DSA’s Rise & The Populist Left w/ Hasan Piker, Darializa Avila Chevalier | MR Live
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Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖The US is accused of war crimes in Iran, including bombing civilian water infrastructure, while Trump's ego is seen as derailing peace negotiations.
- ❖Former Trump officials advocate for 'total war' against Iran, despite the country's large population and difficult geography.
- ❖Hasan Piker argues the populist left has moved beyond 'liberal resistance' to a more class-conscious, insurgency-style politics.
- ❖Mainstream media attacks on left-wing candidates and figures often inadvertently legitimize them to a frustrated public.
- ❖Darializa Avila Chevalier, a DSA-backed candidate, is surging in NY-13 on a platform of abolishing ICE, ending arms sales to Israel, and investing in public education.
- ❖Chevalier criticizes her incumbent opponent for taking money from APAC, corporate real estate, and ICE contractors, arguing this corrupts democracy.
- ❖The suppression of free speech and protest, particularly in universities, is highlighted as a threat to democracy, with both parties implicated.
- ❖Wealth concentration and corporate money in politics (e.g., Citizens United) are presented as direct threats to a functioning democracy, requiring campaign finance reform and higher taxation on the wealthy.
Insights
1US Escalates War Crimes in Iran, Driven by Trump's Ego and 'Total War' Ideology
The US is reportedly bombing civilian infrastructure, including water reservoirs, in Iran, leading to humanitarian crises. The host frames these actions as war crimes and attributes the prolonged conflict to Trump's desire to 'humiliate and threaten Iran' to save face, despite Iran holding strategic leverage. Former Trump official Keith Kellogg's call for 'total war' and 'obliteration' is presented as a horrifying reflection of the administration's mindset, ignoring the immense human cost and geopolitical complexities.
Host Emma Bigaland details US bombings of Iranian water reservoirs, affecting 20,000 people. Trump's public statements about 'more bombing tonight' and taking over the country with a 'small group of soldiers' are cited. Keith Kellogg's appearance on Hannity advocating for 'total war' like in WWI/WWII is highlighted.
2The Populist Left's Rise: From Liberal Resistance to Class-Conscious Insurgency
Hasan Piker describes a significant shift in the left's political strategy since 2016. The initial 'liberal resistance' focused on Trump as an aberration, aiming for a return to 'business as usual liberalism.' However, the failure of establishment Democrats to address economic struggles and their 'showing their belly' to the Trump administration created a vacuum. This allowed a 'left populist insurgency,' exemplified by Bernie Sanders' 'stop oligarchy tour' and DSA's organizing, to present a genuine alternative, focusing on class issues and challenging corporate power.
Hasan Piker contrasts the 2016 liberal resistance with the current populist left, stating, '2016 liberal resistance was defined by liberalism... this time around... the centrist institutionalist Democrats... decided to just show their belly. They decided not to fight back against the Trump administration.' He credits Bernie's 'stop oligarchy tour' for organizing people around an alternative.
3Mainstream Media Attacks Inadvertently Legitimize Left-Wing Candidates
Piker argues that coordinated attacks from mainstream media and political opponents against left-wing figures and candidates often backfire, enhancing their legitimacy among a public frustrated with corporate media narratives. He cites the example of Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, whose favorability surged after attacks, suggesting people interpret such criticism as validation of a candidate's genuine challenge to the establishment.
Piker notes, 'some of those polls have actually directly pointed to the bump the Hassan Abi bump... a Republican poster that said like there was a noticeable increase in Abdulad's favorabilities after the attacks started.' He explains that when CNN criticizes a candidate as 'radical' or 'scary,' 'most people look at that and go, 'Oh, you're just saying that because he's actually legit.''
4Darializa Avila Chevalier's Progressive Platform Challenges Incumbent Politics in NY-13
Darializa Avila Chevalier, a DSA-backed congressional candidate, is gaining traction against a long-term incumbent, Adriano Espat, by championing a platform that directly addresses community needs and rejects corporate influence. Her campaign focuses on housing for all, abolishing ICE, redirecting military spending to social programs, and ending arms sales to Israel, contrasting sharply with her opponent's record of taking money from APAC and corporate interests.
Chevalier states her campaign is 'responsive to the community here,' asking 'why is it that our situation has not gotten better as a community?' She advocates for 'housing for all,' 'abolish ICE,' and diverting tax dollars from 'endless war machine' to 'invest in our babies and not bombs.' She highlights her opponent's consistent voting to send arms to Israel and taking money from APAC and corporate real estate.
Lessons
- Support DSA-backed candidates like Darializa Avila Chevalier by volunteering for phone banking or door-knocking, or by donating to grassroots campaigns.
- Educate yourself on the financial ties of political candidates to corporate interests, APAC, and other special interest groups, as these often dictate their voting records.
- Engage in local political organizing and community building to counter disempowerment and build collective power against wealth concentration and corporate influence.
Notable Moments
The hosts discuss the New York Knicks' historic NBA Finals comeback, with Emma Bigaland expressing immediate tears of joy and Hasan Piker describing his co-host's initial despair.
This lighthearted segment provides a humanizing moment for the hosts and guest, and later serves as a segue into discussing class consciousness in sports ownership (James Dolan vs. Zoran Mamani).
Hasan Piker gives Emma Bigaland a piece of the actual NBA Finals court, leading to an emotional reaction from her.
This moment highlights the personal connection and passion for sports, contrasting with the heavy political topics discussed and further humanizing the hosts.
Quotes
"We are immensely unreliable negotiating partners to put it mildly."
"We ought to go back to the way we did it in like World War II or World War I and we just finished the job, total war, obliterate them..."
"It's a death cult. They're all 85 years old. They don't care."
"2016 liberal resistance was defined by liberalism... this time around... people were still looking for alternatives. And we presented that alternative, this insurgency, the Berniercrats, the the left populace."
"They would allow... the consultancy class... to keep defending their interests, the interest of profits and you need to place that over the interest of the people."
"The fact that we have told them, hey, you deserve somebody who's going to fight for housing for all. Somebody who's going to fight to abolish ICE so that our community can actually breathe."
"We deserve a politics that actually presents a vision for what our communities deserve and presents a vision of a politics of life."
"There is nothing more sacred in this country than the right to protest, than the right to to speech."
Q&A
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