Chris Hayes

Partly, I think, as a self-enforcing cycle, which is that if you do less media, then the gaffes stick more. And partly because I'll do this take and then you can cut it out. I mean, we're definitely not cutting it out now. Well, this take has nothing to do with attention, but here's my take. Let's see. You're at a restaurant with your kids.

Partly, I think, as a self-enforcing cycle, which is that if you do less media, then the gaffes stick more. And partly because I'll do this take and then you can cut it out. I mean, we're definitely not cutting it out now. Well, this take has nothing to do with attention, but here's my take. Let's see. You're at a restaurant with your kids.

And the kid over there at the other table is just same age, just acting like crazy, watching a screen, doesn't have their napkin, making a mess. And your kid says, well, they don't have to do it. And I'm like, I don't care about them. It's not my kid. I feel like that's how the mainstream media basically treats the Democratic Party. Yeah.

And the kid over there at the other table is just same age, just acting like crazy, watching a screen, doesn't have their napkin, making a mess. And your kid says, well, they don't have to do it. And I'm like, I don't care about them. It's not my kid. I feel like that's how the mainstream media basically treats the Democratic Party. Yeah.

And I think that's partly it's partly the flip side of a correct conservative critique, which is that the vast majority of people who work in the mainstream media are products of a cultural milieu that is generally center left and Democratic voting. But it means that they hold Democrats to higher standards. And like J.D. Vance and Donald Trump are those other kids at the table.

And I think that's partly it's partly the flip side of a correct conservative critique, which is that the vast majority of people who work in the mainstream media are products of a cultural milieu that is generally center left and Democratic voting. But it means that they hold Democrats to higher standards. And like J.D. Vance and Donald Trump are those other kids at the table.

I don't care what they do. They're not my kids. And I truly believe this is true. This can get me in trouble.

I don't care what they do. They're not my kids. And I truly believe this is true. This can get me in trouble.

And we see this in race after race after race. I mean, this has really been one of these stories of the MAGA era. is bad Republican candidates at all levels losing winnable races that they probably should have won because they were adhering to the exact same attentional incentives that produced Donald Trump up at the top. So part of what's happening is this malformation of the public, right?

And we see this in race after race after race. I mean, this has really been one of these stories of the MAGA era. is bad Republican candidates at all levels losing winnable races that they probably should have won because they were adhering to the exact same attentional incentives that produced Donald Trump up at the top. So part of what's happening is this malformation of the public, right?

This malformation of different publics, of parties, of different audiences, right? is producing real pathologies that are in many cases, again, with among Republican candidates rejected by the people who are outside of that particular audience sphere that is being formed by that kind of propaganda.

This malformation of different publics, of parties, of different audiences, right? is producing real pathologies that are in many cases, again, with among Republican candidates rejected by the people who are outside of that particular audience sphere that is being formed by that kind of propaganda.

One place I think this is really true is on trans issues. I think people are conflicted on questions of policy around this. But I think one thing that is pretty clear both from electoral results and from polling is that The public writ large is nowhere near as obsessed.

One place I think this is really true is on trans issues. I think people are conflicted on questions of policy around this. But I think one thing that is pretty clear both from electoral results and from polling is that The public writ large is nowhere near as obsessed.

I mean, obsessed with this issue and with the lives and bodies of these fellow Americans of ours as the propaganda machine and the attention merchants on the right are finding. And again, they're covering that because it rates. And to be clear, like there's a feedback loop here. They're not just like telling people to care about this. There is a small group of people that do really care about it.

I mean, obsessed with this issue and with the lives and bodies of these fellow Americans of ours as the propaganda machine and the attention merchants on the right are finding. And again, they're covering that because it rates. And to be clear, like there's a feedback loop here. They're not just like telling people to care about this. There is a small group of people that do really care about it.

But I think it has been distorting for them. And I think there's all kinds of races where they have like closed with this message.

But I think it has been distorting for them. And I think there's all kinds of races where they have like closed with this message.

Yeah, I would agree with that. I mean, I think that it's pretty clear to me that Musk's takeover has produced a kind of vibe shift and cultural influence for reactionary ideas that I think broadly benefits the right writ large, even if it sends a few Republican candidates over the cliff. Yeah. So I think there's sometimes there's tradeoffs between that, honestly. And I think that's probably true.

Yeah, I would agree with that. I mean, I think that it's pretty clear to me that Musk's takeover has produced a kind of vibe shift and cultural influence for reactionary ideas that I think broadly benefits the right writ large, even if it sends a few Republican candidates over the cliff. Yeah. So I think there's sometimes there's tradeoffs between that, honestly. And I think that's probably true.