Vibes Only
The polls are broken, the stakes are unprecedented, and vibes drive the future of American politics.
Every Thursday, political strategist Brian Derrick (founder of Oath) and new media strategist Glennis Meagher (co-founder of Generator Collective) break down the biggest stories in American politics, elections, and culture.
This isn't your standard cable news commentary. Get an insider's look at the US political machine, current news of the week, and the digital strategy shaping our world - delivered with the honesty, insight, and humor of two people who've actually worked in the trenches of US politics.
Hit follow and stay ahead of the news cycle every Thursday.
Episodes
99 episodes
We All Live in Texas Now: Talarico and a Historic Sweep
Annie Andrews flipped South Carolina. Adam Hamilton flipped Kansas. James Talarico flipped Texas. We're here to dive into how this Blue-nami happened!Quick side note - the audio version of this one is out a day early because we just coul...
Election Night Races to Watch: Acton, El-Sayed, Talarico
Five days out and we've got your election night watch list, from Amy Acton in Ohio to Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, plus we dig into why the polls don't agree much at all rn.Brian and Glennis are closing out this INSANE midterm cycle with ...
12 Days Out and Ramaswamy’s Amy Acton Ad Splits the GOP
Twelve days out, Harris County just smashed its midterm early-vote record, and Vivek Ramaswamy's Amy Acton ad has Ohio Republicans breaking ranks.Brian and Glennis start in Ohio, where Ramaswamy's campaign is putting $4 million behind an...
Can Amy Acton Flip Ohio? Inside an Ohio State Tailgate
An Ohio State tailgate, an Amazon data center run-in, and Brian’s old professor Amy Acton running for Ohio governor. 19 days out, the vibes are up.Glennis is back from Ohio, where the tailgates at The Shoe showed real spirit for Sherrod ...
The Minority Report: Are the Polls Missing Trump Voters?
Glennis is back from Iowa, where Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks literally ran from her Epstein files questions at a Hawkeyes tailgate and Brian is here to challenge the polls.Four weeks out from Election Day, the vibes are high but not gi...
Eric Schmitt Mixed Up the Hawks and the Hawkeyes
Eric Schmitt mixed up the Hawks and the Hawkeyes, Ken Paxton says Trump's convention dropped his numbers, and the Q3 deadline is here. Vibes are up. It's the last day of Q3 and the final major fundraising deadline of 2026, so Brian ...
What Would Lina Khan Do? Stop the Monopolies Lina Khan!
ProPublica's Susan Collins bombshell, Beau Bayh putting Indiana in play, and every new Sabato rating moving left. 40 days out, the vibes are up.Brian and Glennis dig into ProPublica's report that an FBI anti-corruption squad was examinin...
"Heavens, No": The Lawmakers Regulating AI Without Using It
Maxine Waters can't remember if she uses AI, and The Democracy Draft wants your midterm bracket. 47 days out, the vibes are bullish.Primary season is officially over. Brian is bullish on the House and more bearish on the Senate than most...
Rockbridge in Dallas: Inside JD Vance's 2028 Donor Network
Why are Republicans holding a convention in a midterm year? Because it costs $250,000 to sit at a table with Donald Trump. Brian Derrick reads the Dallas price list out loud and explains what the first GOP midterm convention is actually for.
Ed Markey Wins and a USPS Whistleblower Complaint
Your ballot is not cancelled. Sen. Richard Blumenthal released a 20-page complaint describing a rushed September 1 launch, a federal court order standing in the way, and one move that takes you off the list entirely: vote early.An anonym...
Mail-In Voting Panic, Ticketmaster, and Rob Sand's Iowa
Your feed said the midterms are over. Brian Derrick says take a breath. Plus Rob Sand is the favorite to be Iowa's next governor.The Supreme Court's shadow docket order on Donald Trump's mail-in voting executive order launched a thousand...
Angie Nixon Won. Now What?
Angie Nixon was outspent 16 to 1 and won Florida anyway. Brian Derrick breaks down what the establishment missed, and Alaska's Parent Trap problem with two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.Angie Nixon beat Alexander Vindman with 56 percent in...
Steve Kornacki, Five USB Drives, and the Wisconsin Upset
David Crowley beat Francesca Hong by half a point. Peggy Flanagan won Minnesota by 20. Same night, opposite answers about where the party is going.Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley took the Wisconsin Democratic gubernatorial prima...
Reading the Vibes on U.S. Politics and Internet Culture
Politics doesn't have to feel like a doomscroll.Vibes Only is a political podcast hosted by Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher, two strategists who have spent their careers inside the machine. Brian is a political strategist and the found...
Abdul El-Sayed on Hasan Piker and His Narrow Win
Abdul El-Sayed narrowly won his Michigan primary against Haley Stevens. Brian breaks down what that proves, and the much harder thing progressives have to prove next in the generals.Abdul El-Sayed beat Haley Stevens in the Michigan Senat...
Jon Ossoff's Guide to Winning Georgia?
Jon Ossoff's 2020 interview is going viral again. Brian Derrick says Ossoff could win over median voters and that the internet's response right now is bananas, while Glennis Meagher is watching for a different problem entirely.The clip i...
Arizona, Maine and Michigan's $50 Million Brawl
Troy Jackson has the delegates in Maine, Amish Shah beat the DCCC in Arizona, and Michigan votes August 4. The party endorsement is now a liability.Arizona was the only state holding a primary this month, and it delivered the story of th...
Graham's Senate Shuffle and Blanche's AG Fight
Lindsey Graham's sister just got picked by Trump via Fake Social to take his Senate seat, Trump's pet Todd Blanche wants to run DOJ, and we still managed to celebrate the good vibes this week.We get into the recent ICE killings that have...
Platner Is Out: Who Replaces Him and the Fight Over Maine
Graham Platner's Senate campaign just imploded, and it might be the best news Maine Democrats got all year. Here's who replaces him.Graham Platner is out, and the Maine Democratic Party has until July 27th to name a replacement. Brian De...
SCOTUS Rewrote Campaign Finance and DSA Sweeps Colorado
Melat Kiros toppled a longtime incumbent and Phil Weiser beat a sitting senator: Colorado's progressive wave is real and we brought the receipts.This week Colorado handed progressives a statement night. Attorney General Phil Weiser defea...
Is Mamdani a Kingmaker? How DSA Swept New York's Primaries
Zohran Mamdani is being called a kingmaker, and after this week's New York primaries it's easy to see why. Is the Democratic Party fundamentally shifting left, or are voters simply desperate for an alternative to the 70-year-old status quo?<...
BONUS: A Story DC Tried to Kill (Mrs. Frazzled Full Interview)
Mrs. Frazzled (Arielle Fodor) did not set out to end a congressman's career. In this full bonus interview, the TikTok creator sits down with Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher to walk through exactly how she and a coalition of independent cre...
Can Creators Take Down Politicians? (feat. Mrs. Frazzled)
A powerhouse coalition of independent creators just bypassed traditional newsrooms to end a sitting congressman's career. This week, Arielle Fodor (TikTok Star - Mrs. Frazzled) joins Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher to get into the takedown...
Trump's 75% Inflation Spike and Bernie's Radical AI Plan
Hunter Biden went viral, Graham Platner won Maine, and the AI bubble started to wobble, all in one week. Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher break down the new inflation numbers and what they actually mean for your rent and your retirement, why H...
BONUS: Pattie Gonia vs Patagonia (Keith Edwards Full Interview)
Keith Edwards joins Vibes Only for the full interview on the Pattie Gonia vs Patagonia trademark fight, Trump's health, and the gerrymandering battle splitting the left.Our most frequent guest is back! Political strategist, commentator, ...