Podcast Summary: Raging Moderates with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov

Episode: Dictatorship Threats Go Mainstream
Date: September 19, 2025
Host: Jessica Tarlov
Guest: Andrew Bates (Former White House Deputy Press Secretary, Founder of Wolfpack Strategies)
Network: Vox Media Podcast Network

Episode Overview

This episode addresses America’s growing worries about political violence, rhetoric around unity and freedom of speech, the media’s role in current polarization, and the challenges and opportunities for centrists in the upcoming elections. Jessica Tarlov interviews Andrew Bates, focusing on the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, threats to democracy, and the responsibilities of both parties and the media.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Charlies Kirk’s Assassination and Political Violence

• Immediate Reactions & Political Responsibility
  • Bates describes the shock and horror at Kirk’s assassination, emphasizing the importance of condemning political violence, regardless of political alignment.

    "Political violence is always horribly wrong and we have to call it out anytime it occurs, whoever the victim is, whoever the perpetrator is." (Andrew Bates, 02:19)

• The Call for Unity vs. Escalation
  • Bates points to past moments where leaders like Biden and Obama called for unity after acts of violence and contrasts that with current Republican rhetoric, particularly from JD Vance, which he sees as fueling division.

    "It's an insult to every American who has been harmed by political violence... to try and use it to fuel more anger and more division." (Andrew Bates, 05:44)

2. How Political Rhetoric Shapes National Mood

• Charges of Demonization
  • Tarlov challenges Bates on whether Democrats are also guilty of stoking division, referencing accusations that Biden and Obama “demonized” the right.
  • Bates argues that Biden and others specifically condemned violence and differentiated between MAGA Republicans and mainstream conservatives, maintaining that peaceful protest is a core value.

    "Joe Biden would say that he disagreed with MAGA Republicans... but what we need to do is look at the specific rhetoric." (Andrew Bates, 07:22)

3. Threats to Freedom of Speech and Press

• Legal Aggression and RICO Threats
  • Discussion centers on Trump’s $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times, Pam Bondi’s statements about prosecuting hate speech, and Deputy AG Blanche’s suggestion of using RICO statutes against protestors.

    "I've never heard of anyone else whose team has tried to say that protesting them should be a crime equal in magnitude to terrorism." (Andrew Bates, 10:36)

• Implications for Democratic Norms
  • Bates is concerned about rising efforts to criminalize protest and clamp down on the media.

    "Americans have the right to do that... every president of our lifetimes has been protested." (Andrew Bates, 10:46)

4. Media Coverage—A Double Standard?

• Treatment of Trump vs. Democrats
  • Bates criticizes mainstream media for what he sees as less rigorous coverage of Trump compared to Democratic candidates and notes how outlets sometimes platform or fail to challenge misinformation.

    "There is not equal treatment. Trump is given much more regurgitation in coverage, including when he says things that are demonstrably untrue." (Andrew Bates, 12:25)

• Media’s Power Dynamic
  • He warns that failing to push back against politicized lawsuits and bullying leads to media outlets losing agency.

    "...if you hand someone like that who is a bully a lot of your own agency, you're not going to get it back." (Andrew Bates, 15:08)

5. Congressional Oversight, Corruption & the Political Playing Field

• Investigations and Hypocrisy
  • Bates avoids specifics about his recent testimony before the House Oversight Committee but contrasts the intense scrutiny of the Bidens with the alleged lack of investigation into Trump’s financial dealings and ethics as president.

    "...if Hunter Biden had done 1/1,000th of the things the Trump family does right now every day, Sean Hannity would have a stroke on the air..." (Andrew Bates, 18:39)

• Democratic Party Challenges Post-Biden
  • The conversation addresses Kamala Harris’s forthcoming book and the sense within the Democratic Party about not uplifting her enough, as well as key lessons from the 2024 election related to inflation and the party’s tone on culture.

6. Strategies for Democrats to Reconnect

• Faith, Veterans, and Cultural Openness
  • The hosts discuss the importance of Democratic candidates speaking more openly about faith and connecting with working-class Americans, referencing research that cross-racial working-class voters value religion and patriotism.

    "Religion is an important part of my life... by far most Democrats, especially folks who've run for president... have been open that faith is an important driver for them..." (Andrew Bates, 24:23)

• Role Models and Hopeful Trends
  • Recent Democratic candidates who openly discuss faith and service are mentioned as models for effective engagement with the political center and working class.

7. Unity Messaging & Social Media’s Role

• The Need for Unifying Candidates
  • Bates argues the country is eager for a return to unity-focused leadership, recalling Obama’s 2004 Democratic Convention speech and pointing to opportunities for 2028 hopefuls to differentiate themselves by healing divisions.

    "...people are very tired of the kind of bitterness that especially social media encourages... that's something we have to think about in a serious way as a country." (Andrew Bates, 28:31)

8. Personal Reflections—What to Rage or Calm About

• Media’s Role in Elevating Dangerous Narratives
  • Bates voices frustration with media’s complicity in amplifying divisive rhetoric and lowering the bar for coverage of provocative or novel political behavior.

    "When folks like Trump are treated differently because they do things that are novel... I do not think that the bar should be lowered for how much of their message you then broadcast out to the public without challenge." (Andrew Bates, 30:11)

• Signs of Hope
  • He points to cultural shifts and media (like the Superman movie) as evidence Americans desire more compassion and less division.

    "There are signs in the culture that people want to move past the kind of bitterness that has really defined the last 10 years in politics..." (Andrew Bates, 30:54)

Memorable Quotes & Highlights

• On Political Violence
  "I don't think that there are many people who saw that video and whose first reaction was, we need more division. But that is what [JD Vance] was preaching." (Andrew Bates, 04:34)

• On Faith and Democratic Messaging
  "I think that more Democrats should be open, that that's an important part of our lives... there have been elements of the larger Democratic community that do make it sound as though we look down on people of faith. That's something that I think has to change." (Andrew Bates, 24:23)

• On the Media's Role
  "Trump is given much more regurgitation in coverage, including when he says things that are demonstrably untrue..." (Andrew Bates, 12:25)
  "If you hand someone like that who is a bully a lot of your own agency, you're not going to get it back." (Andrew Bates, 15:08)

• On Unity and Social Media
  "...people are very tired of the kind of bitterness that especially social media encourages. Like, if there's any major industry right now that has a lot to answer for, it is social media companies..." (Andrew Bates, 28:31)

• On Optimism
  "If you go outside and you actually interact with people, they're a lot nicer than they appear on social media for sure." (Jessica Tarlov, 31:49)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:54] – Introduction and guest background
• [01:18] – Reaction to Charlie Kirk’s assassination
• [04:10] – Party reactions and responsibility for unity
• [06:11] – Critiques of Democratic and Republican rhetoric
• [09:23] – Legal threats against media and protestors
• [11:37] – The media’s role and perceived double standards
• [17:35] – Bates’s Oversight Committee testimony and Biden/Harris relations
• [22:09] – Democratic strategies: faith, service, and candidate profiles
• [27:27] – The importance of unity, historical parallels, and social media’s divisive role
• [30:05] – Bates’s personal reflections: what makes him rage and hope

Tone and Language

The discussion is candid, thoughtful, and measured—occasionally passionate, but consistently civil. Quotes reflect deep concern over the future of American democracy and a sincere hope for healing and unity, balanced by clear-eyed critiques of both parties and media practices.

Conclusion

This episode of Raging Moderates offers a sobering look at the mainstreaming of anti-democratic threats, the corrosive impact of polarization and media failings, and the urgent need for leaders who can restore unity. Andrew Bates provides both insider perspective and hope, arguing that centrism and empathy remain vital if America is to overcome its current turbulence.