How Erika Kirk blew it

Jon Ossoff has what the likes of JD Vance never could get: sex appeal. The Georgia senator has become a viral sensation, with fans on TikTok and social media posting thirsty highlight reels and declaring "America needs a hot president to unite us all." Ossoff's charisma is also driving MAGA nuts. My guest, Monica Venzke, who runs the Boyfriends We Deserve social media account, explains why hotness matters in politics right now and how the internet is reshaping the image of Democrats, especially with midterms in mind.  

James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, could do lasting damage to the Republican Party and they're freaking out! In this episode, I break down why Talarico's campaign has been enormously successful at attracting Christian voters. He is terrifying white evangelicals because they have been told, repeatedly, that Democrats are demonic and there is no such thing as a liberal Christian. My guest is Amanda Litman, the co-founder of the organization Run For Something that helped Talarico get his start in politics.  If you enjoy Standing Room Only please subscribe, rate and leave review. It helps grow our audience!

Pete Hegseth is getting raked over the coals for leading the Trump administration's messy conflict in Iran. How long can the former Fox News personality keep the pumped-up, testosterone-soaked tough-guy routine going? In this episode, I look at the Defense Secretary's public image, his leadership at the Pentagon, and the heightened criticism surrounding his handling of the Iran conflict. My guest is Salon columnist Heather Digby Parton, who provides insight on why Hegseth's wife Jennifer Hegseth has become a curious and increasingly influential figure in it all.

Season 2 opener! In this episode, I break down why I think Erika Kirk is failing as the leader of Turning Point USA, one year after her husband Charlie Kirk's passing. Why is this organization such a joke (even with conservatives) and why is Erika's role as CEO such a glaring paradox? My guest, Tim Whitaker, is a former Christian Nationalist and a founder of The New Evangelicals. He helps us understand what's driving Erika's bad life advice for women and performative grief.

Stories about young men returning to religion are everywhere right now. But when we saw a recent Gallup poll showing that 42% of young men say religion is "very important" to them, we knew something felt off. In this podcast, Amanda breaks down why the so-called rise of religion among Gen Z men has less to do with faith and more to do with gender politics and the growing popularity of podcast bro culture. As Christianity becomes increasingly tied to masculinity and conservative identity, seemingly harmless religious language online often evolves into something far more extreme. Today's guest, Tia Levings, shares her firsthand experience inside tradwife and fundamentalist Christian culture and explains why this type of values-driven spirituality can quickly escalate into rhetoric centered on control, submission and limiting women's rights. Levings is the author of the NYT bestselling book "A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy." Her latest book, "I Belong to Me," is available now. Follow her on Substack: https://tialevings.substack.com.

The "male loneliness epidemic" has a scapegoat problem. In this episode, Amanda takes a closer look at the online media shaping young men, especially podcast culture and the values it pushes around women and politics. From toxic dating advice to bizarre narratives around self-pleasure, she breaks down how some influencers may be making loneliness worse, while promoting dehumanizing views of women. And it's not just online. Political figures like James Fishback are tapping into this audience in real life, which should caution us all.  Amanda's guest this week is Michael E. Hayden, author of "Strange People on the Hill." He has researched and written about the manosphere. Find his writing here: https://substack.com/@michaeledisonhayden

Fox News is suggesting that young women want to ditch their careers and submit to their husbands. The data says otherwise. In this episode, Amanda debunks a Fox News segment promoting the "tradwife" myth and explain what Gen Z women actually want. Spoiler: feminist progress isn't reversing. Today's guest, Kylie Cheung, staff reporter at "Abortion, Every Day," explains why access to birth control could be the right's next major target—and why that matters for all women. Read Kylie's writing here: https://substack.com/@kylietcheung

If you've seen even one video of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. working out shirtless in jeans, you've seen enough. But there are dozens more, featuring him and other men from the Trump administration grinding through pull-ups, push-ups and heavy lifts with a level of intensity that borders on absurd. In this video, Amanda breaks down why these fitness stunts have little to do with improving Americans' health or promoting real discipline. And it goes beyond cringe: RFK Jr. just announced he is launching a podcast with medical "experts," which raises serious concerns about misinformation and public health risks—again. Amanda's guest this week is Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Ph.D., a professor of history at The New School who has written extensively about the history of the American fitness industry.

When Vice President JD Vance was asked about aliens, he couldn't resist steering the conversation toward demons. This demon talk goes beyond his personal beliefs, it points to a broader strategy within MAGA to energize the Christian right. By leaning into dark, supernatural themes, right-wing influencers are trying to tap into curiosity about the diabolical as a way to draw in younger audiences (mostly with fear). In this episode, Amanda shows why this good vs. evil strategy is doomed to fail and discusses the right's obsession with the occult with this week is Taylor Leigh, an ex-evangelical and practicing Satanist. 

JD Vance's defense of the Iran war is raising serious questions about his political future. He is trying to project alpha male strength, but standing next to Donald Trump his image is cracking! For one, he's defending the same war he warned us all against. In this episode, Amanda breaks down why this moment could define Vance's long-term ambitions for the 2028 presidential race with guest Scott Lemieux, professor of political science at the University of Washington