Timcast IRL · August 22, 2020 · 2h 0m

Timcast IRL #119 - Brandon Straka Is Here To DEMAND Tim Pool #WalkAway From The Left

politicsculture-warmediademocratelection

Episode Recap

Timcast IRL episode 119 featured Brandon Straka, the founder of the WalkAway campaign, joining Tim Pool and co-hosts for a conversation about leaving the Democratic Party. The episode opened with Straka introducing himself and clarifying the correct name for his movement, distinguishing it from various copycat groups. The discussion quickly turned to Straka's personal political journey, explaining how he was a lifelong liberal and Democratic voter who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 but became disillusioned with the party's direction. Straka described how he initially believed Trump had only a 3% chance of winning and was shocked and frightened when he won, buying into media narratives about Trump being dangerous to marginalized communities. The conversation explored how left-leaning media effectively markets itself as the only party that cares about gay people, minorities, and other groups, and how Straka went on a research journey to understand how the media got the 2016 election so wrong. Tim and his co-hosts engaged with Straka's perspective, discussing the dramatic shift in Democratic Party politics and the broader question of what constitutes liberalism versus conservatism in modern America.

TL;DR

  • →Brandon Straka appeared as the main guest to discuss the WalkAway campaign he created, encouraging former liberals to leave the Democratic Party
  • →Straka explained his journey from being a lifelong liberal who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 to questioning the Democratic Party's direction after Trump won
  • →The discussion examined how liberal media effectively markets itself as the only party caring about marginalized communities like LGBT people
  • →Tim and guests discussed the dramatic shift in Democratic Party politics and whether the party has become too extreme for traditional liberals
  • →The conversation touched on the 2016 election coverage and how polls predicted a Clinton victory despite Trump's actual win
  • →Straka referenced his January 2017 social media post that went viral and launched the WalkAway movement

Key Moments

  • 0:00
    Opening
    Brandon Straka is introduced as the creator of the WalkAway campaign, with Tim clarifying the correct terminology for the movement
  • 12:19
    WalkAway Origin
    Straka explains his background as a lifelong liberal and his thoughtless voting pattern before 2016
  • 23:49
    2016 Election Shock
    Discussion of how the media narrative shifted overnight from Trump being a joke to him being compared to Hitler
  • 36:10
    Fear and Research
    Straka describes being terrified after Trump's victory and beginning his journey of research to understand what happened
  • 48:00
    January 2017 Viral Post
    Straka reveals he posted on social media in January 2017 that launched the WalkAway movement
  • 60:00
    Main Discussion
    Deep dive into media bias, Democratic Party changes, and what liberalism means today

Notable Quotes

“I used to bristle when people said walkaway movement because when I started walkaway, it was, well, it is WalkAway campaign, but then a bunch of copycat groups instantly came out and they were calling themselves WalkAway movement, WalkAway.”

— Brandon Straka · opening introduction

“The Democratic Party has just gone absolutely insane. Yes. So there will be this. And I mean, we'll jump into it.”

— Tim Pool · opening discussion of party politics

“I really did believe that, you know, as a gay man, I really watched our culture change during the Obama years. But when Trump became popular again, what they're saying was, no, this is a backlash to all the progress that we made under Obama.”

— Brandon Straka · explaining his fears about Trump's victory

“I think somebody in the chat said something funny like, let the hate for the Democratic Party flow tonight or something.”

— Tim Pool · chat interaction during opening

“I kind of went on this journey of research to try to understand two things. How did the media get it so wrong? Because the media that I trusted told me he had like a 3% chance of winning or less.”

— Brandon Straka · explaining his motivation for research

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