Lev Parnas, Michael Cohen, Joe Walsh, Donald Trump, all career scammers. The difference between Joe Walsh and Hasan Piker is that Joe Walsh speaks for himself. No one is trying to attach Joe Walsh to any candidate. Hasan Piker is free to identify as any party he wants, as Joe Walsh is. But if Republicans and so-called "moderate" Democrats who would rather have a Republican than an uppity progressive are going to use Piker to sabotage a candidate who happens also to be a Muslim then said candidate is going to have to make a value judgment. Is there any upside to being attached to Hasan Piker? Is there any compelling issue that would justify that? If the value judgment is favorable then by all means embrace said compelling issue and proudly campaign alongside Piker. If not then unequivocally and succinctly dump him and move on. Either way if you win the election then you made the right decision. If not then you are left to ponder what you should have done differently.
The last thing I would ever want is a bunch of new Democrats who have spent their political lives trying to repeal the capital gains tax and other repub shit. Walsh and the Lincoln assholes have just figured out a way to get old liberals to pay their bills, and I’m convinced they don’t really give a shit about anybody.
Democrats don't have a "Hasan Piker problem." They have a "The Party of Thieves, Traitors, Rapist and Pedophiles keep putting you on the defensive about little petty bullshit" problem.
Nothing more than an opportunist shit-stirrer. He's a living example of my attitudes to all the former republicans jumping ship:
"The enemy of my Enemy, makes great cannon fodder against my Enemy"
All too many of them (looking at you, Bulwark, Contrarians, and folks like Steve Schmidt.) have their revelations that in the words of Driftglass, "that their beloved Republican Party is somehow full of Republicans", then loudly announce they're no longer Republicans, and proceed to start telling Democrats that they have to be Republican-Lite to survive.
We tried that in 2010, and it was an unmitigated, existential disaster for the Democratic Party.
Y'all are welcome to the tent, but that doesn't mean you get to start telling us who ELSE to let in or how we should do business.
I suppose Walsh now would say the Walsh of THEN should’ve had no place in the Democratic Party, but one can always atone. I do agree with that—we should be making converts and welcoming converts. I’m not really up on this Piker guy but I’ll note that the comments I’ve seen from him are certainly anti-Israeli but not antisemitic (maybe I missed the antisemitic stuff). Meanwhile the president had dinner with Kanye West after West went viral for some genuinely antisemitic comments, which the media moved on from after a week so they can fuck off with this Pearl clutching.
Clearly no one gives a shit who a candidate associates with and I just won’t take their bait.
No you didn't miss the 'antisemitic stuff'. all the shriekers are are saying criticism of Israel and it's ongoing slaughter and oppression of Palestinians is inherently 'antisemitic' and it is our sacred duty as Americans to support Israel, even to our own detriment. (see "Iran war" quagmire Bibi got us into: he's been claiming 'Iran is two weeks away from a nuclear weapon' for nearly 25 years now.)
I noticed these media pearl clutchers don’t just bring Piker on for an interview to challenge him on these statements and give him a chance to explain. God forbid they try some journalism.
Once someone’s considered persona non grata, there is serious backlash to engaging with them, on any issue. Piker has been pretty much banned from the very platforms that spend the most time denouncing him.
[“I wouldn’t call myself a racist,” Walsh told John Heilemann in 2019, “but I would say … I’ve said racist things on Twitter. There’s no doubt about it. And an apology is not enough.”]
I would guess he learned this from white Evangelicalism.
Because it's pretty common there, this hair-splitting between one's words and actions and some ethereal "true" or core self, so that your words and actions are separate somehow from who you really are.
Truth be told, that's bullshit. Out of your heart, your mouth speaks. Out of your soul, your body acts. You can't cheat on your spouse, but not be a cheater in your heart. You can't murder someone, but not be a murderer on the inside. And you cannot espouse racism in your words and actions and not be a racist.
Murderers kill. Cheaters cheat. Racists spew slurs and hatred.
That is what the act of repentance is. "I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was a racist, but I'm trying to change. I was a murderer, but no longer."
Folks just want to use this "get out of jail free" card to be horrible people but somehow retain the "Good guy or gal" label. It's narcissistic and self-deception.
I've heard more about liberals bashing Piker than I have of Piker himself. I can't imagine anything he ever said was worse than the things that come out of trump's mouth.
Lev Parnas, Michael Cohen, Joe Walsh, Donald Trump, all career scammers. The difference between Joe Walsh and Hasan Piker is that Joe Walsh speaks for himself. No one is trying to attach Joe Walsh to any candidate. Hasan Piker is free to identify as any party he wants, as Joe Walsh is. But if Republicans and so-called "moderate" Democrats who would rather have a Republican than an uppity progressive are going to use Piker to sabotage a candidate who happens also to be a Muslim then said candidate is going to have to make a value judgment. Is there any upside to being attached to Hasan Piker? Is there any compelling issue that would justify that? If the value judgment is favorable then by all means embrace said compelling issue and proudly campaign alongside Piker. If not then unequivocally and succinctly dump him and move on. Either way if you win the election then you made the right decision. If not then you are left to ponder what you should have done differently.
The last thing I would ever want is a bunch of new Democrats who have spent their political lives trying to repeal the capital gains tax and other repub shit. Walsh and the Lincoln assholes have just figured out a way to get old liberals to pay their bills, and I’m convinced they don’t really give a shit about anybody.
I have stated all along, Joe Walsh is not our friend. I don't trust the founder and leader of the Tea party.
I'm not as forgiving of these former Republicans. Too many of them chasing a talk show on MSNOW, and god love 'em, they give them a show.
OMG Walsh’s comments about President Obama are *so* offensive.
Isn't Joe Walsh the guy who yelled "You lie!" during Obama's SoTU address?
I think he was the early version of Lauen Boebert and Majory Taylor Greene.
Joe Wilson
And the fucking GOP has a Nazi/KKK supporter problem that never gets called out by the fainting couch crew.
Democrats don't have a "Hasan Piker problem." They have a "The Party of Thieves, Traitors, Rapist and Pedophiles keep putting you on the defensive about little petty bullshit" problem.
The shape shifting ex GOPers are pretty easy to pick out with time. Joe is a complete JD Vance Finger in the Wind guy
Nothing more than an opportunist shit-stirrer. He's a living example of my attitudes to all the former republicans jumping ship:
"The enemy of my Enemy, makes great cannon fodder against my Enemy"
All too many of them (looking at you, Bulwark, Contrarians, and folks like Steve Schmidt.) have their revelations that in the words of Driftglass, "that their beloved Republican Party is somehow full of Republicans", then loudly announce they're no longer Republicans, and proceed to start telling Democrats that they have to be Republican-Lite to survive.
We tried that in 2010, and it was an unmitigated, existential disaster for the Democratic Party.
Y'all are welcome to the tent, but that doesn't mean you get to start telling us who ELSE to let in or how we should do business.
I suppose Walsh now would say the Walsh of THEN should’ve had no place in the Democratic Party, but one can always atone. I do agree with that—we should be making converts and welcoming converts. I’m not really up on this Piker guy but I’ll note that the comments I’ve seen from him are certainly anti-Israeli but not antisemitic (maybe I missed the antisemitic stuff). Meanwhile the president had dinner with Kanye West after West went viral for some genuinely antisemitic comments, which the media moved on from after a week so they can fuck off with this Pearl clutching.
Clearly no one gives a shit who a candidate associates with and I just won’t take their bait.
No you didn't miss the 'antisemitic stuff'. all the shriekers are are saying criticism of Israel and it's ongoing slaughter and oppression of Palestinians is inherently 'antisemitic' and it is our sacred duty as Americans to support Israel, even to our own detriment. (see "Iran war" quagmire Bibi got us into: he's been claiming 'Iran is two weeks away from a nuclear weapon' for nearly 25 years now.)
I noticed these media pearl clutchers don’t just bring Piker on for an interview to challenge him on these statements and give him a chance to explain. God forbid they try some journalism.
Can't light a strawman bonfire if you actually talk to the real person! They have a narrative to establish!
Once someone’s considered persona non grata, there is serious backlash to engaging with them, on any issue. Piker has been pretty much banned from the very platforms that spend the most time denouncing him.
[“I wouldn’t call myself a racist,” Walsh told John Heilemann in 2019, “but I would say … I’ve said racist things on Twitter. There’s no doubt about it. And an apology is not enough.”]
I would guess he learned this from white Evangelicalism.
Because it's pretty common there, this hair-splitting between one's words and actions and some ethereal "true" or core self, so that your words and actions are separate somehow from who you really are.
Truth be told, that's bullshit. Out of your heart, your mouth speaks. Out of your soul, your body acts. You can't cheat on your spouse, but not be a cheater in your heart. You can't murder someone, but not be a murderer on the inside. And you cannot espouse racism in your words and actions and not be a racist.
Murderers kill. Cheaters cheat. Racists spew slurs and hatred.
That is what the act of repentance is. "I once was lost, but now I'm found. I was a racist, but I'm trying to change. I was a murderer, but no longer."
Folks just want to use this "get out of jail free" card to be horrible people but somehow retain the "Good guy or gal" label. It's narcissistic and self-deception.
The worst part is that the media will take all this bs at face value and call him a "Democrat" when he appears.
Have no idea who this Walsh guy is but he seems to “be” whatever he thinks is popular at the time.
That means that he can be bought, although it seems like every politician can be.
I've heard more about liberals bashing Piker than I have of Piker himself. I can't imagine anything he ever said was worse than the things that come out of trump's mouth.
The Democrats who are in power have certainly pointed out who they believe the opposition is, and it isn't the republicans or the nazis.