If you are looking for evidence of new media eclipsing the old look no further than The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Two weeks ago when Bill Maher wanted to promote a new series of his TV show Real Time he didn’t sit down with the New York Times or appear on Late Night TV, he went on Joe. Two days before, A-lister Robert Downey Junior attempting to whip up some enthusiasm for his ‘Dr. Dolittle’ remake went on Joe. Last year Elon Musk smoked a joint on Joe and shares in Tesla dropped 10%. He’s also had on democratic presidential contenders Tulsi Gabbard, Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders. Suddenly it seems if you’re a high profile American who wants votes or has something to hawk you go on Joe. And with a monthly audience of over 200 million and many more via YouTube and shared viral clips it’s no wonder they do.
It’s with Sanders that things got a little hairy. After interviewing him late last year, Rogan recently offered Sanders a tepid endorsement. He said he would probably vote for him and praised him for being consistent. And Sanders has been: consistently wrong on every policy question, foreign and domestic, for about forty years. I wouldn’t call Joe a lunkhead especially not to his face (he’s a Jiu-jitsu black belt) but he’d be the first to admit he ain’t no political sophisticate.
And then this happened:
CNN no less, slamming him for having ‘a history of making racist, homophobic and transphobic comments.’ Rogan is a comedian so he’s certainly made jokes on these topics but as a frequent listener, I can say he is in step with liberal thinking on all of them. He has a long history of supporting gay marriage, for example. The transphobic slur likely comes from Rogan’s criticism of how the trans movement has messed with MMA (mixed martial arts – a sport he’s keen on and professionally commentates). Basically Rogan has a problem with bearded ladies (men transitioning to ‘women’) getting away with beating up women in the ring.
So what’s happening here? Why is a major news organization going out of their way to defame a popular podcaster? You don’t have to be an Alex Jones level conspiracy theorist to see the hand of the Democratic Party in all of this. CNN has become the propaganda wing of the Democrat party during the past four years, with their relentlessly anti-Trump reporting. Now in the race to unseat their enemy in the 2020 election they don’t want anything to go wrong – like an anti-corporate hard left populist securing the nomination. Last month’s CNN debate made their agenda crystal clear – take out Sanders and coronate Elizabeth Warren. He was asked a ‘So when did you stop beating your wife‘ question: “Why did you say a woman couldn’t win the (presidential) election?”, when Sanders had already vehemently denied saying that at all.
With the slurring of Rogan, CNN are trying the old guilt by association game. If Rogan is guilty of a hat trick of phobias, virtually as bad as a Trump supporter (!), and he endorses Sanders, then plenty of the woke left will think twice about supporting him. CNN also get to attack a major celeb of the new media, that they no doubt blame for their eroding influence.
Sorry, Joe, unlike your beloved UFC this fight is fixed.
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