 Spencer Snyder asks advice to people new to YouTube having a tough time breaking through You know right now, it's very difficult to break through on YouTube It kind of feels like unless you have a big platform that you've already built up before they've changed the algorithm Making it on YouTube making it however you want to define making it on YouTube It's kind of tough honestly if you'd speak to a lot of like the youtubers who have a hundred thousand plus Subscribers we're all kind of experiencing this slum currently and We're not really moving when it comes to subscriptions views are pretty low across the board like for this channel I'll see my subs Jump and then it'll start to decline and what I think is happening is that there and This is just speculation But YouTube is constantly purging old accounts So if your account is inactive for at least six months They will purge that and then that'll count as you losing a subscriber But what's happening is that since the election is over since the algorithm has changed since they don't really? Recommend these types of political channels as much as they used to I think that a lot of folks are stuck on the number like Kyle Kalinsky's been stuck on like 967 Vasha stuck on not or 351. I'm stuck on three 64 365 or something like that like the reason why we're stuck is because We're not gaining new subscribers faster than the rate that YouTube is purging old accounts I think that's what's happening. So it's hard enough to make it if you're a bigger youtuber But to break through now is really really tough. My only advice for you would be just be persistent Keep posting keep being active because eventually if you're doing good work It's gonna get recognized right now. The algorithm kind of gives you a little bit of I Don't know makes you feel like the work you're putting out isn't going to amount to anything Nobody's gonna see it and I felt like that when I first started out, but just be persistent and eventually I think it will pay off so long as you're actually doing good work and you're trying Jose Pina asks how stupid can it be get with the Q&A? Oh, oh, trust me. This can go off the rails in so many different ways So again in the event a question is asked That I don't want to answer. I'm just simply gonna pretend like I didn't see it. So that's That's the easiest way Secret that's the way that all streamers deal with questions that they don't want to answer But I feel like there's most like most things I am willing to answer Um, so I mean the threshold for something that I'm gonna actively avoid is pretty high Carlos asks, do you think there is opportunity for a third party in this country? It's kind of a loaded question because there's already third parties that exist quite literally there are hundreds of third parties around the country different parties in different states if We're ever going to have a third party that actually is effective. That's actually capable of winning. That's electorally viable What we have to do first rather than prioritize on starting new parties is we need a movement for electoral reform I'm talking about a multitude of things ranked choice voting We need a multi-member districts. We need a proportional representation system I mean multi-party systems and presidential systems are Not super common. I mean it kind of depends but really Duverger's law almost always holds and that is if you have a first pass the post Majoritarian want to take all system? You're probably just gonna have two parties a two-party duopoly and they're gonna kind of like be around The center now in the United States the center is shifted to the right and we're trying to change that but if if we really want third parties to Be effective and I do because why else would you support something like that? You have to focus on electoral reform now That's not to say that if we don't get electoral reform third parties are completely useless because I do think that they are useful in Organizing people for example the Green Party a lot of their members do great work Just organizing they did a lot during the net neutrality years not the Ajit Pi years But the Tom Wheeler years during the Obama era so third parties can be great for organization They can be great for you know channeling grassroots energy But I think the ultimate goal is to make them viable and to do that you have to get electoral reform first And I wish it were easier. I wish that there was a better, you know answer to that But unfortunately that's not the case and a third party wouldn't be the end all be all because we live in a capitalist system a late-stage Capitalist dystopian society and in the event we get electoral reform We do everything and we finally elect multiple members from the first third and fourth party I mean, they're susceptible to corruption just like the Democratic and Republican parties are I mean the Democratic Party used to be a party of the working people people working class so You know, it's there's no easy answer to that question, but here's what I will say I want third parties to exist and In order to make them viable. We have to have to have to have to focus on electoral reform first unfortunately Sir Fappington beautiful name sends in 699 asking should the CIA and the FBI be abolished Easy answer to that. Yes to both Yes to both 100% not gonna happen, but should it? Absolutely Okay Oops, I accidentally clicked on someone who disagrees with me quick. Hide the comment. Okay. Okay Back to controlling the narrative is Marjorie Taylor Greene a 2024 Republican candidate Um, I don't know. She'll be a 2024 Republican candidate, but 2028 like after Trump is out of the picture I could see it. I mean, she's the future of the Republican Party There was a poll. I don't remember which company conducted the poll But it was out of Georgia and Georgia Republicans are absolutely thrilled with Marjorie Taylor Greene. They love her So it's not like she's some anomaly. She is the new face of the Republican party unfortunately, that's scary, but um, it's uh It's possible that she is a president one day. Yeah, big question What if a corporate Democrat went rogue after they've been bought and support a progressive idea? I mean, look, it's it's totally possible. Um, don't expect to be wowed by them on every issue, but sometimes corporate Democrats They do get it right. So, um, I'll give you an example of my governor in Oregon Kate Brown She came in bank rolled by Comcast as corporate as you could possibly be and I thought oh my god Like this net neutrality issue. She's going to be one of the bad Democrats on this issue But actually she was one of the first governors to sign net neutrality into law in this state And we have net neutrality because she did that so sometimes corporate Democrats surprise you More often than not they disappoint you But sometimes they do kind of like go rogue and it's really nice to see But they never go rogue on every single issue unfortunately Moon Moon asks do you think the squad betrayed us or do you think they're just pathetically weak? Um, I don't necessarily think that they betrayed us I'd say it's the latter. I think that they're just very very weak Although I will say that AOC's contributions to corporate Democrats from her courage to change pack I actually do view that as a betrayal. I don't think that that's acceptable at all If you're taking in grassroots money, I think you have no business giving that money to corporate Democrats So it's a little bit of both For AOC Yeah, I think that what she did there is a bit of a betrayal Does it mean that I'm like throwing her away and I'm done with her and I'm canceling her? No, but I think that ultimately the answer is They're mostly weak like the system has a way of beating you down And I think that the squad is no different like with time it tends to What's the right word for it turns radicals into normies, right? I mean AOC was protesting inside of Nancy Pelosi's office On day one and then she was you know constantly taking shots at her democratic party colleagues And now, you know, she still does that from time to time. She still speaks out. She condemned Kamala Harris's terrible remarks to Guatemalans But I mean overall, I think she is a little bit more reserved Less vocal now, but that's It's not honestly surprising to me to be honest politicians they They have the tendency to disappoint you, right? I mean if if Bernie were president and in a better world if Bernie Sanders were president I always thought how long until I'm disappointed with Bernie Sanders It's just you elect the best politician you possibly can and then you keep organizing inside outside strategy That's that's the only thing that we really can do So how do we stay optimistic? Oh, that's a really hard question Um I don't know. Okay. This is not a good answer Uh, but this is just how I stay sane, right? Because I'm not the most optimistic person in the world lately I feel like I'm a lot more doomer if you compare like what I say now to 2015 2016 era humanist report videos Um, I distract myself Um, if I think about all of the bad things it really drives me nuts So when I'm done, you know doing the podcast. Yes, I still stay engaged. I still tweet I still read news stories because you can't really like check out entirely But I make sure that I dedicate a lot of time to just like self-care playing video games watching movies watching anime playing with my dogs just really trying to distract myself because I mean Regardless of who the president is even if Bernie Sanders were the president right now It would be really difficult to be optimistic and I'm just being honest Because I mean we see what's happening with, you know, joe manchin kirsten cinema the filibuster, you know The senate parliamentarian all these bullshit excuses. They would still exist in a world where bernie sanders was the president of the united states too Um, maybe there'd be different obstacles, but it's still, you know, we'd be dealing with media attacks so There's always going to be a lot That gets you down being optimistic is hard, but just try to tell yourself That the struggle is part of the process like even if we get to a world Where, you know, we have a multi-party system and we have medicare for all and you know, we have Seized the means of production. There's always going to be societal problems. Politics is always going to be inherently divisive I don't believe in utopia But just know that struggle is part of the political process And if you feel the struggle that means you're paying attention and I get that's a bit of a cliche Right if you're not if you're not enraged you're not paying attention But it is true Occam's phaser asks Do you think there's any chance that we get weed legalization with biden in office or anytime in the next few years? So I don't think biden's gonna budge on this. He is a drug warrior And I just can't see him budging like when they did the unity reform commissions, which were cringe, by the way Um, that was like one of the few issues that he refused to budge on So I don't think it's gonna happen. Will there come a time in the united states where cannabis is legal in all 50 states? Yes, I do think that that's the case. Um, will it be within the next few years? um Probably not it's it's hard to say like Originally, I thought that pot would be legalized through the supreme court as marriage equality was But now with the 6 3 conservative majority. I'm not so sure but I do think there will come a time. I mean Once the cat's out of the bag, you can't put the cat back in the bag And what I mean by that is we have multiple states now What is it basically like most americans? Because california and new york have legalized pot Can just walk into the store and legally purchase pot and to me it's it's inconceivable as an oregonian Who's been able to do this since 2014 or 2015? Which is when it went went into effect. Um to think that I couldn't just walk into a store and uh By cannabis to me is absurd. It's absurd. So, um, I think that eventually it's gonna happen It's still gonna take a little bit of time. Hey, we have the serfs times Happy anniversary. Who has your favorite beard on the left? Well, thank you so much. First of all for the uh, $5 super chat, um, who has your favorite beard on the left? I'm gonna have to say bow the fifth column because this is longer than mine and we we judge How good a beard is based on how long they are and so for me I couldn't actually pull off a beard that long, but I think that he does so I'm gonna have to say bow shout out to bow Best beard in all of progressive politics So mover bob says don't sell yourself short but not intended his is great and long But a bit crazy, but yours is clean without context Nobody would know what this is in reference to but for those just tuning in this is uh, This is about beards and I said that uh bow the fifth column has the best beard But you could uh construe this in a very very bad way, but thank you bob. Thank you. I really appreciate it I didn't even need to point that out So uh blam jam 23 with a five dollar super chat says hey mike you have the best outro music What is the you know the thing closing song from it's hilarious? Um, thank you. I appreciate that So, um, all of the beats are made by one of two people either lord magnus who has a youtube channel Definitely check out lord magnus He makes really good beats and he splices in like modern Music samples and it sounds incredible and the other person is raw heats So they don't put the uh like the lyrics Or the samples from dav rubin and uh, joe biden in I splice all that in myself So it's not necessarily from anything. I made it specifically for the outro But I am glad that you like it because I do enjoy making them and um Yeah, they uh people love them apparently so I will keep doing it Mike do you think we'll see ethan in resident evil nine? I hope not because ethan is stupid as fuck. I hate ethan. He's so dumb Uh, what's your opinion on hasan piker? hasan piker is Based I fucking love hasan piker I see the chat going off the rails. I see I don't know what the context is for this. Please mike for us thirsty queens and then somebody's asking me to strangle a monkey Now I'm getting worried Nick v says how long has mike been married? I'm going on four years now actually So quite some time But we've been together for almost 11 years so Yeah Riding strong Do you still laugh at melania's mayonnaise? Uh, not as much as I used to but it still does get to me in the right like setting and context Thank you so much. Thank you so much to the mods. I really appreciate all of the questions the generosity all of the super chats Thank you all so much Um, I'll have to do this again, but there will be regular live streams coming soon june 23rd For dystopian times. I'll see you all later Mike is the worst progressive on youtube. Please don't subscribe to him or become a patron David dole is so much better. Trust me folks. He's doing a great job He really is okay