Hasan debate with Rational Lib
Original
I don't like Hasan Piker. But we can all see quite plainly that the stuff he says and does on his worst day is still better than the stuff Trump does and says on his best day. So any media personality that insists Democrats disavow Piker also needs to insist that Republicans disavow Trump, OR admit that they're a political operative for the right.
Reply
What media figure on the democrat side would disagree with saying that republicans shouldn’t disavow Trump? Genuinely asking because these people, if they existed, would be bad.
But it’s weird to compare a president to a Twitch Streamer. It’s hard for someone in a party to go against that party’s most powerful representative. It should be the easiest thing ever for a democrat candidate to not campaign along someone who cheers on terrorist attacks (which Hasan does).
source
O1
Bill Maher is the most egregious example, as he said he’d actually vote for Republicans over Democrats because of Piker and DSA. He hasn’t said “Republicans shouldn’t disavow Trump” but it’s implied from the above.
But more importantly, there’s a lot of gap between “says Republicans shouldn’t disavow Trump” and “hasn’t asked Republicans to disavow Trump”. These media figures do a lot less with their actual opinions than what they draw attention to. By choosing to draw attention to Democrats’ views on Piker rather than Republican views on Trump, or at least his more controversial actions, they’re driving a narrative that will inevitably help Republicans trying to keep control of the Senate and keep approving Trump’s corrupt nominees.
R1
By your advice, is there anything media figures can do to go against Hasan Piker? Because it seems to me that if we follow your strategy, he just gets infinite permission to say the most egregious things while trying to co-opt the democrats and constantly attacking moderate democrats. At some point, people have to speak out against subversive elements or they will inevitably corrupt the broader movement.
As for helping Republicans, there would be a really easy way to avoid the baggage from campaigning alongside Hasan, namely not to campaign with him.
From my perspective on left-leaning media, wanting Trump to be removed from politics is just a thing that everyone agrees on. I don’t see the purpose of doing that even more.
O2
Yeah they can attack Piker all they want. But if they do guilt by association, they need to do the same with Republicans and Trump.
The problem is the guilt by association. Democrats have to choose between angering Piker’s fans and being attacked by media figures for associating with him. Republicans don't have to choose, they take the Trump endorsement and get zero blow back for it.
R2
No, they don’t have to choose. Piker’s fans are going to be mad at them unless the democrats explicitly defend Hasan on every point, that’s how they operate.
Republicans are the enemy, they are seen as such in left-leaning media and they are attacked constantly. I can agree with you that they should do more, that’s fine by me.