Mailbag: Election Confidence, Media People To Trust, Under-Covered Stories, OutKick Success | Bobby Burack
Mailbag readers, it's been too long.
I asked you guys to DM me some mailbag questions on X. You delivered.
Let's start:
"Bobby, how confident are you in a Trump victory?" – Danielle.
Danielle, not very.
Kamala Harris is benefiting from a honeymoon period that will expire. However, she only needs to hold her current momentum for a few months.
Voter turnout will be key.
According to CNN estimates, just 55 percent of registered voters were deemed "almost certain to vote" with Biden as the nominee. That number now sits at a record 62 percent.
I suspect the race to be close, with perhaps one or two states deciding the outcome.
Now, one possible reason for confidence: Kamala Harris is still Kamala Harris. She is a notoriously unpopular politician. The more she's visible, the more voters should remember why they thought so little of her before July.
Ultimately, the GOP needs to quash this "childless cat lady" narrative quickly. Yes, JD Vance's comments were taken out of context. But that's how politics work. Republicans have always had to overcome an overtly partisan left-wing media.
Focus on the border, the economy, and ending endless wars – all of which are winning messages for Trump.
Danielle, I consider the race a toss-up at the moment.
"Who are some media people we can trust for the election?" – Brian.
Great question.
Everyone has their biases. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pundit who doesn't badly want one candidate to win over the other.
That said, I'd recommend shows with hosts who at least ask tough questions and seek the truth. A few come to mind, like "Breaking Points" and "Real Time with Bill Maher."
Are those too obvious?
If so, Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi are worth reading. Their instincts are usually on-point.
Lisa Boothe has done a great job building her "Truth" podcast, inviting on news-makers and asking them questions like an actual journalist. Lisa is a star.
There's a reason the "Will Cain Show" is growing at an impressive rate. You won't find a staff more dedicated to providing high-quality content than Will and his team.
Aishah Hasnie always has rock-solid information. So does Brooke Singman. Oh, and Clarissa Ward from CNN.
And, get this, Chris Cuomo is interesting. Yes, that Chris Cuomo. His show on NewsNation frequently brings guests with different perspectives. I respect that. And I now respect Cuomo, even though we agree on so little.
Ultimately, the best way to shield yourself from propaganda is by consuming different sources of information. Don't take anyone for their word. Don't be a sheep.
At this time of year, most people with a platform lie. Just don't let them lie to you.
BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA - Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is rushed offstage during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
"Are Joy Reid and Jemele Hill actually racist?" – Roy.
Jemele's business manager is white. She has mostly white friends. She willingly works for white people.
Honestly, I bet Jemele is fine offline.
I interviewed her when I was in college. She was very kind. Granted, this was before she called Trump a "white supremacist" and seemingly changed her media persona.
Roy, there is a great financial incentive in creating racial division. And because of societal pressures, very few employers will discipline a black person for spewing racial hatred toward white people.
Jemele knows that. She understands the easiest way to make headlines and money is through statements that are racist about white people. There is an entire industry of anti-white racism in the media. It pays well. Hill, Al Sharpton, Elie Mystal, and Tiffany Cross are just some of the many participants.
And, yes, Joy Reid.
However, Reid might actually be racist. She is so hateful and nasty. She appears bitter. Her faux sophistication about the attempted assassination of Trump – in which she suggested it was a hoax – was nauseating.
I also can't take her seriously with her new haircut.
Can you?
"Bobby, I have been following you since you joined OutKick. Always followed Clay. Have you been surprised to see the site grow like it has?" – Tyler.
Tyler, I appreciate that. And, no, I am not.
I joined OutKick in 2020. At that point, Clay ran the site by himself. He hired me along with Ryan Glasspiegel and Joe Kinsey. Joe is still here, obviously. Ryan is not.
Clay's vision was to build a site that covered sports, politics, and culture in a way that was "smarter, funnier, and more original" than the competition. I think we succeeded.
Fox bought the site a year later. Clay was, of course, the biggest reason why. Perhaps no one in the media saw their profile grow more in 2020 than Clay, due to his coverage of the pandemic and election.
By the way, Clay has been the best boss I've ever had. No one has been more supportive of me than he has. I am forever grateful for that.
Today, four years later, the number of people responsible for OutKick's success is large. There are people who readers and viewers don't know – from editors to producers, to tech workers to social media directors – who are critical to the daily operations. They deserve their props.
There are stories that, without OutKick, would never receive any notable attention – think the Deadspin blackface scandal, the various race hoaxes in sports, and an honest defense of Caitlin Clark.
I expect our coverage of the upcoming election to be quite unique, as well.
"How do you truly feel when people online hate on you and call you racist and sexist." – Taylor.
Taylor, it doesn't have any impact on me.
The truth is, I don't like most media people. I find them self-absorbed and not all that impressive. They and their followers not liking me doesn't change, well, anything.
Never once has someone whom I truly care about changed their opinion of me because of what someone online said about me. I suspect that is true for most people.
Your critics are only as powerful as you let them be.
Further, labels like "racist" and "sexist" have lost their value. Angry leftists use those terms like a second-grader uses "stupid," as in whenever they don't like what you say.
And people don't like what I say often. I guess that makes me "racist" and "sexist."
The job of a journalist is to hold power accountable, tell the truth, and provide perspective. That's it. And there is nothing more cowardly than allowing the threat of a word like "racist" to compromise your ability to be a journalist.
At that point, you are not a journalist. You are a pawn. And pawns are not worthy of respect.
"What stories are not getting enough attention?" – Anna
The answer is probably every story the press has tried to memory-hole regarding Kamala Harris. There are so many.
But I will list some others:
Are you aware that AI is currently exhausting the power grid and we are on pace for mass blackouts by 2030? What about the dangers of artificial general intelligence creeping into the mainstream with the intent to replace the need for human activity?
Read about that here. It is dystopian.
Have you heard of artificial wombs? They are real. "The ultimate goal is to transition a fetus onto that artificial womb," Dr. Christoph Haller told NPR.
We still have no idea to what extent the Covid vaccines contributed to the rise in heart irregularities since 2021. No one is supposed to ask that question, either.
Around 45 percent of trans adults have contemplated suicide. Transgenderism is literally latching onto mentally fragile Americans and causing them to think about killing themselves. That's tragic and should be discussed far more often. Yet we don't do that.
Finally, what about self-censorship?
Far too many Americans censor themselves because they are afraid – afraid of losing their job, social standing, or happiness. That should not be. The most powerful gift granted to every American is their voice. They should never be afraid to use their voice and stand up for what they believe in.
Remember: this is your country, too.