A top aide on Vice President Harris’ unsuccessful presidential campaign recently advocated for more cultural voices like Hasan Piker, a vocal anti-America and anti-Israel Twitch star who has previously faced criticism for his statement that “America deserved 9/11.”
Harris’ former deputy campaign manager, Rob Flaherty, discussed the Democrats’ struggle to maintain cultural influence during a recent interview and outlined a strategy for them to build a “thriving system” in preparation for future elections.
“We need a whole thriving ecosystem,” Flaherty told Semafor. “It’s not just Pod Save America, though I think we should have more of them. It’s not just Hasan Piker. We should have more Hasan Pikers. It’s also the cultural creators, the folks who are one rung out who influence the nonpartisan audience. Those things all need to happen together.”
“The reality is it’s not going to be big media organizations. It’s going to be a network and a constellation of individual personalities, because that’s how people get their information now,” he added.
KAMALA HARRIS AIDE ADMITS DEMOCRATS ‘LOSING HOLD OF CULTURE’ AS INFLUENCER MEDIA SHIFTS RIGHT
Leftist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker (Screenshot courtesy HasanAbi/YouTube)
Flaherty, a former director of digital strategy for the Biden White House, may face criticism for advocating for “more Hasan Pikers” given Piker’s controversial statements in the past. Piker, known for raising funds for Palestinian aid, has made remarks downplaying and justifying terrorist acts like Oct. 7 and 9/11.
On his streams, Piker has made comments praising violent actions and expressing controversial opinions, leading to concerns about the content he promotes to his large following.
Despite the controversies surrounding Piker, various politicians have appeared on his platform, but others, like Dem Rep. Ritchie Torres, have expressed concerns about the spread of antisemitism on Twitch due to Piker’s content.
