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IrelandO'Brien finds hope in midterms, but keeps the "purposeful anger"
His new LBC monologue turns Democratic victories into an argument about compassion, political language and why civil rights cannot be taken for granted.
LBC
Story of Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 193,701 views.
James O'Brien is 'finally getting a bit of a win' | Trump's midterm disaster
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 0:51Watching Jonathan Pie reminds O'Brien of the value of focused, purposeful anger.
- 3:40He argues that using "woke" as an insult bullies people out of expressing basic decency.
- 5:52He explains the Overton window and argues that right-wing media push acceptable political debate further right.
- 10:00The overturning of Roe v. Wade illustrates his warning that hard-won rights are not permanent.
- 14:12He argues that diversity, equity and inclusion counter political attempts to scapegoat minorities.
- 17:34His closing assessment finds hope in resistance to bigotry, without suggesting that bigotry has disappeared.
Jonathan Pie's stage show has helped James O'Brien put a different shape on his reaction to Donald Trump's midterm defeat: less searching for joy, more finding a use for anger.
After the difficulty finding much to celebrate that we described earlier, this new LBC monologue offers a change of emphasis. "Of course we should be a little bit angrier, but purposeful anger," he says. The upload drew roughly 194,000 views in under five hours today.
Democrats' capture of both chambers of Congress gives O'Brien grounds for hope. But this is not a constituency-by-constituency election breakdown. His subject is how ideas become acceptable, and how people can resist political language he believes makes cruelty easier to excuse.
He takes particular aim at the use of "woke" as an insult, arguing that it pressures people to retreat from basic decency. From there he explains the Overton window, the range of ideas treated as politically acceptable, and argues that right-wing media have worked to shift it further right.
There is a warning beneath the relief. Citing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, O'Brien argues that securing a right does not guarantee its survival. "You never win the war. You only ever win battles."
Later, he turns to historic representation milestones in the election results. His argument is that diversity, equity and inclusion make it harder to scapegoat minorities by insisting on people's shared humanity. By the close, he is not suggesting bigotry has disappeared. What gives him hope is seeing it pushed back against.
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- Channel
- LBC
- Subscribers
- 1,550,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 14,592,858
- Channel views, pace per day
- 4,575,727 (on a normal day: 1,954,599)
- Video published
- November 5, 2026
The numbers
The new monologue attracted a substantial audience in its opening hours. The count below is its viewing total so far, not a full day's views.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which term describes the range of ideas considered politically acceptable in public debate?
The Overton window describes the range of policy ideas treated as acceptable within political debate.