Democrats are scrambling to sever ties with radical left-wing influencer Hasan Piker, but the damage to their public image may already be done.
According to Gateway Pundit, Piker has effectively become a king maker for far-left candidates running under the Democratic banner, whether or not they ultimately prevail. Party leaders now appear to recognize that embracing an extremist online figure comes with a political price, especially when voters outside progressive echo chambers see his rhetoric as toxic and un-American.
Many conservatives argue that Democrats should have disavowed Piker the moment he infamously declared that America deserved 9/11, a statement that still hangs over every politician linked to him. Instead, they tolerated his influence until it became a liability, and now they are stuck with him in the public mind, no matter how loudly they protest.
Democrat Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan recently had what observers described as a meltdown when pressed by reporters about Piker, snapping at them to stop asking about him. She had a similar on-air outburst when questioned about Piker on CNN, a moment critics on the right have found hilarious and revealing of the partys internal panic.
Jon Favreau, a former Obama speechwriter and now co-host of the Pod Save America podcast, is also urging Democrats to stop talking about Piker, even though he hosted him on the show just weeks ago. Abdul El-Sayed, another figure on the partys progressive flank and a known friend of Piker, is likewise attempting to create some distance.
If Democrats are this visibly angry and defensive about their association with Piker, it strongly suggests his presence is damaging their electoral prospects. For Republicans, that is a political vulnerability worth highlighting, which is why many on the right argue that means that Republicans should keep talking about him.
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