The Problem of the Professional Pundit

So I don’t listen to Hasan Piker. I’ve seen a few clips of him over the years on YouTube and to me he was just another leftist bro streamer. Throw some bombs at MAGA types and say something provocative for clicks.

PewDiePie did the same thing during his gaming sessions that kids turned into back in the day. Basically his schtick like most of social media, like our politics most of the time was to say something outlandish, make some ridiculous noises all while playing a game.

I didn’t get it, but I was old for his audience. I wasn’t supposed to get it. It wasn’t made for me.

But PewDiePie grew up, got married, had a kid and his channel changed as his audience changed. He evolved his brand in a professional sense.

And the same thing has happened with the Neo Cons who are now stirring the conversation around our politics. Enter networks in the “independent media” space like The Bulwark. It’s the same thing with the “Third Way” PACs and politicians who are waging their patrician fingers at us damned plebs for voting for the “rabble rousers” who can only win a primary against a party machine with little money and record breaking turn out.

Funny how none of them ever stops to questions why all that money and structural advantage didn’t produce a victory.

The problem is these people aren’t independent. They’re tied to the same organizations and monied interests that they were when they were in politics. In fact their politics really haven’t changed. The only difference is the beast they helped to create wants to eat them along with the rest of us.

And yet for some reason we pay them undue deference all because they’re willing to hate the same people we hate.

Now you might say “Yeah but Fred don’t we have bigger enemies to focus on? I mean they support Democrats so they’re part of the ‘good guys’ now right?”

Not so much. They’re still just as problematic as they were back then. They’re still spouting the same old tired bullshit that will lead to the exact same place. It just sounds more reasonable now when you stack it up against the insanity we’re dealing with from MAGA & Trump.

That doesn’t make it any less dangerous. Because never forget they covered for the second most corrupt regime in the American history: the Bush/Cheney regime. They were also directly responsible for laying the groundwork for Trump.

Journalists vs. Pundits

So I’m not a journalist. I’m an essayist and maybe a pundit. I’m barely a podcaster. I’m just a guy with opinions on things. And the only weight you should give those opinions should be based on how much they align with the real world.

But I should also be judged by my track record as well. Positions I held in the past are fair game and should be taken into account.

For example I bought into the bullshit of not supporting gay marriage in 2012. I thought it would hurt Obama’s chances for re-election and we couldn’t “afford” that back in 2012. Call it a civil union so it doesn’t upset the bigots as much. Make a non-issue.

I said the same thing about universal healthcare back then. We needed reform not a complete dismantling of the whole system.

We also needed to be in Yemen in a covert war. We had to trust our leaders that they were making the right call. I mean after all we had to clean up Bush’s mess right? We couldn’t just leave without a plan, and an exit strategy.

Basically I was a yellow dog democrat. Worse I supported corporatist positions that all turned out to be non-factors or simply just kept getting worse and worse.

Obama came out in favor of gay marriage and guess what happened? It became a non-issue.

Does anyone talk about the significance about us not fighting a covert war in Yemen anymore? Nope. Did it make the Middle East more secure? It did the opposite actually.

Did corporate health insurance reform itself after ACA? Nope. It’s now more unaffordable now than ever.

But here’s the difference between so called professional pundits and myself. I admit that I was wrong back then. I’ve changed my positions to reflect the reality of the moment.

And no opposition to Trump isn’t a political position on a policy. It’s simply where you line up on democracy. It’s bedrock foundational type of shit. The stuff you need before a debate even begins.

“Well they’re for law and order” I’ve seen some people respond. Amazing! That should be non-negotiable.

It’s like saying “Well they’re in favor of not shooting homeless people in the face”. Great. But if they’re going to advocate the same systemic policies that created the homeless crisis in the first place I don’t see them as someone I should defer to.

How to Spot the Professional Pundit

There’s an easy way to spot one of the professional political class. It’s really simple. They never say anything too controversial.

They argue for decorum. They push for civility. They don’t hold a view that’s outside of the mainstream of what an advertiser considers controversial.

Having worked in digital media for high profile content creators I can tell you what advertisers look for. For the longest time politics was considered too risky to advertise on unless you were on the right. Those folks got paid big money to push out that corporate agenda.

Guess who was part of that? The folks at the Bulwark. David Frum, Bill Kristol, Tim Miller, all of them were part of that machine that was put together by Roger Alies, Karl Rove and Jack Abramoff.

Folks at the Mayday Network worked for both sides of the aisle, but it was mostly the corporatists. Or they were on Fox News helping to make that beast profitable. Yeah, you might argue that Jessica Tarlov is bringing some much needed balance over there, but at the end of the day she’s helping to make the propaganda machine profitable. The MAGA faithful need a foil. That’s what she is. So while she’s putting out some great talking points she’s also in on the political wrestling. (CLICK HERE for article on how politics is wrestling reference.)

Take a second if you’re as old as I am and think back to the Bush years. Think back to “Mission Accomplished” and “If you’re not with us you’re with the Terrorists” and Rudy Giuliani going from “America’s Mayor” to mentioning 9/11 every single chance he got no matter how absurd.

I remember Bill Kristol because he was so often wrong about any analysis he had on Middle East policy but yet the Sunday shows kept having him on. He was always on some panel spewing the Bush regime’s line about how we needed to back Paul Bremer, or we needed to back General McChrystal or General Petraeus, both of whom were ousted by scandals.

And they were wrong more often than not. If Bill Kristol or David Frum were major league ball players they wouldn’t be sent to the Tigers. They would’ve been cut and out of baseball. But because they’re pundits and they sound reasonable people listen to them for some reason.

So Who Should You Support?

Now I’m not saying you should completely dismiss your favorite content creator. But keep in mind what are they trying to sell you. Because all of us are selling something. I’m absolutely trying to sell you a paid subscription with the content I create. I have to eat. I need money to pay bills.

The difference is I’m trying to give you something of value: truthful cultural context. What that means is that comes first and foremost. Not positioning myself to look attractive to advertisers and PACs. I write about what I think is needed not what will get the most clicks, or kill stories that PAC money or advertisers will shy away from. (Writing anything negative about Israel is that.)

Because when you look at the money being spent to stop DSA and WFP candidates the Establishment is showing who they are more than ever. And you will suddenly see the same “concern” from a lot of people you trusted to give you the truth about our politics.

That’s because it’s no longer just “We hate Trump!” and that’s enough. It’s where do you stand on certain issues? What policy positions do you support? Do you support Israel with unconditional aid? Medicare for All or some other form of Universal Healthcare? More Defense and Police Spending? Trans Rights?

And if you find your favorite content creator not talking about hard issues it’s likely their main purpose isn’t political reality.

It’s their own financial interest.

And while that’s a consideration for me as well I just want to be able to sleep at night.