Fighting with Fox News feat. Jessica Tarlov
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Who is Jessica Tarlov and what is her new book about?
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Welcome to Pod Save America. I'm Tommy Vitor. My guest today is a political strategist, a pollster, a TV commentator, a podcast host. Those are in order of importance. You've almost certainly seen her trading barbs, throwing haymakers, cracking jokes, you pick the cliche, on The Five. And now she's the author of a new book, I Disagree, Winning Arguments Without Losing Friends. Jessica Tarlow, great to see you again.
Yeah, thank you for having me. This is so exciting. And in person.
In person, in LA. A West
Coast hang.
A West Coast hang in an important time because the midterms are about six weeks out. Hopefully, the Democratic Party is going to do a little bit of a better job of just sprinting through the finish line here.
Yeah, maybe like let's not kill each other. Let's just like
go
towards the goal.
Yeah, that would be good. But the minute the midterms are over, blood sport. And it's going to be a huge conversation and a fight over the future of the Democratic Party, the style. The substance,
the
political approach, the way to win, which is why I wanted to talk with you today. Because you are a pollster by training, a data junkie, someone who understands these arguments and sort of the crosstabs. But also, you don't just work in a spreadsheet. You're on TV every day, kind of where the rubber meets the road, battling it out with various interlocutors and figuring out what works in real time.
Yes, it is. It's like a political test kitchen. Yeah. You know, it was like,
oh,
didn't need that nutmeg. Or like, I'm not a great cook, as you can tell that I went for nutmeg, which is not an essential ingredient anyway. But yeah, it is fun. To test your ideas out and then to also watch them testing their ideas. They're like, what do we
think?
Like, how easy is this to pull apart? Also, what is the counter to it? Right? Like, what do you have hanging in your arsenal that you're like, oh, you shouldn't have zigged there because my zag is way better on that.
Right. There are definitely times on the show where you make a good argument and Greg and Jesse don't say something obnoxious because they know that they are quietly owned.
Yes. The silent L is my favorite. The loud L is the worst. Yeah. When they're just, you think you're having a normal conversation about the war in Iran, and suddenly you get asked, what is a woman? And you think, I have one, but I also hate myself.
And we're
talking
about this
now.
Well.
Thank you, Marshall Blackburn, forever.
We'll get more of that. So I'm excited to unpack with you what it's like to work at Fox as a Democrat, whether Democrats should go on Fox News. I think we have a little debate about that. If you go on, how to be successful,
what you
do, messaging strategy, what Democrats are getting wrong and what they're getting right. But in case listeners have not seen you on The Five, first of all, they're a loss. But here's a little taste of the vibe and what it can be like. Let's watch.
They're not cutting SNAP benefits, they're just saying you can't buy Doritos with food stamps. That's
absolutely not true.
It is true. That
is not true.
You can't buy
candy with food stamps.
That's not
a cut. Even second-tier senators like Josh Hawley would tell you that that talking point is invalid. We talk about the useless trade war. What's
a woman? Can you define a woman?
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Who is Jessica Tarlov and what is her new book about?
0:00–6:38
2
What’s it like being the lone liberal voice on Fox News’ “The Five”?
6:38–14:46
3
How does Jessica handle criticism from Fox’s most vocal viewers?
14:46–22:50
4
What surprising friendships does she have with Fox personalities like Greg Gutfeld and Roger Ailes?
22:50–31:32
5
How does she prepare for a fast‑paced, combative TV show?
31:32–39:55
6
Why does she think Democrats should appear on Fox News before the 2028 election?
39:55–48:47
7
What arguments does she recommend for winning debates without losing friends?
48:47–56:05
8
What key lessons does she share about political messaging and media strategy?
56:05–1:05:13