The Real Reason they’re trying to Cancel Joe Rogan: he talks to the Wrong People
Joe Rogan is facing an organized cancellation effort because he talks to the wrong people. Strangely, the wrong people Rogan talks to are on the left. Ironically, the attacks on Rogan are also coming from the left.
Recently, there have been two organized efforts to get Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) to cancel The Joe Rogan Experience. First, music legends Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music from Spotify because of what they call vaccine misinformation on Rogan’s show.
Second, a group called Patriot Takes is spreading a video of years old clips of Rogan using the n-word in an effort to brand Rogan a racist. Strangely, Breaking Points’ Saagar Enjeti alleges Patriot Takes is a left-wing group financed by a political action committee (PAC) called MeidasTouch.
Why is the Left Trying to Destroy Joe Rogan?
MeidasTouch is a Democratic PAC opposed to former President Donald J. Trump (R-Florida). Rolling Stone claims three brothers; Ben, Brett, and Jordan Meiselas, operate MeidasTouch.
The Hollywood Reporter claims MeidasTouch has raised over $3 million in donations it uses to spread anti-Trump propaganda on social media. Rolling Stone claims MeidasTouch has distributed over 500 propaganda videos on Social Media. At least one brother Brett Meiselas is a Hollywood insider, an Emmy Award-winning digital editor, Rolling Stone claims.
Enjeti calls the Rogan n-word video “a blatant hatchet job.” In other words, an organized political smear campaign to destroy Rogan. Many people, including me, wonder why a left-wing group is trying to destroy Rogan.
After all, Rogan is no friend of Trump and no racist. For example, Rogan often hangs out with black comedians such as Hannibal Buress. In addition, Rogan named US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), a self-styled social democrat as his preferred presidential candidate in 2020.
The 2024 presidential election is the Real Reason they want to Cancel Joe Rogan
I think the establishment left is trying to destroy Rogan because he gives rival leftists they hate a platform.
For example, Rogan supercharged Andrew Yang’s insurgent campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination with a 19 February 2019 interview. YouTube estimates Rogan’s Yang interview received 6.166 million views by 9 February 2022.
Yang, a basic income and value added tax advocate (VAT) was the surprise success of the 2020 presidential. Notably, Yang often beat well-financed establishment candidates in the polls. For example, The Emerson Poll estimates Yang was out polling establishment favorite US Senator Kamala Harris (D-California) in California by a margin of 7% to 6% in November 2019. Dramatically, Harris dropped out of the Democratic race in December 2019.
Rogan’s crime: he took Bernie and Andrew Yang seriously
In January 2020, Yang came in third in Emerson’s Poll for the New Mexico Democratic presidential primary. Emerson estimates Yang beat establishment candidates US Senator Liz Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Pete Buttigieg (D-Indiana) in a New Mexico poll.
Yang was not the only insurgent presidential candidate Rogan gave a platform to. YouTube estimates Rogan’s 6 August 2019 interview with US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) attracted over 14.409 million views.
Sanders won the Democratic presidential primaries and caucuses in several states, including California, Colorado, Nevada, Iowa, and New Hampshire. Moreover, there was a brief period when many pundits thought Sanders could win the Democratic primary and possibly the presidency.
Additionally, Open Secrets estimates Sanders’ Bernie 2020 campaign raised $211.13 million from small donors. Some of those donors probably found Bernie through Rogan.
Is the Democratic Establishment trying to Cancel Joe Rogan?
Consequently, I think the Democratic establishment is trying to cancel Rogan. The Democratic establishment wants to prevent Rogan from giving true left-wing candidates who focus on economic issues such as Yang and Sanders a platform.
In particular, the Democratic establishment fears becoming the Republican establishment, which is now totally beholden to former President Donald J. Trump (R-Florida). I think a Trump type candidate could win the 2024 Democratic presidential primaries and beat establishment candidates, including President Joe Biden (D-Delaware).
Notably, the Rogan cancellation effort comes as Biden faces some terrible poll numbers. For example, the 3 February 2022 Reuters/Ipsos poll estimates 56% of Americans disapproved of Biden’s presidential performance.
To explain, the Democratic establishment is now so unpopular its leaders fear any challenge from the left. However, I think the Democratic establishment is too addicted to corporate cash to adopt the popular economic policies that its voters want. For example, Basic Income, Medicare for All, and higher taxes on the rich.
Instead, the Democratic establishment will try to cancel anybody who gives supporters of those policies a platform. For example, Joe Rogan.
Why the Establishment wants to Destroy Joe Rogan
The establishment’s hope is to cancel or discredit Rogan to keep insurgent presidential candidates from having a platform. Instead, the establishment wants such candidates to have two minute sound bites on cable and broadcast outlets nobody watches. For example, Fox News, CNBC, MSNBC, CBS News, and CNN.
It is easy for the establishment’s allies in Big Media to portray Yang as the free money nut and Bernie as a socialist crank. Yang and Sanders cannot reply to such childish allegations because cable news never gives them enough time to present their cases.
In contrast to Rogan, TVNewser estimates Fox News the most popular cable channel attracted just 1.41 million viewers a day in a country of 334 million people in January 2022. Rogan’s crime is that he attracts more viewers than establishment media and gives true leftists the time to present their case to a large audience.
The establishment fears ordinary Americans will agree with Bernie and Yang if they could listen to them. Thus, the establishment must destroy any platform that gives Bernie and Yang access to more than a few hundred people.
After Rogan, the establishment will go after The Hill’s Rising, Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti’s Breaking Points, Michael Moore’s Rumble, and any other podcast that gives economic leftists a voice.
How the Establishment is trying to Destroy Joe Rogan
The strategy they use on those people will be the same playbook they are using on Rogan.
First accuse podcasters of spreading “disinformation” by talking to unpopular but controversial people. Second, accuse the podcaster of racism, sexism, homophobia, or some other bigotry. Third, keep repeating the Big Lie until it becomes the only narrative about the podcaster.
The hope is to make life so uncomfortable for Rogan and anybody who defends him that will nobody will defend Rogan or follow in Joe’s footsteps. This was the tactic US Senator Joe McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) used to great effect in the 1950s and Trump uses today. Strangely, the Soviet Communists and their apologists in other countries used the same strategy.
The strategy is an old one that dates back to the beginning of the American Republic. Yet it is an effective tactic. Particularly for people who control major media outlets such as cable news channels or big newspapers.
How Rogan set himself up for cancellation
Okay, cynics will note Rogan set himself up for cancellation by going to the Swedish podcast platform Spotify (NYSE: SPOT) and lost money in the process. To explain, Medium writer Andrew Wilkinson estimates Rogan could have made between $64 million and $240 million a year from advertising by maintaining an independent brand.
To explain, Spotify is a publicly-traded company that is vulnerable to public pressure. For example, Enjeti suspects speculators could be financing some of the anti-Rogan propaganda in an effort to sink Spotify’s stock price.
In contrast, Rogan could set up a private company to run his media as the late, great Rush Limbaugh did. A private company can be more resistant to public pressure because it does not rely on a stock price for value.
Notably, Spotify has pulled 113 episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience from its audio catalog, Forbes alleges. Spotify removed the episodes after public pressure.
The Danger to Free Speech
The ultimate danger to free speech is not that podcasters will avoid controversy. Instead, podcasters will avoid some political controversies to appease the establishments.
For example, podcasters will interview the crank who talks about the Illuminati or a representative of the Flat Earth Society instead of Bernie Sanders, Edward Snowden, or Andrew Yang. Podcasters will choose fake controversy over legitimate critics of the system.
Such cranks are safe interviews because they do not challenge power. On the other hand, somebody who challenges or criticizes power and the establishment will find no outlet.
Notably, I do not think they would be trying to cancel Rogan if he had only interviewed anti-vaxxers. Rogan’s crime was interviewing Bernie Sanders, not Dr. Robert Malone. Had Rogan not interviewed Sanders, I think his Malone interview would still be on YouTube. Worse, Rogan could use the n-word in his podcasts everyday, and nobody would care if he had not interviewed Sanders.
We need to fear and resist the Rogan cancellation effort because it is an attack on free speech and political diversity. The political establishment is trying to make an example of Rogan to force journalists and podcasters to ignore its critics.
