Experts question Democrats’ $20 million plan to make content with an “aspirational vision of manhood that aligns with Democratic values.”

For months, pundits have decried the absence of a “Joe Rogan of the left” — an online media figure who can galvanize young men to support Democrats in the way that popular right-wing creators like Rogan, Adin Ross, and the NELK Boys have done for President Donald Trump. Now, it appears that Democratic operatives have a $20 million plan to build such a figure.

Nina Smith, a Democratic strategist and former senior adviser to Stacey Abrams, said instead of propping up a creator who checks the perfect ideological boxes, Democrats should embrace the online spaces for young men that already exist.

For example, creators like Hasan Piker, a left-leaning creator with over 5.5 million subscribers on Twitch and broad popularity among young men, has largely been ignored by the Democratic establishment. Piker’s political content leans farther left, sharing a populist economic message paired with strong criticism of U.S. foreign policy in Israel.

“There is a tendency to shy away from those spaces because our favorite thing to do in the Democratic Party is to, pardon my language, shit on the left,” said Smith.

  • WatDabney@sopuli.xyz
    311·
    3 days ago

    instead of propping up a creator who checks the perfect ideological boxes

    Which is to say, slavishly regurgitates all of the just barely to the left of the Republicsns neoliberal swill that keeps losing elections.

    Democrats should embrace the online spaces for young men that already exist.

    What? Actually going with what the people actually support rather than trying to force some corporate-approved hack that nobodly likes on them, then blaming them when they predictably lose?

    What a novel idea.

    For example, creators like Hasan Piker, a left-leaning creator with over 5.5 million subscribers on Twitch and broad popularity among young men, has largely been ignored by the Democratic establishment.

    And gee… I wonder why…

    Piker’s political content leans farther left, sharing a populist economic message paired with strong criticism of U.S. foreign policy in Israel.

    Oh. my. who. would. have. guessed. that.? Gee. whiz. what. a. surprise.

    There is a tendency to shy away from those spaces because our favorite thing to do in the Democratic Party is to, pardon my language, shit on the left,” said Smith.

    Huh. I thought their favorite thing to do was to lose elections.

    Same thing either way though…

    And I’m calling it now -;the Dem leadership is going to waste their time and money ham-fistedly promoting a pathetically transparent neoliberal shill, then blame everyone but themselves when they utterly and completely and entirely predictably fail.

      • Schmoo@slrpnk.net
        3·
        3 days ago

        It’s incredibly sad how easily people can fall for dishonest and disingenous propaganda. Do you have any actual beliefs or principles or do you just oppose anyone you were told to call a terrorist?

      • WatDabney@sopuli.xyz
        2·
        3 days ago

        I’ve never understood why anyone thinks that the hysterical propaganda and lies spewed by ignorant right-wing reactionaries who would never vote for a democrat in the first place should have any bearing on any decision the democrats might make about anything.