Vibes Only

Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher
  • 4.9 (206)
  • Politics
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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.

  1. 1d ago

    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 the races they're watching: Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, James Talarico in Texas, Jon Ossoff in Georgia, the House seats Democrats can flip, and the Wisconsin legislature. Brian explains how one race can poll within one point and ten points at the same time, and why big early-vote turnout makes this electorate so hard to model. Glennis's ask for the final stretch: text everyone you know and confirm they have a voting plan. In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy's ad against Amy Acton is still splitting Republicans. Thomas Massie's impeachment resolution against Pete Hegseth comes up when the House returns November 9, and new reporting says Hegseth is eyeing an appointment to Marsha Blackburn's Senate seat if she wins the Tennessee governor's race. Plus a Vanity Fair book excerpt alleging Dutch intelligence watched Jared Kushner's phone (Kushner denies it), and why a GOP leaning on billionaires instead of small donors has a 2028 problem. This week's Oath Candidate of the Week is Oath's Max Impact Slate: last-minute money for campaigns still working to reach every voter before Tuesday. Also: Glennis defends the Cheesecake Factory from Barack Obama, Michigan voters on cost of living, and a Clickbait or Double-Click on the 42 of 46 swing districts where incomes haven't kept pace with costs and a New York Times/Siena poll showing 70% of young voters identify as or lean Democratic. We close with a Good Vibe Goodbye: an appeals court declined the Justice Department's emergency bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots. New political updates, check-ins, and deep dives every Thursday morning. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS The Oath Candidate of the Week: https://app.oath.vote/donate?p=mx Clickbait or Double-Click: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/6172310-trump-aoc-comments-democrats/ Clickbait or Double-Click: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/27/costs-basics-climbed-faster-than-wages-battleground-house-districts/ Clickbait or Double-Click: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/upshot/young-voters-polls-midterms.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share Good Vibe Goodbye: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/25/doj-appeals-court-california-ballot-fight-01134996 Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    Election Night Races to Watch: Acton, El-Sayed, Talarico

  2. Oct 22

    Ramaswamy’s Amy Acton Ad Splits the GOP | 12 Days Out

    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 ad featuring Acton's estranged mother, and a PAC tied to MAGA Inc. is mailing voters to boost socialist Greg Levy against Sherrod Brown. Then Jesse Watters tells Fox the GOP needs "fear porn," Trump sinks to 36% in the new Times/Siena poll, a record low for that survey, and Glennis unpacks Trump waiving most of the new Russia sanctions days before they kicked in. Then the hit to your wallet: open enrollment season, what's really inside Elon Musk's pledge to give every American kid a SpaceX share, and how the country got to a $2 trillion deficit. Your Oath Candidate of the Week is the whole Max Impact Slate at oath.vote, because this is the last real window for small-dollar gifts to land in down-ballot races. Also this week for Clickbait or Double-Click: House Democrats lining up to impeach Pete Hegseth after the midterms, Trump's plans for East Potomac Golf Links, Meta's No Kings Instagram suspension, and Abdul El-Sayed's answer when a town hall questioner demanded he disavow the Muslim Brotherhood. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye with hard turnout data: more than 104,000 in-person voters on day one in Harris County against a 63,000 midterm record, a record first day in Georgia, and North Carolina running 38% ahead of 2022. Glennis has one condition: the numbers are not permission to skip it. Go vote, then go get the cinnamon roll. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning! Hit that FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed through Election Day. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS The Oath Candidate of the Week: https://app.oath.vote/donate?p=mx Clickbait or Double-Click: https://punchbowl.news/article/washington/waters-endorsement-hegseth-impeachment/ Clickbait or Double-Click: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/trump-says-hes-building-championship-style-golf-course-despite-what-administration-told-federal-judge/4169184/ Clickbait or Double-Click: https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-apologizes-after-suspending-no-kings-instagram-account-2026-10-19/ Clickbait or Double-Click: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/us/politics/russia-american-prisoner-release-stephen-hubbard-trump.html Clickbait or Double-Click: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/19/us/el-sayed-faith-ad.html Good Vibe Goodbye: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/us/elections/midterm-elections-early-voting-tracker-battleground-states.html Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    Ramaswamy’s Amy Acton Ad Splits the GOP | 12 Days Out

  3. Oct 15

    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 Brown and creator Eumie Shin caught a MAGA fan blaming Joe Biden, not the war in Iran, for gas prices. Then the Russian diesel deal: Trump wants to buy Russian diesel to bring down prices at the pump, a bipartisan group of senators wants him to reverse course, and Brian explains why it’s a political stunt that wouldn’t cover a single day of U.S. diesel demand. Plus: Jon Ossoff vs. Mike Collins, round two in Georgia (an Olympian vs. a normal guy, per Brian). The New York Times reports Elon Musk has now spent $366 million on the midterms, and Brian makes the case for Everyone vs. Elon. New press secretary Katie Zacharia’s first briefing brings a “my president, excuse me, my husband” slip and the news that the White House asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as ambassador to Greece over a reported request to cover a $100,000 Amex bill. Guilfoyle denies the allegations. Brian explains why Bravo-style corruption is finally breaking through with voters. Also: a masked, shirtless protester at Lula’s São Paulo rally becomes the internet’s crush, and an Indiana city council forum goes very viral. The Oath Candidate of the Week is Amy Acton, running for Ohio governor against Vivek Ramaswamy, and yes, she was Brian’s advisor at Ohio State. Find her at oath.vote. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from New York City, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin struck a deal to end horse-drawn carriages by June 2028. Big Horse Lobby, you’ve been warned. New episodes of Vibes Only drop first thing every Thursday morning. Hit FOLLOW and don't forget to leave us a rating and a review! EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS SUPPORT THE OATH CANDIDATE OF THE WEEK: https://app.oath.vote/cart?q=amy+acton Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    Can Amy Acton Flip Ohio? Inside an Ohio State Tailgate

  4. Oct 8

    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 giddy. Brian Derrick breaks down the DCCC adding six more Republican-held seats to its Red to Blue program, some in districts Trump carried by double digits, and why Republican gerrymanders in Texas and Florida, drawn off 2024 turnout, could end up costing them seats. Then the Minority Report: new data on where pollsters are struggling to reach Republicans (Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio) raises the question of whether the polls are missing Trump voters. The answer is the same either way: make a voting plan and vote early.  SCOTUS is back. Justice Samuel Alito tells CBS News he's weighing retirement every term, and Brian walks through the lame-duck scenario if Democrats flip the Senate. Glennis previews the docket, starting with Suncor v. Boulder County, the climate case over whether communities can sue oil companies. Ken Paxton is already pointing fingers in Texas after telling donors Trump's Dallas convention dropped his numbers. And we roll the tape on Susan Collins and Troy Jackson's first Maine Senate debate, road salt and all.  For Clickbait or Double-Click this week we get into whether Trump should pay taxpayers back for his personal DHS-funded campaign ads, the horror show that is Tennessee's failed execution of Christa Pike, and why we need to double click on the Justice Department refilling its depleted ranks with partisans and conspiracy theorists. Also we’ve got a Good Vibe Goodbye from Kentucky, where Gov. Andy Beshear's executive order erasing $250 million in medical debt for 130,000 Kentuckians begins sending letters of relief to real consituents - no application required. Plus Brian prepares Glennis for her to take her tour to Ohio this weekend. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS BRIAN’S STATE-BY-STATE RACE CHEAT SHEET: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd4ayoImQX-/?img_index=1 CLICKBAIT OR DOUBLE-CLICK 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/us/politics/trump-taxpayer-funded-ads.html CLICKBAIT OR DOUBLE-CLICK 2: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/us/christa-pike-condition.html CLICKBAIT OR DOUBLE-CLICK 3: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/us/politics/justice-department-civil-rights-division.html GOOD VIBE GOODBYE: https://www.wdrbwave.com/2026/10/07/kentuckians-receive-letters-saying-medical-debt-has-been-canceled/ THE OATH CANDIDATE OF THE WEEK: https://app.oath.vote/cart?q=Christina+Bohannan Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    The Minority Report: Are the Polls Missing Trump Voters?

  5. Oct 1

    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 Derrick breaks down where your money actually moves the map (state legislatures, not U.S. Senate races) and why late fundraising decides which races get October investment. Then Ken Paxton gets caught on tape telling donors Trump's Dallas midterm convention dropped his numbers, and the Department of Homeland Security commits $20 million in taxpayer money to ads starring Donald Trump, some of them near copies of his 2024 campaign spots.  Glennis Meagher digs into The New York Times report on Meta claiming billions in research tax credits by calling its AI data centers "pilot models." John Fetterman calls himself a "lifelong Republican" at the Texas Tribune Festival, and Sen. Eric Schmitt tries to catch Jack Smith in a perjury trap, until Amy Klobuchar points out he mixed up the Atlanta Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes. We roll the tape for you.  For Clickbait or Double-Click this week… the hacking group ShinyHunters claims it stole data on FBI employees and applicants, the World Cup couldn't stop overseas tourism to the U.S. from sliding, and a new coalition of AI companies and private equity firms targets seven states for data center expansion: Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and South Carolina. Plus Palantir's Alex Karp gets into it with CNBC.  Also: The Oath Candidate of the Week is Jacob Weinberg, an Army veteran running for the Arizona House in LD-13, the seat Oath identifies as the tipping point for flipping the chamber and a Good Vibe Goodbye from Nevada, where Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, Mark Kelly, and a full Avengers lineup of Democrats are converging to push Aaron Ford past Gov. Joe Lombardo. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Jacob Weinberg Clickbait or Double-Click 1: Embarrassing Breach at F.B.I. Fuels Fears of Harm to Its Employees Clickbait or Double-Click 2: Allies Refuse to Visit U.S. in ‘Mind-Boggling’ Collapse Under Trump Clickbait or Double-Click 3: Exclusive: AI giants, unions join forces for data center fight Good Vibe Goodbye: Dems boost their odds in Nevada Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    Eric Schmitt Mixed Up the Hawks and the Hawkeyes

  6. Sep 24

    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 examining Sen. Susan Collins over a defense contractor's illegal donations to a super PAC backing her 2020 campaign, until the unit was gutted under Trump. Collins' office denies any wrongdoing, and she has not been charged. Brian breaks down the super PAC "firewall" and why corruption is landing so hard in the Maine Senate race. Then Trump calls MAGA Inc. money his to control. Then the media fight. Trump banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, calling it "my house" before correcting himself… barely. The network pool - including FOX News - have refused to fill in, and the outlets have now sued. Meanwhile, a 12-state attorney general settlement cleared the way for Paramount Skydance's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, putting CBS and CNN under the Ellison family. Brian Derrick asks the only question that matters: What Would Lina Khan Do? On the midterms: James Talarico named Alyssa Edwards as his favorite Texas drag queen without missing a beat, Ken Paxton got mad about it, and the Senate GOP super PAC in Texas just pushed past $100 million to rescue Paxton. Plus Sabato's Crystal Ball moved 10 races toward Democrats, including Josh Turek in Iowa, Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Amy Acton in Ohio, and Aaron Ford in Nevada. Also: The Oath Candidate of the Week is Beau Bayh, running for Indiana Secretary of State in a race rated a Toss-up. It's Democrats' best shot at a statewide win there in more than a decade. Find him at oath.vote. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from New York City, where DoorDash agreed to a record $131.5 million settlement for more than 260,000 delivery workers who were underpaid or paid late. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Beau Bayh Reporting Referenced: The FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the Way - ProPublica Good Vibe Goodbye: DoorDash Agrees to $131.5 Million Settlement for Shortchanging Workers - The New York Times Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    What Would Lina Khan Do? Stop the Monopolies Lina Khan!

  7. Sep 17

    "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 forecasters, and Glennis is spending the final 47 days touring Senate battlegrounds. They get into Speaker Mike Johnson's promised plan for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid next year. They also cover the ProPublica report that a Russian oligarch close to Putin paid for Donald Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding celebrations, and the Supreme Court keeping the Postal Service out of mail ballots for November. Then AI. An Anthropic researcher quit with a warning, AI CEOs started asking for a slowdown, and Trump called AI regulation a hoax. Meanwhile, Axios asked Congress whether they actually use AI. Sen. Roger Wicker said "Heavens, no," Rep. Frank Pallone reached for a heroin analogy, and Rep. Maxine Waters couldn't remember. Brian makes the case for generational change on the issues that will define the next decade. Also: Clickbait or Double-Click tackles four headlines: Mitch McConnell back in the Senate after three monthsKash Patel refusing to rule out FBI agents at polling sitesThe $9.5 billion DOGE-era paid leave billRepublicans branding Democrats as communists, where Brian's verdict might surprise youThe Oath Candidate of the Week is you. The Democracy Draft is March Madness for the midterms. Pick the winners of the cycle's top races, from Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan to Troy Jackson in Maine, and the closest bracket wins $4,000. It's free to enter at thedemocracydraft.com, and you can start side leagues. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from Wisconsin, where the state Supreme Court heard challenges to a congressional map that gives Republicans six of eight seats. That fight could mean fair districts by 2028. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning - hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Oath’s Democracy Draft Reporting Referenced: Don Jr’s Wedding Was Paid For By Russians - ProPublica Clickbait or Double-Click 1: Mitch McConnell Returns to Senate After Three Month Absence - The New York Times Clickbait or Double-Click 2: Kash Patel Suggests FBI Agents Could Go to Election Polling Sites - The New York Times Clickbait or Double-Click 3: Thanks to DOGE, Federal Employees Got Paid Billions to Not Work - TIME Clickbait or Double-Click 4: Republicans, Facing Midterm Peril, Try to Brand Democrats as Communists - The New York Times Good Vibe Goodbye: WI State Supreme Court to take up challenge to congressional maps this week Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    "Heavens, No": The Lawmakers Regulating AI Without Using It

  8. Sep 10

    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. The Republican National Committee gathered at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on September 9 and 10 for the first midterm convention in modern American history. Trump speaks both nights. A roundtable with him runs $250,000 per person and a photo is another $88,600. JD Vance's roundtable is $75,000 with a $35,000 photo. Brian explains why holding it in Texas is the entire point, and why Republicans in competitive districts are quietly staying home. Then Rockbridge. AXIOS reported this week that the secretive donor network Vance co-founded in 2019 threw the pre-convention party in Dallas, drawing HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Senator Eric Schmitt and Dallas donor Ray Washburne. Brian reads it as a preview of the 2028 campaign Vance is already building. On the legal side, two courts split on Missouri's congressional map within an hour of each other. Justice Brett Kavanaugh denied the state's emergency application, leaving the 2022 map in place for November, and then a federal judge in Missouri ruled the gerrymandered map must be used. Brian explains why Oath has been anchoring on flipping 11 House seats instead of five, and why the slow churn of the courts is still working in our favor with ballots already moving. North Carolina became the first state in the country to mail them on September 4. Also: New Hampshire picked its nominees. Chris Pappas won the Democratic Senate primary and will face former Senator John E. Sununu in November. Stefany Shaheen edged Maura Sullivan in the First Congressional District. Your Oath Candidate of the Week is Will Lawrence, the Sunrise Movement co-founder running against Representative Tom Barrett in Michigan's Seventh, a Trump-leaning district that just nominated a real progressive. Then a Good Vibe Goodbye from New York City, which is on pace for the fewest murders and shootings in recorded history. Brian has a name for it. New episodes of Vibes Only are available for download first thing every Thursday morning and Glennis is back next week!  Hit FOLLOW and we'll keep you informed for the midterms. EPISODE RESOURCES/LINKS Oath Candidate of the Week: Will Lawrence Reporting Referenced: AXIOS on Rockbridge and Vance Good Vibe Goodbye: Violent Crime in NYC Hits Historic Low Send us a text! Watch us on Youtube Follow us on Instagram  Oh, we're on TikTok too Follow Brian on IG  Follow Glennis on IG

    Rockbridge in Dallas: Inside JD Vance's 2028 Donor Network
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Brian Derrick and Glennis Meagher
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Vibes Only The Podcast LLC
  • Show Website
    Vibes Only

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