THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2026
Hasan Piker remains: Based on her lead in the polls, the new arrival on the front was supposed to be Francesca Hong. It was thought that she would be the Democratic Party's nominee for governor of Wisconsin.
In this passage from a profile in The Atlantic, Helen Lewis starts to explain why that didn't happen. Dual headline included:
AOC Knows a Lemon When She Sees One
Francesca Hong’s surprise loss in Wisconsin is a blessing to the Democratic Party.
[...]
Hong’s loss yesterday was unexpected. Two weeks ago, the 37-year-old state legislator was the front-runner in the polls, largely because the Democratic primary had turned into a clown show... [O]ne poll had Hong 22 points ahead. In the interim, another candidate, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, had returned to the race after previously withdrawing because of a lack of momentum. All the hopes of the Democratic establishment rested on Crowley’s Hail Mary pass.
Why were they so scared of Hong? Partially because she is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization that calls for public ownership of large corporations, looser immigration laws, and the abolition of prisons. Hong has said that she does not agree with all of the DSA platform, but she entered the contest with an unscrubbed Twitter account, full of the most voter-repelling, peak-2020 statements you can imagine.
At this site, we wouldn't be inclined to refer to Hong as a "lemon." On Election Day, we saw videotape of her taking questions from reporters, then walking away holding hands with her 10-year-old son.
Years from now, that child may be lucky enough to feel that he was raised by the world's best mother. But his mother was deeply challenged as a candidate under prevailing rules of the game, according to which you run for office in order to serve, and to be allowed to serve you have to win a plurality of votes in a full-scale November election.
Judged by any reasonable calculus, Hong was a shaky bet to win in November. As her profile ends, Lewis explains why David Crowley's surprising win this Tuesday was seen, by establishment pols, as "a blessing to the Democratic Party:"
Crowley squeaked past Hong at the last minute. That is a nightmare for the Republicans, whose candidate Tom Tiffany was the only serious contender for the party’s nomination. In Congress, he is a member of the hard-right Freedom Caucus and voted against certifying Joe Biden’s victory in 2020. He has been heartily endorsed by Donald Trump—great for the primary, but worse than useless in the general.
Tiffany very obviously wanted to run against Hong, whom he could have painted as a dangerous radical who loves illegal immigration and hates cranberry sauce...
The final winner, however, is democracy itself. Who would bet against Donald Trump calling up swing-state officials in 2028 and asking them to find a few more votes for the Republican candidate for president? After all, that’s exactly what he did in Georgia in 2020. Joe Biden won Wisconsin by just 21,000 votes that year, while Trump took it back by only 30,000 in the next race. For a decade, Trump and his allies have counted on Democrats to sound so out of step with mainstream voters on cultural issues that even his most authoritarian moves look tolerable by comparison. The Badger State is one of the most crucial places on the electoral map. Francesca Hong’s unexpected loss is America’s gain.
We live in a time of madness and rage (and in a time of mental illness). Who will end up in Wisconsin's state house? Given the madness of the time, a great deal may turn on that question.
Or then again, possibly not! Those of us in Blue America have shown the ability to find ways to occasion our own defeats. The current president squeaked into the White House for his current term in part because of the conduct in which we Blues engaged along the way, the earlier Hong included.
Among other self-inflicted disasters, the Biden administration's open border and our less digestible "Woke One" claims were able to drive a certain number of voters away from Candidate Harris. Enough voters were driven away so that someone as unpopular as Candidate Trump was able to make his way back to what's now left of the White House.
And now, along comes the latest new arrival, one who sounded off at the start of this very week. Rightly or wrongly, Republican strategists love this arrival. The leading authority starts its profile as shown:
Hasan Piker
Hasan Doğan Piker (born July 25, 1991) is an American Twitch streamer, influencer, and left-wing political commentator. His livestreams usually include discussions on current affairs and lifestyle stories, playing video games, reacting to memes and media clips, and interacting with his viewers.
As of 2026, Piker's Twitch channel ranks among the platform's most-subscribed. Piker has been called one of the biggest voices on the American Left. He began streaming on Twitch in March 2018, while working at The Young Turks (TYT). In January 2020, Piker left TYT to focus on his career as a Twitch streamer. He has regularly spoken about the Gaza war, advocating for Palestinians and criticizing the Israeli government.
Piker was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Turkish parents. He grew up in Istanbul and was raised as a Muslim...His father, Mehmet Behçet Piker, is a political scientist and economist who was a board member and vice president of the Turkish financial conglomerate Sabancı Holding and is a founding member of Turkey's conservative Future Party. His mother, Ülker Sedef Piker (née Uygur), is an art and architectural historian who teaches at the New Jersey Institute of Technology...
Piker returned to the United States and attended the University of Miami, then transferred to Rutgers University, where he joined the Theta Delta Chi fraternity. In 2013, he graduated cum laude from Rutgers with a double major in political science and communication studies.
And so on from there. We'll start by stating the obvious:
There's a great deal a person might criticize about the current Israeli government—about its conduct of "the Gaza war," about its excruciating behavior in the West Bank.
There's a great deal a person might say about the ongoing plight of that region's Palestinians.
It seems to us that major American news orgs tend to shy away from coverage of the conduct in question. That said, we aren't specialists on such matters—and opinions, which are often ardently held, will differ on such matters among citizens of this country.
That said, Piker has become a favorite of the Fox News Channel because of some of the ways he has expressed his views and opinions. Correctly or otherwise, that channel sees him as someone whose aggressive rhetoric will tend to affect votes in a way which tilts more Red than Blue.
Joe Scarborough seems to hold a similar view. On Monday, he criticized the mainstream Democratic Party for failing to disassociate itself from vote-killing rhetoric of the farther left. Without ever naming Piker, he seemed to refer to something Piker once said when he offered this:
SCARBOROUGH (8/10/26): There's nothing wrong with the Democrats supporting economic justice. There's nothing wrong with the Democrats supporting...getting rid of the Trump taxes and making billionaires pay more in taxes.
That’s a legitimate mainstream debate for people to have. "Healthcare for all! Healthcare is unaffordable!" That is something most Americans would agree with.
But please, I don’t need people telling me, "Oh, you have to just turn a blind eye to people saying that women getting raped on October 7 didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things." No, Americans aren’t going to support that!
Women getting raped on October 7 don’t matter in the grand scheme of things?
Almost surely, that was a reference to something Piker once said. Later, he created a case to justify, defend or explain what he had said.
Without ever saying his name, Scarborough had presumably been referring to Piker. On Monday, the streamer responded at length.
Tomorrow, we'll show you what Piker said. He's an important new arrival. For citizens of Blue America, there's a great to think about here.
Tomorrow: Piker's arrival
Rape is horrible. Never justified. Never tolerable. Bad, wrong, evil.
ReplyDeleteRape is strictly prohibited under international law, particularly in times of armed conflict where it can be prosecuted as a war crime, a crime against humanity, or an act of genocide.
DeleteUnder Biden, the US Armed Forces were prosecuting rape of female military members by their own peers and officers. Incidents of rape of civilians by those on active duty were also prosecuted. Under Trump, Hegseth decided the military lacked testosterone, fired as many women as he could, changed rules for physical fitness for women, and no one has any illusions that he is still prosecuting rape and sexual assault, given that he committed such crimes himself. It is hypocritical to assert that the American military cares about rape "in the grand scheme of things" under these circumstances. How does that affect our viewpoints about what happened on 10/7?
Delete
ReplyDelete"...people saying that women getting raped on October 7 didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things"
And who said any women were raped on October 7, Zionazis? Zionazis lie; why listen to anything they say?
That isn't what Piker said. "Grand scheme of things" is not part of his quote.
Delete
ReplyDelete"...David Crowley's surprising win this Tuesday was seen, by establishment pols, as "a blessing to the Democratic Party:" "
It's understandable that the establishment Dumbocrats feel relieved, but isn't also possible that the considerable DSA wing of the Dumbocrat party will feel cheated and betrayed, and stay home on the election day?
And wouldn't that be unfortunate for you and like-minded Dumbocrat comrades?
Crowley is African American and he was helped in the primary by the considerable black vote in WI who rallied behind him. There is no scenario where those voters will ever vote Republican in the general election. If Crowley had not run, they may have been happy to vote for Hong. So this is not just about DSA but about demographics.
DeleteSomerby dislikes identity politics. But he also dislikes female candidates. Talking about what a nice mom Hong is, implies she should be at home with her son, not out trying to outdo men in elections. And that is definitely a right wing talking point too.
When there is an "unexpected loss" by a female or racially diverse candidate (Hong is both), it is often true that people who will say they support a candidate in polls do not actually vote that way during the election, when no one knows how you cast your vote. Sexism and racism privately affect those voting booth and mail-in votes among people who know it is bigoted to say they wouldn't vote for a diverse candidate but don't think women can win.
Agree, Somerby today is condescending towards Hong in a way that indicates a sexist worldview.
DeleteHe basically pats her on the head, essentially saying "leave the real work to men, go home and raise your kid."
Get with the program you fucking imbicile, as most people don't know there is no B in dum, stupid fuck
Deleteinbecile
Deleteimbecile
DeleteCrowley had better name recognition than Hong and he was perceived as more moderate. Although Hong polled higher than Crowley among Democrats, Crowley polled higher against the Republican candidate. The analysts are saying that voters considered Crowley to have a better chance of winning swing voters.
ReplyDeleteSomerby will be promoting the view that Hong lost because was too radical, too commie, too woke. He will take it as a sign that DSA endorsement is a kiss of death for a candidate.
Crowley is better known to voters because "David Crowley serves as the Milwaukee County Executive, a role he won in 2020 as the first Black person and youngest individual to hold the position. Before this executive role, he worked in Wisconsin politics as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly (representing the 17th district) and as a community organizer and legislative aide."
Hong was a chef before running for a seat as State Representative. While she has support in her district, she was not well known in the wider state. Somerby makes a patronizing fuss about her being a good mom, but she ran so close to Crowley that it is hard to say any of her positions contributed to her loss. But Somerby is happy to believe Helen Lewis's DSA hit piece.
Meanwhile, Hong was targeted with a smear campaign that Democrats are advancing, about being too woke. When Democrats join the right to attack our own diversity, they become a party that I no longer want to vote for.
"In an interview with CNN last week, she responded to a question about her Thanksgiving statements by referring to her experience as a chef, saying that anything that brings people around a table to talk is “a good thing.”
But, she added, “Thanksgiving is also a time that is incredibly painful for many people in our communities.” [NY Times]
Why is Thanksgiving now painful? Not because of anti-colonialism, but because it is difficult to stomach the bizarre right wing fights relatives provoke, with consequent bad feeling if MAGA true believers are not invited to family gatherings. But Somerby perhaps didn't dig deeply enough into what she said, and why, to know what her true concerns were. Her original statements were made during covid, a time when such family gatherings were dangerous to health.
But Somerby just wants to join the pile-on against the left. When this split happened over Biden's age, we lost to Trump. The Democratic establishment should have learned then that splitting our party only benefits the right.
I agree. Somerby’s analysis seems to consist of agreeing with mainstream “establishment” pundits like Lewis and Carville, who don’t seem to be aware of how they themselves are driving away or potentially driving away large numbers of actual voters who might want something other than standard “establishment” Dem policies. (Not that all “establishment” policies are bad, just that there are other options besides the establishment ones).
DeleteIt should say something that Hong has endorsed Crowley.
Thanksgiving celebrates a myth.
DeleteRepublicans cling to myths because reality has a left wing bias.
You'd think a Dem frendly blog would spend all day discussing just how fucking nuts the R's are, versus attacking Dems by highlighting the views of a candidate who lost their primary.. Fuck Somerby
Delete"That said, Piker has become a favorite of the Fox News Channel because of some of the ways he has expressed his views and opinions."
ReplyDeleteFavorite what? Somerby really needs to clarify that Piker is discussed by Fox because he epitomizes their complaints about the left, not because he is expressing conservative views himself. AOC is similarly a favorite target of Fox. Somerby is trying to say that Fox loves Piker because he is pushing people right, just as Somerby has accused Blue America of creating Trump supporters and pushing people red forever. According to Somerby there would be no Republicans if it weren't for the things we Democrats say.
Piker is, of course, a Democrat and not a Republican. The argument is that Democrats to the left of our own views, must necessarily be bad for our party because they cause Republicans to attack us. As if Republicans didn't attack the moderate views of Harris in 2024. As if there were any views that wouldn't be cause for smears by political opponents to the right of even Democratic centrists.
This Democratic rift benefits no one BUT the right wing. This is a continuation of the "Biden is too old" sabotage of the left by a coalition of corporatist Democrats, billionaires, and right wingers who oppose change, even the necessary correction of the mistakes implemented by Trump. These are not the grassroots or rank-and-file Democrats nor are they the civil rights, pro-justice, pro-immigrants Democrats who are our traditional base. These opponents of change are no different and no better than Trump's right wing base. No one who is serious about advancing Democratic issues would attack their own party just at the point where we have a real chance to win back the house/senate and reverse course on Trump's mistakes.
This election is too important to be arguing about whether woke was too woke, or whether women should be elected when they have 10 year old sons, or whether Piker's stance on Israel disqualifies someone who once appeared on his Twitch stream. This is all such stupid stuff that Somerby would not be talking about it at all, if he were not similarly trying to drive a wedge between voters on the far left and the rest of the party. As Hillary has always said, we are stronger together. I believe that and I will not let Somerby drive us apart with this crap.
Somerby says: "Without ever saying his name, Scarborough had presumably been referring to Piker." When you look at what Scarborough is saying, however, he is referring to AOC and Hong, not Piker.
ReplyDeleteIf Piker said something controversial, why wouldn't Somerby quote what Piker himself said? Why does he play this stupid game of allowing Scarborough's offhand comment to stand for Piker's actual words? Perhaps it is because Piker might make sense if quoted in context and people might even agree with him, or find his comment not as bad as Somerby wishes it to seem. But it is dishonest the way Somerby omits Piker's statement while criticizing him, and then using Piker to smear El-Sayed for refusing to disassociate himself from Piker. And it isn't as if Somerby has ever been a great defender of raped women. He said that if Chanel Miller didn't want to be raped at that frat party, she shouldn't have gotten so drunk.
In fairness, here is the context that Somerby deliberately left out (he could have googled this, like I did):
"Twitch streamer Hasan Piker stated during a livestream, "It doesn't matter if rape happened on October 7th. It doesn't change the dynamic for me".
Context and Interpretations
Critics' View: Critics, political opponents, and advocacy groups argue that the statement dismisses or minimizes sexual violence committed against Israelis during the October 7 attacks.
Piker's Explanation: Piker and his defenders state that his comments were made during a debate regarding whether sexual violence occurred, noting that such violence happens in conflicts. He asserted that his point was that reports of sexual assault do not alter the geopolitical dynamic or justify what he characterizes as Israeli genocide and military actions in Gaza." [AI Overview]
I am very disappointed with AOC's characterization of long-standing left wing views as Woke-1, and then trying to distance herself from those views. I get it that she wants to run for the presidential nomination in 2028. I get it that she perhaps thinks she must become more moderate to win. But that doesn't mean she has to attack her own party and in particular abandon issues that are still very important to many Democrats.
ReplyDeleteAOC has been villainized too long by the right to return to a status where she is not considered a demon by Republicans. So what votes are she hoping to attract? She would do better to portray herself as a long-standing warrior against Trump and his corruption, someone who has advocated for economic justice for working class people, the defender of the American middle class, not as someone willing to sell out her values to win office, just like every politician who has ever talked out of both sides of his mouth. She is squandering the reputation she earned as a truth-teller and someone willing to stand up for underdogs. This switch is a big mistake.
Agree, it is a mistake.
DeleteI know many democratic voters, myself included, Who want a fighter as our candidate, not someone who focus groups everything, and tries to appeal to the blandest possible thing. Don’t back off the things you believe; give a full throated defense of them. Try to persuade other people to your point of view, don’t abdicate your own views in order to pander for votes. It’s the pandering and focus grouping and being afraid of your own shadow, or at least the shadow that is created by Republicans, pundits and Democratic establishment people, that makes you look weak and unappealing.
DeleteThis is why El-Sayed not backing away from Piker is important to his campaign.
DeleteThe question is, why someone like Piker becomes a punching bag, but naked bigots like Tucker Carlson, Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, and all the rest -- and there is a LOT of the rest -- become influential.
ReplyDeleteDifferent audiences. Piker does not deserve to be a punching bag, neither does Hong. It is Somerby (a supposed liberal) doing a lot of today's punching. Ask him why he never punches Tucker or Loomer or even JD Vance.
Delete"Different audiences."
DeleteNot different audiences, but different SIZED audiences.
Somerby punches Dems while saying Republicans have value and expressing skepticism about democracy, but he does warn that boorish people like Gutfeld are bad for Republican branding.
DeleteHardly surprising for a right wing vanity blog such as this one.
“But his mother was deeply challenged as a candidate under prevailing rules of the game, according to which you run for office in order to serve, and to be allowed to serve you have to win a plurality of votes in a full-scale November election. ”
ReplyDeleteThis completely discounts hong’s potential ability to speak to voters and run a successful campaign, rather than allowing herself to be defined by Fox News. Somerby and establishment Dems always resort to pearl clutching when something new comes along.
She spoke to voters and ran a failed campaign. I don't see a meaningful argument here.
DeleteShe lost by a half a percent in a democratic primary.
Delete"She lost by a half a percent in a democratic primary."
DeleteExactly. She lost in the most favorable electorate she will find.
How is Hong supposed to speak to Fox news about this stuff when guys like Somerby and the establishment Democrats are advancing specious talking points in addition to Fox's usual complaints?
DeletePersonally, I don't believe anything Hong said cost her the election. I believe it was Crowley's greater name recognition and prior experience compared to Hong, his ability to attract black voters, together with an assessment that as a moderate he would have more chance of beating the Republican. Crowley out-polled the Republican while Hong did not, in polling before the primary.
Given how close their totals were to each other, it is unfair to call her campaign "failed." The results were 39.8 (Crowley) to 39.3 (Hong) with a margin of about 3000 votes. That is close, not failed. Don't forget that they were running in a statewide election, so the size of one's prior constituency mattered. WI is 6.7% black, which is a margin way larger than Crowley's victory. Asians are 3.5% of the state population.
Hong received the second largest amount of votes in a primary in Wisconsin history.
DeleteEven though she lost, her campaign was a massive success.
"She lost in the most favorable electorate she will find."
DeleteYou're assuming she's lost fair and square. But If I was a DSA voter I would've had no doubt it was a fraudulent election, rigged by the establishment. Like the 2016 Clinton-Sanders situation.
"...together with an assessment that as a moderate he would have more chance of beating the Republican. Crowley out-polled the Republican while Hong did not, in polling before the primary."
DeleteOK. So for whatever reason, she couldn't win the primary because the voters IN HER PARTY felt she was too extreme, or not moderate enough, if you like. And you question why Somerby would point this out?
And the crazies come out. To be frank, it took longer than I expected.
DeleteYou be Frank, I'll be Shirley.
DeleteHong was not extreme - her policies are popular, the concern about her losing in the general was related to other issues like being a woman, not supported by establishment neoliberal Dems, and lack of experience in campaigning.
DeleteAs someone noted above, she got the second highest amount of votes in history, so what Hong accomplished is very impressive.
Except Hong has endorsed Crowley, 2:34.
Delete@2:35 Several contributors to her loss were mentioned, all of which potentially had an impact, yet you zero in on the one you prefer -- her being too extreme (something the others did not say -- they said Crowley was more moderate, which implies closer to Republicans and swing voters, NOT too extreme to be acceptable to Democrats. This believe about extremism is your premise, not anything said by the others above.
DeleteThen someone else got the FIRST highest votes in history. Please familiarize yourself with the logical fallacy known as "special pleading."
Delete"Except Hong has endorsed Crowley, 2:34."
DeleteBut didn't Sanders endorse Clinton too? That's how the game is played; and besides those who get squeezed out get something in return. Sanders, as I remember, bought an expensive house 2 months after the 2016 primaries.
Your familiarity with logical fallacies is questionable.
DeleteNoting that Hong got the second highest amount of votes is an impressive fact, not special pleading, you dope.
If you had been living in hotel rooms while campaigning, you might buy a new house after the primaries were over too. All houses are expensive. If you are trying to imply that Sanders was bought off, you need evidence, not innuendo.
DeleteThe Bernie bros did nothing to help Hillary get elected. Bernie made a half-hearted statement at the convention, then stayed out of it. It is one of a variety of reasons why she lost. Not the most important one, but the misogyny on Bernie's campaign helped elect Trump.
Delete
Delete"If you are trying to imply that Sanders was bought off,"
Was I really so subtle, or are you just stupid?
"Noting that Hong got the second highest amount of votes is an impressive fact, not special pleading, you dope."
DeleteIt's picking an "accomplishment" that actually isn't, in an attempt to make losing seem like a success. It's classic goalpost shifting, which is a form of special pleading, you ignorant dumbfuck.
My point, and I’m the original commenter, is that Hong did quite well in the primary, losing by a razor thin margin to Crowley. That shows she was a good candidate. If it had been a blowout, one might’ve considered her a lousy candidate.
DeleteAnd whoever said in these comments that someone that loses a primary by a razor thin margin is automatically going to be a bad general election candidate is being illogical. Democrats would have rallied around her.
She LOST. Despite Republicans spending millions trying to help her, SHE LOST. The goal was not to lose by a razor thin margin, but to WIN. Had Crowley lost narrowly, would you people call it a success?
Delete4:28: had Crowley lost by a razor in margin, I would’ve said the same thing: He clearly is a candidate with a good deal of appeal and is pretty competent as a candidate and I would’ve said, had he won, he probably would’ve done just fine in the general election. Seems like a simple enough assertion to make that you seem to willfully misunderstand.
DeleteThe crazies are just following orders trying to make sure Dems don't coalesce around one candidate, but sit out the general in a stupid funk. Fuck these clowns. Vote D no matter who. Fascism is already well established, no time for fucking around.
DeleteIn terms of deciding who should advance to the general election, she lost. In terms of doing a fine job in her first statewide campaign and nearly beating a man with more advantages, she won.
DeleteRepublicans are overly concerned with winning because it is associated with dominance hierarchies and pecking orders (who is the boss of who). They don't believe there is any such thing as a win-win solution to a problem, because they will grab whatever advantage they see before their associate does, because isn't that what anyone would do? Democrats are more open to collaboration and working together, to mutual compromise and negotiated settlements of issues. It is why Dems will be bi-partisan whereas Republican may agree to a deal but then go back on it if it provides an advantage.
When people favor Democrats, they are not just supporting issues but also a mode of approaching politics that involves working together to achieve shared goals. A nation of disparate people with competing interests needs that kind of approach, not the dog-eat-dog Republican mindset embodied by Trump, who blew up a perfecting good treaty with Iran in order to make himself a big man, and then couldn't follow through.
Recognizing Hong's success does not diminish Crowley. He has more experience and had some advantages Hong didn't have. It is fine that he won, but we need to encourage the newcomers too, because we need more than one good Democrat in WI. Kicking Hong to the curb over .5% of the vote is ridiculous, but some guys get off on gloating. Trump gloats even when he doesn't win anything.
@4:46 I am going to follow your advice and I hope others will too.
Delete"Republicans are overly concerned with winning because ..."
Deletewinning is how you get power and use it to enact your program. That is why Republicans are concerned --and not "overly concerned" -- with winning. Because if you don't win, you fucking lose and then get to congratulate yourself for your fine showing, while the Republicans drive the country into the ground. I hope you appreciate my remedial Politics lesson as much as I'm sure Crowley appreciates Hong's brilliant accomplishment of finishing second.
Hong might well have won the general election, 5:16. Everyone assumes she would lose it. But Republicans are so concerned about winning, 5:16, that they are trying to rig the elections. In other words, they are trying to eliminate democracy, so that the people cannot have a voice anymore. That’s what the commenter meant by Republicans being so concerned about winning: that they are willing to cheat to win and do not acknowledge defeat, à la Trump 2020.
DeleteWe must have read different posts, because I see something that runs on about "dominance" and the like rather than the reality of politics.
DeleteWhatever Hong "might" have done is now moot, BECAUSE SHE LOST.
The dominance part is that you refuse to consider anything but winning important because only dominance matters to you. That is right wing thinking.
DeleteThe point of Somerby’s quote, as stated by the original commenter, was opining about what she might have done had she won. He assumed she could not win a plurality of votes in the general election HAD SHE WON the primary.
Delete"The dominance part is that you refuse to consider anything but winning important because only dominance matters to you."
DeleteThe person who is obsessed with dominance is quite obviously the person who keeps talking about it.
Hong lost the primary, because she didn't mention that every Republican voter is a bigot.
DeleteVoters are looking more and more for candidates who are speaking the truth every day.
Somerby doesn't quote what Hong said. He doesn't quote what Piker said either. That is the sign that Somerby's purpose here is to propagandize by advancing statements he approves of, that are critical of Hong and Piker, not to discuss any of the issues involved in the situations (Thanksgiving or rape as a war crime). Somerby needs to stop being dishonest and treat issues fairly, but he instead repeats talking points that one assumes coincide with his own views (or those of whoever is sponsoring his blog).
ReplyDeleteSo far, Somerby is advancing the idea that Hong was a terrible candidate because of her DSA views, that El-Sayid is a bad guy for associating with Piker, that Piker belittled rape (when he didn't do that) and disallowed it as an excuse for Israeli actions in response to 10/7 (he didn't say that either), and that Democrats are going to encourage more Republican votes by aligning themselves with these bad people, who are too far left to win elections. Those are all right wing talking points, but also coincide with those attacking the far left from within the Democratic party as well.
It is fine for Somerby to have opinions, but does he have to be such a dishonest asshole in presenting them?
Piker has been around for quite a while.
ReplyDeletePiker, despite who he plays on tv, is not a leftist. Piker is an entertainer.
The candidate most associated with Piker is El-Sayed, who won.
El-Sayed at best is center left, he is pro capitalism, supports Jewish self determination, and owns rental property in Dubai.
The rapes that Joe Scarborough reference are made up, it was Israeli propaganda, long since debunked. Sexual assault may have occurred but there is no credible evidence.
See a mainstream media take:
https://youtu.be/aiaEfXALFyE?si=sojZTQixFqiJVk94
Or a right wing take, that also debunks the claim:
https://youtu.be/9nxKb9Kp3us?si=xhcmuJnTwbkWioY0
There is credible evidence that in the aftermath Palestinians were sexually assaulted by Israelis. Corporate media has largely ignored this, as well as Bob.
There are also credible accusations of sexual assaults by Trump. Bob completely ignores this. Trump has already been found liable for sexual abuse (rape) in the one case that went to trial.
Bob thinks that the ongoing Hasan Derangement Syndrome helps Republicans, but that is just copium - it does not help Republicans. It may or may not help the Democratic Party as it slowly nudges from center right to center, but certainly it helps Piker, which is Piker's main concern.
In WI Hong nearly won, losing by less than half a percentage point, a truly impressive performance for a neophyte running a grassroots campaign. It is a sign that people are fed up with mealy-mouthed neoliberals, and are open to more progressive and leftist candidates. In the end, Hong losing was more likely fear about losing to a lunatic like Tom Tiffany than any policies that Hong supported.
El-Sayed is an American citizen born in the USA of Egyptian immigrant parents. Hasan Piker was born in New Jersey to Turkish parents and was raised in Istanbul, Turkey, holding dual Turkish and American background and identity. He attended American universities and resides in the USA. Neither Egypt nor Turkey are participants in the current hostilities between Israel and Palestine, nor Israel and Iran nor the Arab states supporting terrorists in Israel. Turkey is not an Arab state and is part of the EU. Egypt is an Arab country and founded the League of Arab States in 1945.
DeleteWhen you try to link El-Sayed and Hasan Piker together by virtue of being Muslim, you overlook a lot of ethnic, political, language, and cultural differences. They have more in common by being Americans than by the ethnicity of their parents.
Right wingers tend to be xenophobic about anyone foreign sounding. They cannot tell the difference between people from Haiti and people from Nigeria, people from Mexico and people from Chile, and people from Ireland and those from Chicago.
Piker campaigned for and with El-Sayed, and likely played some role in El-Sayed winning.
DeleteThey are linked.
Right wingers are xenophobic.
Piker's popularity is revealing that Republicans are highly Islamophobic, among all their other xenophobia.
If republicans bread and butter is driving the narrative about democrats, by claiming that all dems say and think in lockstep with Hong (Somerby does the same thing as the GOP by lumping everyone on the left as “we blues”), and that’s dangerous extremism, communism, etc, then why shouldn’t the response be for dems to do the same thing? Tie republicans to spouse and child abuser Max Miller, or conspiracy nut Alex Jones, just as an example? But Dems are always asked (by mainstream pundits and establishmentarians) to eschew candidates deemed too far left and never to fight back with the same tactics republicans use.
ReplyDeleteSomerby is a right winger, his advice is intended to harm Dems.
DeleteYes and nobody on the right is asked if they are happy how fast radical Project 2025 is being cemented into a permanent takeover of the Federal Government. Nothing fucking radical about fascism I guess.
DeleteWhat we are seeing in slow motion is the Democratic party eating itself, ripped apart by untenable contradictions and hypocrisy - led by greedy, gerontocratic goblins and a horde of morally retarded digital dopamine addicts.
ReplyDeleteFake news. Touch grass, troll.
DeleteThe Democratic Party is a big tent. Unlike Republicans they are not united by bigotry, xenophobia, the obsession with feeding the billionaire class, and a knuckle dragging resentment of academics and science.
DeleteThe "big tent” helps explain the “untenable contradictions.”
DeleteWho said anything about Republicans?
(Never mind. You're not smart enough to understand.)
Deleteanon 3:09, what you say might be comforting to you, but the GOP and voters who vote republican include people who are fundamentalist Christians (and Jews and Muslims), libertarians, fiscal conservatives, who don't like taxes (who does?), businesspeople, people who don't like MAGA's but think the dems are worse, blacks (some), Asians, Hispanics, people not crazy about being told there are all these genders, and a lot who are in the dark about what's going on (which is the case with some dem voters), and people who are to one degree or another "racist" (as defined by the left or who are true racists). Look at how it is now with a GOP POTUS (totally obnoxious quasi-fascist), and control the house & senate and 6 of 9 SCOTUS members. Is it at all possible that the dem strategy isn't so great, fighting for male trannies to participate in woman's sports; claiming there are numerous genders, and claiming US is a white supremacist country, and seeming to advocate open borders? IS going democratic socialist the best approach for winning or being a more "traditional" democrat the best strategy. There are pros and cons with either approach, not that those are the only two.
DeleteFuck, AC, you can pick any Democratic policy and find people that don’t like it. Should Democrats abandon all of their policies to appeal to every possible voter?
DeleteIt might’ve been a bad strategy according to someone named LBJ, for Democrats to stand up for the right of “colored” people to vote. If you’d been posting comments back in 1965, would you have said “o no! Coloreds voting!” I’m offended by your desire to see democrats throw trans (or “trannies” as you so offensively put it) people under the bus. I have many friends who are trans.
DeleteYou make the right sound totally disgusting and I'm sure there are some good decent people over there. You left out the Nazis, truckers, cattle ranchers, fundamentalist Mormons, Joe Exotic, and preppers. Ghislaine Maxwell is also still a Republican, so there is the pedophile vote, the manosphere, and hillbillies, united over the issue of incest.
DeleteThere are Democrats who feel as nauseated by the moderate Democrats (who pushed Joe Biden off his own ticket and now want billionaires to fund the left wing, not just the right) as by the list you concocted. And there are struggling working people who want a reliable paycheck to support their families and have a live-and-let-live attitude about people you discourteously call "trannies" but aren't anything like what that word means (men who dress in women's clothing for sexual pleasure). You also left out all the nosy bored housewives who spend their free time banning books by black and gay authors, so that no one black or gay can find them when they want to read a book.
Thank you for confirming where you are coming from.
I think it is 5 of 9 votes, not 6. Sometimes Roberts and Sandra Day O'Connor both vote against the corrupt Alito and Thomas, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch.
DeleteSandra Day O'Connor? So you have been in a coma for 17 years? And people wonder how an idiot like Trump can become President.
DeleteShe has been opposing Trump.
DeleteAC/MA, did President Biden dismantle all the ports of entry to the country? Cause I’m having a hard time remembering his open border policy. Just cause the orange abomination and his maggot cult say it, doesn’t make it true, asshole
DeleteTo the above anon poster or posters - i wasn't taking sides by my post. i just tried to show various different factions are also under the MAGA/GOP "tent". Also, that maybe it hurts Dems if they (some of them in states up for grabs) go Democratic Socialist; or maybe it helps - as far as getting elected. I think some of the Dem policies hurt. I don't think advocating many genders, for example, is in the same category as Johnson advancing civil rights. I hope the dems win the house and the senate in November., either because of or in spite of their agenda. Apparently I'm an "asshole" (classy, anon 5:54!), because I'm more skeptical than you are.
DeleteAs Thom Hartmann points out, Hong wasn't criticized for DSA beliefs (such as socialism or healthcare for all) but for woke stuff such as no Thanksgiving, that she said back in 2020 (before she was a politician). Calling that stuff DSA, much less socialism, is ridiculous. Gender is woke, not DSA.
DeleteThe people who are divergent in terms of gender or intersex or gay or trans, consider their civil rights as important as women and black people and disabled people do. Your attempt to decide who matters and who doesn't seems presumptuous. Of course you're an asshole. Go back and read what you wrote!
AC/MA, I called you an asshole because all you do is come here to attack Dems with Republican bullshit, like “open borders”, which is a lie. And because you grossly insulted my child with your insensitive slur.
DeleteAC/MA: that all inclusive Republican tent of which you speak? Take a tally of the representation of blacks and other minority groups in this Republican Congress and get back to us. Know what, I will help you with this. The vast majority of racial and ethnic minorities in this Congress (84%) are Democrat with 16% Republican. That is over a 5:1 ratio. Your very diverse Republican voters are very uniform in who it is they vote to represent them . Diversity as represented congressionally means voting in complete lockstep with a single individual if you happen to be a Republican in Congress, and that includes the whopping 16% of Republicans who are not non - Hispanic whites. Your little screed at 4:11 is not consistent with reality. Of course, every large group contains some outliers, such that pulling Muslims and blacks out of your ass as representative of Republican voters is comical. Big tent indeed.
DeleteThe Democratic Party's support of border controls, is costing them tens of thousands of votes.
DeleteThe dirty little secret in American politics is that voters want open borders.
7:41 The Republican party's acceptance of war, higher prices, and pedophiles will doubtless win them the midterms.
DeleteAC/ MA,
DeleteSorry, but not everyone is a child rapist like Republican politicians.
I agree with AC/MA that identity politics (i.e.catering to the white working class) is tearing the country apart.
DeleteBack before Somerby's right wing shift, he brutally showed no sympathy and no pity for right wing journalist Michael Kelly being killed in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteThere was nothing wrong with that.
There is no reason to show deference or respect to vile people.
Calling Hong or Piker new arrivals shows how out of touch Somerby has been.
ReplyDeleteWhere is Piker running? I want to vote for him.
ReplyDeleteGet back to me when Hong is in a position and shows a willingness to issue an executive order banning Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteEveryone loves to celebrate genocide with family.
DeleteHong could have been a Republican if she had taken a more measured populist tone and supported pedophiles and tax breaks for billionaires.
Delete