The streamer is an increasingly incendiary political figure. It’s hard to say how much your average American knows (or cares) about Hasan Piker. To political reporters like me, Piker looms large. He has a massive audience of young people who follow his livestreams on the platform Twitch. During the videos, he reacts to the news in real time and gives running commentary while responding to people who join his chat room; it’s like a digital hangout with a friend — you might do your dishes while listening, occasionally chime in with a question, and chop it up with an internet-famous political pundit. This style of punditry creates a strong parasocial connection with his audience, and tens of thousands of people watch him every day. Until recently, I would have said that Piker was still unknown or irrelevant for most Americans, especially older news consumers, despite his niche stardom. Yet over the last couple of years, Piker’s name recognition has skyrocketed. As both the Democratic Party and traditional journalists began reckoning with their inability to reach younger audiences, Piker became one of the most sought-after and recognizable leftists in politics. He campaigned with Abdul El-Sayed during Michigan’s Senate primary, boosted democratic socialist candidates in other primaries, and has sat down for lengthy interviews with The New York Times and Axios. Fox News runs standalone articles about him several times a week — he’s a new boogeyman of the left, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez or Zohran Mamdani. In my own commentary, I’ve sometimes derided Piker or dismissed him and his worldviews offhandedly. Quite a few Tangle readers and listeners have challenged these comments: What’s so wrong with Hasan Piker? Why do you use him as a punching bag for the ascendant left? It’s a fair question that I’ve never really answered. So, today, I’m going to try to do that in two parts. The latest Suspension of the Rules.This week's Suspension of the Rules spans several topics. First, as the midterms draw near, Isaac, Ari, and Kmele get ready with their election hot takes. Then, which former Tangle guests are getting themselves in hot water? And does the left have an anti-semitism problem? All this and more on today’s episode! Listen here or watch it here. Our latest YouTube video.A year after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., Assistant Producer Aidan Gorman visits the capital to ask: Have these troops made our capital safer? The answer isn’t straightforward. You can check out our latest YouTube video here. Ad-free podcasts are here! Get 20% off your first year of ad-free episodes, exclusive interviews, and deep dives with Tangle’s podcast membership! You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall. This podcast written by: Isaac Saul and audio engineered and edited by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Bailey Saul, Audrey Moorehead, and Carina Pacheco. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
