Brian Tyler Cohen on How Democrats Can Actually Win

Brian Tyler Cohen on How Democrats Can Actually Win

Brian Tyler Cohen returns to Find Out for a conversation built around his new book, How to Wield Power in a Post-Trump World, out July 14th. The crew breaks down why Democrats keep defaulting to process and "strongly worded letters" instead of delivering outcomes, and why Cohen thinks the party's era of conferring goodwill to bad-faith negotiators has to end. They dig into generational change in Democratic leadership, the case for Supreme Court expansion (including a revealing anecdote about Gavin Newsom coming around on the idea), and why accountability for Trump-era corruption — from insider trading to crypto grifts — can't take a backseat to a policy agenda. Cohen also talks about building the independent media ecosystem through his organization Chorus, why the left needs more voices rather than fewer, and what actually moved the needle in 2024. Grab Brian's book at BrianTylerCohen.com/book [http://briantylercohen.com/book], and catch him live in DC, New York, or LA this month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Why Graham Platner Needs to Drop Out

After the sexual assault allegations made against Graham Platner, Tim & Luke discuss why he needs to drop out right away. After that, Tim Whitaker, co-founder of The New Evangelicals, joins the show to unpack a Fourth of July weekend Trump turned into a celebration of himself. We break down his speech, the right's meltdown over birthright citizenship (including Liz Wheeler's "communist children" claim), and Tim's own exit from Christian fundamentalism — why the loudest "biblical" voices in politics rarely quote Jesus. We also get into Trump's meme coin grift, which made him $636 million while everyday buyers lost nearly $4 billion, and close on why the left still can't fund a media ecosystem to match the right's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Amanda Nelson Returns for Supreme Court Week

The Supreme Court just ruled 5-4 that the Constitution means what it says — and somehow that's still not the end of the story. Amanda Nelson (Amandasmildtakes) returns to the show to break down the birthright citizenship ruling, Kavanaugh's concurrence that may leave Congress room to chip away at it anyway, and the right's unhinged reactions from Matt Walsh to Stephen Miller. We also unpack the Court's campaign finance ruling blowing the RNC's fundraising edge even wider, the Democrats' messaging discipline problem, and revisit Bush v. Gore twenty-five years later. Plus, Amanda tells us about her new show launching on Find Out Media, Executive Dysfunction — five episodes on the biggest fuck-ups in American political history, and what they teach us about the mess we're in now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Ex-MAGA influencer explains why he abandoned Trump

The crew is back after one of the riskiest bookings they’ve ever made — and it paid off. Tim, Rich, Luke, and Zak bring on NeverWoke, an ex-MAGA influencer who built his following inside MAGA and is now publicly taking it apart. He’s early in his deconstruction, but when he got pressed on the ugliest parts of his record, he owned it. After their conversation, the guys talk through what it means to platform someone like that, why they almost didn’t, and why they’re glad they did. If you’ve got a disaffected Trump voter in your life, this one might be the ammo you hand them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Is "socialism" still scaring voters away?

Fresh off sitting down with legendary progressive communications strategist David Fenton, the crew digs into what his decades of experience reveal about the Democrats' messaging problem. Why do principled, smart politicians turn into hollow talking-point machines the second a camera turns on? The guys argue it's not a DSA takeover sweeping the party — it's an authenticity crisis. Voters don't necessarily want further left; they want people who clearly believe what's coming out of their mouths and are willing to fight, whether that's Mamdani in New York or Brad Lander getting arrested at an ICE facility. From there it's a wide-ranging conversation: why "socialism" became a dirty word despite everyone loving Social Security, Medicare, and the FDIC; where Bernie actually lost voters (hint: it wasn't the policy); and why running a Mamdani in Iowa would be political suicide. Plus, Luke recounts his live-stream debates with MAGA viewers — the guy whose wife voted Harris, the "traditional values" defense that falls apart on contact, and whether you can ever actually change a mind in real time. The episode wraps with the crew cooking up a "pick your fighter" live debate series where viewers choose which host to take on. For more information about David's book and podcast, visit davidfentonactivist.com [http://davidfentonactivist.com/]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]