If you’ve ever read one of Vox’s famous “Explainer” articles, you’re probably familiar with Christian Paz’s work. His reporting is at the forefront of several animating issues in U.S. politics — immigration, the courts, the cultural impact of the Make America Great Again movement, and more.

One recent story of his caught our eye and prompted us to reach out for an interview. The piece — titled “The Democrats’ young man problem is real” — offers a detailed look at the shift away from the Democratic Party among Gen Z in the 2024 election and the factors that are driving the trend. It touches on topics like artificial intelligence, social media, the Democratic brand and the unique appeal of Trump, and Paz makes a compelling argument about how these factors could come into play in 2026, 2028, and beyond.

When we reached out to Paz, we were hoping to hear more about the ideological roots of this shift, but the conversation also ended up delving into the structural and cultural forces at play in the United States. Whether you’re on the left, right or center, this is a discussion that highlights probing questions about our political moment and how each party is adapting to a new generation of voters coming into their own.

We’re excited to share the conversation and hear from you about the central question it raises: Have Democrats lost an entire generation of men?

Ari & the Tangle team

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Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.

This podcast was hosted by Ari Weitzman and Isaac Saul and edited and engineered by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75 and Jon Lall.

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Episode 57 - Precision cooling and political optimism, with David Craig, Iceotope