David Dayen of American Prospect has lived in California for decades. He believes the state’s Democratic machinery has been bought by corporate technofascists.
You just have to follow the money.
Or, you can open your eyes and see what California Dems did this week in bending the knee to Larry and David Ellison. Their vast media empire, which already includes TikTok, CBS, and Paramount, will now include Warner Bros. and CNN. They are hardcore Israel and MAGA supporters, and now they’re inviting Elon Musk to become an investor. A large chunk of the money is also coming from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar.
According to Dayen, the economics of this deal make no sense. Jobs will be lost, and the resulting content and culture will be slop increasingly consumed by fewer and fewer people. However, what’s gained instead is capture and control of hostile media and information. Isn’t it worth losing a few hundred million if you can censor speech, eliminate criticism of Israel and capitalism, and promote propaganda? Seems like a good deal for billionaires, right?
One would assume Democrats would rise up and challenge this, but instead many of them are bowing their head and nodding along. The progressives who are challenging the status quo are being attacked by - wait for it - Democrats! This includes Mamdani, El-Sayed, and others such as William Lawrence in Michigan. However, they are the future, and the future is inevitable, especially as people lose faith in establishment politics and continue to suffer as the rich get richer.
Dayen and Progressive consultant Bhavik Lathia join The Left Hook and imagine a better path forward.
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