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Firstly, I’m a progressive, not a socialist. I also don’t have a fetish with authoritarian countries run by dictators who treat their people appallingly. I think Hasan does. So I have many disagreements with Piker.
I also don’t think there is anything wrong with a Democrat politician being interviewed by him. Why? Because we said the same thing about people who went on the Joe Rogan experience. But after the election loss, Democrats were scrambling to find the “Joe Rogan of the left” because Dem consultants don’t understand the online political world; they looked at Joe Rogan, saw a dude who lifts weights, and then searched for a caricature of someone on the left, and they found Hasan Piker, who also lifts weights and is edgy. Both online, both edgy in what they say, and that’s how Hasan went from being a niche streamer on Twitch to becoming mainstreamed by MSM and Democratic-aligned content creators online. It all started after Trump won the 2024 election. CNN reached out to Piker after the election loss to Trump. They showed Hasan lifting weights in his gym, they asked him if he was the Rogan of the left, and from there other MSM stories started appearing about him. In my opinion none of this would have happened if Kamala Harris had won the election. The Dems and the left were soul-searching why so many young men were attracted to Trump, Joe Rogan, and the Tate brothers. Their conclusion was optics. Trump likes to say outrageous things, Rogan makes edgy jokes and works out in the gym every day, and the Tate brothers also look fit and speak to young men directly. Their message: it’s not your fault; it’s the fault of the woman, etc. So much of this is based on looks and little substance. The real reason young men moved away from Democrats wasn’t because right-wing online podcasters loved working out; it was because young men, like many other groups, felt like they were being left behind. It wasn’t about steroids; it was about the economy, stupid. How do I know this? Because Trump’s approval ratings have significantly gone down among young men, and it’s not because they prefer Hasan’s muscles to Rogan’s; it’s because of housing costs and the cost of living. CNN and Dem consultants had it wrong from the start of Trump’s win. He didn’t win based on the culture wars. He won because many people blamed the incumbent government at the time for the cost of living, and now these same voters are blaming Trump for the cost of living, and if the Democrats win the next election and the cost of living doesn’t go down, they will then be blamed, and that will continue to happen until someone addresses the issue properly and not just tweaks.
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There is a difference between appearing on a podcast or stream and having that person campaign with you. Abdul El Sayed, in my opinion, made a mistake. Hasan was helpful for him to get elected in the primary but could be a liability in the midterm national election. Maybe the calculation was, ‘I need to win the primary first” and worry about the midterms later. There is definitely a lot of hypocrisy from MAGA here; they voted and campaigned on behalf of a man found liable for sexual harassment, who tried to overthrow the government because he lost the election, etc., etc. Trump in 2024 went on many podcasters’ shows, and many of these podcasters have said some very wild things, but here is the issue for the Dems: MAGA is not held to the same standard as the Democrats are. This is partly because liberals and the left were going after Joe Rogan and other podcasters for making racist jokes. saying inappropriate things, and now some of them are defending Hasan for saying inappropriate things. It can seem hypocritical to some. Abdul El Sayed, campaigning together with someone who once said America deserved 9/11 but has since taken it back, said Jews should stop supporting Israel, as it could put their lives in danger, etc. These are more than just edgy jokes. Hasan watching videos of the Houthis hijacking ships in the Middle East with guns and applauding them was beyond edgy jokes. He does have a fetish for extremist terrorist countries. It’s much easier being sympathetic to these groups when you are living in the West in a 4 million dollar home. He is also a fan of Mao; he peppers it with, “Yes, he has done some bad things, but he was great with education, young people.” Imagine fans of Hitler saying, “Yes, he did some bad things, but he brought down the unemployment levels and was great with infrastructure.”
The goal of the Dem should not be to replace one extremist, Trump, with a Hasan type of Dem sympathizer. Why can’t you have Medicare for all, more affordable homes without aligning yourself with people who love authoritarian regimes more than the democracies? There is a reason why the MAGA media is obsessed with Hasan Piker; they can smell blood, and the right is much better at messaging and marketing. Are MAGA media being insanely hypocritical? Yes, but Hasan Piker is giving them plenty of real material to work with.
So sure, go on his podcast; why not if you can go on Joe Rogan, etc.? You should absolutely do that. But don’t campaign with him; that is a separate thing.
It’s also important to say that many people from the Hasan camp are mad that some Democrats are calling him out and hurting Democrats connected with him running in the midterm, but Hasan Piker never endorsed Kamal Harris and never advised his audience to vote for her. In fact, many of these people from the left called Joe Biden “genocide Joe” and instead voted greens, Jill Stein, or didn’t vote at all. On the one hand, they refused to back Kamala Harris but demanded the non-DSA side of the Democratic Party endorse their candidates or fellow travelers.
Joe Rogan, Hasan Piker, etc., are not mainstream journalists; they are podcasters. They shouldn’t be held to the standard, but at the same time, I understand why they are. They have huge audiences and can affect the outcome of a close election, but the fact we have to take them seriously is not an indication of a healthy culture.
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