Hasan Piker, in theory, wants Democrats to win at the ballot box this fall.
But, he just can’t stop saying things that give Republicans rhetorical ammunition against their Democratic opponents.
The latest? Piker,𝕏 in an interview with Axios, said that America commits more acts of terrorism around the world than Al-Qaeda.
Here’s the clip:
I mean…
Within minutes, the Piker posse (is that a thing?) insisted that he had been taken out of context. 𝕏Damned media!
But, like, the fuller quote doesn’t really make it much better? I DO think there is a BIG difference between the accidental bombing of a school in Iran (horrific) and the purposeful hijacking of planes and crashing them into the World Trade Center.
Right? Right!
But even that misses the real point here. And the point is this: Whether or not Piker is right on the merits of the MANY controversial things he says, what he is WITHOUT DOUBT doing is handing Republicans a cudgel with which they can beat the shit out of Democrats.
And, Republicans are leaping at the chance — particularly in Michigan where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed campaigned with Piker in the primary and has refused to fully disavow him.
This, from Axios, is instructive:
Republican-affiliated groups have already spent nearly $3 million in ads attacking El-Sayed over his affiliation with Piker, according to the tracking firm AdImpact.
Most of the ads feature a clip of Piker in 2019[saying]“America deserved 9/11.” He apologized for the remark and has since argued that the terror attacks were part of “blowback” from U.S. involvement in the Middle East in previous decades.
“This doesn’t justify the action, mind you,” he told Axios. “This is more so analysis to stop further violence from taking place, both violence in the region, but also violence on the home front as well.”
▶Here’s one of the ads the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC of Senate Republicans, is running in Michigan:
El-Sayed, in a statement, said of Piker’s latest comments: “I do not agree with this statement [on al-Qaeda], nor do I give much weight to the statements made by a social media streamer.”
Which reflects the broader strategy of El-Sayed and other Democrats: Dismiss Piker as a not-terribly-influential figure who has no bearing on the race happening in their state.
That strategy is reflected in 𝕏this tweet by Democratic strategist Mike Nellis:
I don’t think that will work. Because, yes, voters care mostly about the economy and inflation and the cost of living in Michigan (and every other state).
But, in order to be an effective messenger on those issues, voters need to have a baseline level of trust in you. They have to believe that you share their values. Their beliefs. Their sense of what America is (and isn’t).
I think Piker’s comments badly undermine that ability to connect with voters. I think Piker allows Republicans to cast El-Sayed (and other Democrats) as “other” — not the sort of person you can trust to represent you in the Senate (or the House).
What Piker needs to do — if he actually wants Democrats to win — is shut the hell up.
But, he won’t do that. Why? Because, as I explained in a post last month about Piker and El-Sayed, Piker is in the provocation business. He is in the attention economy business. The more attention he gets, the better.
Why would Piker do an interview with Axios? Or go on MSNOW? Because he wants and needs attention! His entire brand and business is dependent on it!
Here’s the reality: Whether Piker is right or being taken out of context or whatever — and I don’t think he’s right or being taken out of context — is honestly besides the point.
He has become an issue in at least one Senate race — and it may be the single most important Senate race in the country!
What Democrats need is for Piker to sit a few plays out. But that goes against who Piker is and what he does.
All of which would worry me if I am a Democrat looking at an incredibly good national political environment and wondering what could come along to screw it up.
