_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Hasan Piker, a 34-year-old socialist Twitch streamer with over 3 million followers, has become a sought-after campaign surrogate for progressive Democrats. The self-described Marxist runs a daily seven-hour livestream where he often delivers profanity-laden political commentary and severe critiques of capitalism, Israel, and American foreign policy.
This week, Piker joined Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed for campaign rallies at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan, drawing crowds of hundreds. Piker has become a favorite of far-left elected Democrats, though his radical history has drawn far less media fury than similar figures on the Right.
_THE FACTS_
Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, Piker defended the atrocities as "acts of resistance," saying, "It doesn't matter if rape happened."
He has called Hamas "a thousand times better" than Israel and praised Hezbollah and the Houthis for their attacks.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper called out Piker for saying it would be "f***ing hilarious" if Orthodox Jews in Israel get killed fighting in Lebanon.
In a recent interview, Piker branded the Republican Party "the biggest domestic terrorist in this country."
Piker’s father is an executive at one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates, and his uncle, Cenk Uygur, founded the progressive media outlet The Young Turks.
Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed refused to engage in what he called a "gotcha game" of "platform policing" and "cancel culture" when asked to disavow Piker's statements.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) appeared at the rallies and told Piker, "You're never going to be canceled up in Michigan."
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) appeared on Piker’s livestream on Friday, with the latter fawning over the representative.
Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D) criticized Piker's appearance in her state, citing his "derogatory" remarks against Orthodox Jews and noting he calls her "stupid" every other week.
_OUR TAKE_
Some commentators have compared Piker to far-right commentator Nick Fuentes, arguing both represent extremist voices their respective parties should reject. This is an apt comparison, but with one major distinction: Fuentes is toxic to the mainstream Republican Party, while top Democratic figures fawn over Piker, and mainstream outlets like The New York Times write glowing articles about him.
While the mainstream media grapples with the fact that online streamers are far more popular than cable or print news, their double standard in condemning the far-right while uplifting the far-left will probably only serve to bolster both in the long run.
