today in tabs: the case for electing hot Dems
ALSO: mini Spotify Wrappeds, GOP redistricting hits another road block, Tinder is in your camera roll, and more
Happy Friday, November 7th. If you’re at Crooked Con today, come say hi!!!
WELCOME :)
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Today, we have texts from the wonderful Monica Venzke, who wears many hats in the world of politics, one of them being the creator of Boyfriends We Deserve (on X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, all the places!) – which, if our algorithms are anything alike, you’re probably seen and liked quite a few times. Enjoy :)
LR: What was the inspiration for your account (@boyfriendswedeserve)!?
MV: My friend, Josh Sorbe, and I have had a long running joke that the best thing a candidate can be right now is good looking. He tweeted about it, and I made a joke piggybacking off of it that I wanted to make a PAC a la David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve, but for hot people.
I was in an airport, and my flight got delayed, so I made a joke Twitter account for it. I got on the plane with 2 followers, myself and my boss (sorry Pat!), and got off with almost 400. Now I have a silly brand and DMs full of strangers sending me pictures of random hot people (awesome btw), and Jack Schlossberg and David Hogg follow me back. Life is a movie.
LR: One thing I love about it is that it brings levity to a pretty terrifying moment in our politics – why do you think that’s important? What do you think injecting humor can add/bring to the table?
MV: It’s stupid, but the brat/coconut tree-ification of the 2024 election made the insanity of it a lot less bleak for me. I think on a MUCH smaller scale BFWD taps into that same realm of whimsy and fun. Obviously my posts are in jest, and my silly little accounts are not impacting much, but I do believe wholeheartedly that the people I “endorse” are the kind of people who can energize voters and actually beat Republicans. To be clear, I authentically think they’re all hot. I have never lied about that. But they also fit the mold, or appeal to the mold, of the kind of voters we lost last year. They’re electable in my opinion— not necessarily because of their policy specifics— but because of the energy they spark. They can speak for their own politics, that’s their job. They can’t really run on sex appeal, so that’s mine.
LR: You create content at an intersection that everyone is obsessed with today: politics and pop culture. What are three major lessons you’ve learned about creating in this space?
MV: a. Content creation is a real skill, and I don’t have it! Platforms are all different. Pretty much everything I tweet does well to my standards, but most of my TikToks flop, which was weird for me since my Twitter took off(ish) immediately. I’m not someone with a background in digital or social media at ALL, and it shows. I’m having to adapt a bit to figure that out, and I’ve come to the realization that people want to look at hot candidates, NOT me.
b. Democrats have to get better at accepting the transformed media landscape, and I think that includes being silly goofy online. I’ve had a lot of candidates publicly engage with me, and I (PERHAPS with bias) think that’s a smart move. There’s a gap in Democratic politics that there isn’t in Republican circles, and that’s being insane online.
c. This shit means way more to people than I ever expected. These are by no means major accounts with large followings, but I have gotten dozens of DMs from people telling me how much joy it brings them and how much they feel like they needed it. I had someone tell me sending my posts back and forth is solely how they reconnected with an old friend from high school. I got recognized at a Halloween party from it. It’s all fun and games, but you never know what kind of connections you can make and what kind of community you can build. I’ve been doing it for barely a month, and honestly it means something to me, too.
LR: I know we’ve had a lot of cuties in US politics over the decades. If you can, who are the top three hottest people in US political history?
MV: My type is specific, but correct — Gavin Newsom now, Al Gore in 2000 (specifically in his concession speech, don’t ask), and Roy Cooper in 2016. Honorable mention is Martin Heinrich during that weird Survivor thing he did with Jeff Flake like ten years ago.
LR: You’re taking your fave Boyfriend (gender-neutral) We Deserve on a date night – what’s the plan??
MV: I get on the Amtrak Northeast Regional to meet up with my Boyfriend, Jack Schlossberg, where we go ice skating at Rockefeller Center, grab some pizza, see something that makes me look smart and unique on Broadway, get totally unplanned paparazzi photos I happen to look really good in, and he teaches me ballet and lets me try to convince him to run for Congress.
Kansas Republicans’ redistricting effort stalls, for now
Kansas is not the first Republican-controlled state to hit redistricting roadblocks. A push in New Hampshire seems unlikely amid opposition from GOP Gov. Kelly Ayotte, while some state lawmakers are also resisting the pressure campaign from President Donald Trump in Indiana. (POLITICO, 11/4)
Zohran Mamdani announces an all-female leadership team for his transition including former FTC Chair Lina Khan
The team of co-chairs includes Khan, former first deputy mayor Maria Torres-Springer, United Way of New York City head Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog, who is a former deputy mayor for health and human services, and political consultant Elana Leopold. (CNN, 11/5)
Spotify is launching a weekly mini ‘Wrapped’
Spotify has introduced a new “listening stats” feature that gives you a weekly overview of your recent music streaming habits. It essentially acts like a mini version of Spotify’s annual Wrapped review, showing you which artists and songs you’ve listened to the most each week, and making curated playlists inspired by those results. Listening stats will be available to revisit for four weeks. (The Verge, 11/6)
“Biased,” “Boring” and “Bad”
Almost half of teens (45%) said journalists do more to harm democracy than to protect it. Only a little over half of teens (56%) believed that journalists and news organizations take journalism standards such as accuracy and fairness seriously in their work. (News Literacy Project, 11/5)
Tinder to use AI to get to know users, tap into their Camera Roll photos
In Match’s case, the company says it will engage users with interactive questions and learn more about them using AI technology so it can recommend better, more compatible matches. Presumably, that would look something like this: If you had photos of yourself outside hiking or climbing, you might be matched with someone who shared the same outdoor hobbies. (TechCrunch, 11/5)
Lucy’s note: To be clear, this is your PRIVATE camera roll they’re looking at…
More students are double-majoring out of fear they won’t be able to get jobs
Nearly 5.4 million credentials — degrees or certificates — were earned by the 4.8 million college and university graduates in 2023-2024, the most recent year for which the figure is available. That means about 12 percent of graduates earned more than one credential, compared with 6 percent 10 years prior. (WaPo, 11/5)
Hot subpoena summer
Lively has sought information pertaining to dozens of content creators — reportedly, more than 100 — through subpoenas, which her counsel also issued to social media platforms like X and YouTube. These subpoenas were wide-ranging. She sought communications and information from people like Hilton and Candace Owens, a right-wing commentator with nearly 7 million followers on X, as well as identifying information regarding X accounts, some with fewer than 100 followers. (The Verge, 11/5 – free version)
‘Therapuss’ Podcaster Jake Shane to Star In Hulu Comedy Project Based on His Own Life
“Therapuss” podcaster and comedian Jake Shane has signed on to executive produce and star in a Hulu half-hour comedy based on his life. The series, in development from 20th TV, stars Shane — playing a version of himself — and “his best friends as they navigate the chaotic new world of online fame, the strain it puts on their friendships, and the tension their presence causes in their suburban neighborhood.” (Variety, 11/5)
Lucy’s note: Jake Shane is the most interesting example of TikTok viral to mega-celebrity to me (and good for him!!).
Thieves are targeting “Pokémon” cards in robberies since they’ve skyrocketed in value
Stealing unopened packs of “Pokémon” cards is effectively thieving and buying call options at the same time: an individual pack might not be worth much on its own, but the most valuable cards in the recently released Mega Evolutions set are going for over $1,000. And at about 23 grams per pack and relative differences in security, the logistics seem a lot less onerous than trying to rob a gold dealer. (Sherwood, 11/4)
in pursuit of democracy
This story looks at every time the word ‘democracy’ was said or written into the Congressional Record since 1880. Each dot represents five speeches or remarks. Bright dots are ones that argue American democracy is under threat. (The Pudding, 11/3)
Lucy’s note: This is some really incredible research and visual reporting, wowowow
Extra Credit 🤓
Some newsletters I thought were excellent recently:
“Teen Vogue’s Award-Winning Journalism Was Too Much Trouble for Condé Nast” from
of“Six election results that didn’t make the headlines” from
, , and from“Elon Musk Can Be a Trillionaire, but I Can’t Post News on Instagram?” from
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!