Hasan Piker vs. The Establishment
6/13/202635 min
Hasan Piker has become one of the most prominent leftist voices in the US. But his rapid rise has sparked a furious backlash from establishment Democrats -- specifically the Third Way think tank. This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim, mixed by Shannon Mahoney, video edited by Christopher Snyder, and hosted by Astead Herndon. Further reading: Third Way’s critique of Hasan Piker in the Wall Street Journal. The streamer Hasan Piker speaking at a conference in Vancouver. Photo By Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images. You can also watch this episode on youtube.com/vox. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsAstead Herndon· Host0:01
After the 2024 election, leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker has blown up in popularity, becoming a go-to voice for the Democratic Party on questions about the new internet, how to reach young men, and even the political cost of the Biden White House's policy on Gaza. But Piker's glow up has angered a section of Democrats who are growing louder in voice, and they argue that Piker traffics in antisemitism, encourages violence, and engages in open misogyny. Now, Piker is controversial, no doubt, but is he toxic? And how much of this blowback is tied to Piker the person versus the leftist politics he stands for? This week, we'll talk to a centrist Democratic think tank that's been leading the anti-Hasan Piker charge, and then we'll talk to the streamer himself. Let's dig in. So in March, a Democratic group called Third Way published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal's opinion section saying Democrats are too cozy with Hasan Piker. Now, Third Way isn't just any group, it's probably the premier centrist think tank in Washington, and it holds a lot of sway with the party's moderate elected officials. So I wanted to talk to Third Way, not just about their argument in this article, but about their motivations and their goals. So I connected with John Cohen. He's the president of Third Way and the co-author of the piece in the Journal.
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