Democrats Seek Their Own Joe Rogan After 2024 Election Loss
In the aftermath of the 2024 election, Democrats have come to a rather ironic conclusion: they believe one of the primary reasons for their defeat was the absence of a figure akin to Joe Rogan. However, it seems they have forgotten that Rogan, a centrist with a left-leaning perspective, was precisely that figure—before they effectively pushed him away during this election cycle.
This isn’t the first time Democrats have sought to emulate successful conservative figures. In the past, their attempts to craft a liberal equivalent of Rush Limbaugh led to the ill-fated Air America network. Similarly, after their 2004 electoral loss, they aspired to create a version of the Drudge Report, giving rise to the Huffington Post. And following their 2010 Congressional defeat, they sought a leftist counterbalance to the Tea Party, which culminated in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Yet, despite their rhetoric about eliminating “big money” from politics, they are quite willing to spend lavishly to realize this vision.
The New York Times reported:
Democrats Throw Money at a Problem: Countering G.O.P. Clout Online
In a desperate bid to recover from their 2024 election setback, the Democratic Party’s affluent donors are being bombarded with proposals to invest tens of millions of dollars into cultivating a legion of left-leaning online influencers.
At donor retreats and through various pitch documents reviewed by The New York Times, liberal strategists are urging wealthy patrons to dig deep into their pockets to help Democrats, as the saying goes, “find the next Joe Rogan.” These initiatives, whose scale has remained largely undisclosed until now, aim to invigorate disheartened donors and convince them that cultural competition with President Trump is feasible—if only they can spend their way to success.
Democrats believe that fostering online excitement for their candidates requires more innovative approaches, especially through less overtly political channels like sports and lifestyle podcasts. “It needs to start with a legitimate investment,” noted Marissa McBride, a Democratic strategist leading a donor group named Mind the Gap. Yet, she cautioned, “There has to be something that is happening organically as well.”
The most amusing aspect? This initiative has been dubbed ‘AND Media,’ which stands for “Achieve Narrative Dominance.”
However, some details have remained undisclosed until now. In November, McBride and other liberal strategists convened in Washington to assess their electoral defeat. During meetings at the headquarters of American Bridge, a major Democratic donor network, they conceived a plan for a for-profit media company called AND Media, which stands for “Achieve Narrative Dominance.”
One might suggest that Democrats should be aware that they already dominate approximately 99.9% of the media landscape, as well as Hollywood. Just how much more “narrative dominance” do they believe they need to connect with voters?
