on. We’ll cover more of them in the future, but definitely a high vibe this episode. So thanks y’all for listening.

Glennis Meagher: Those are the vibes this week.

How have your vibes been? How are you feeling now that the candidates are set and the 2024 general has officially begun? Get in touch with us to let us know. You can reach us at vibes at career newsroom. com or find us on social. As we say, the fate of democracy hinges on Vibes Only, so we’ll be back again next week to check

them.

Brian Derrick: Vibes Only is produced by Devin Maroney, with support from couriers Kyle Tharp, R. C. DiMezzo, and Daniel Strasberger. Tara McGowan is founder and publisher of [00:43:00] Courier.