The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) publicly defended Twitch streamer Hasan Piker on Sunday, criticizing both Democrats and Republicans for attacking him and for pushing a House resolution condemning socialism.
“The establishment: Ds, Rs + media, have pivoted from DSA wins to personal attacks, racist dog whistles, symbolic House resolutions, and an obsession with a Twitch streamer. What would happen if they devoted that same attention to the thousands of Americans who die each year because they can’t afford healthcare?” the DSA’s official X account wrote. A follow-up post referred to Piker as “our Twitch streamer.”
Piker, 35, has become a flashpoint in an internal Democratic struggle, with moderate and pro-Israel members of the party urging colleagues to distance themselves from him. Some Democrats have gone further, publicly rebuking comments Piker has made about Jews.
Ossoff and Moskowitz push back
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through a spokesperson last Thursday that he “unreservedly rejects reckless and dangerous rhetoric suggesting that policy advocacy invites violence against the Jewish community or any community.”
The statement followed remarks Piker made during an Aug. 20 Twitch stream: “If Jews in America keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action… Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews.”
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., who is also Jewish, has questioned whether Piker and the DSA belong in the same political coalition as mainstream Democrats. “Well, I mean, we’re going to see if we can coexist with them. I mean, they can’t coexist with me,” Moskowitz told Fox Business Network’s Stuart Varney.
A resolution and a failed amendment
Moskowitz was one of four House Democrats — along with Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y. — who introduced an amendment to a Republican-led resolution condemning socialism. The GOP measure, advanced by the House Rules Committee on Monday, also calls for passage of the Trump-backed SAVE America Act and is expected to reach the House floor this week.
The Democrats’ amendment would have kept language condemning socialism while stripping out election-related provisions, including the call to pass the SAVE America Act. It described socialism as “incompatible with American values and the United States Constitution” and cited historical failures in Mao’s China and the Soviet Union, warning that “socialist ideology necessitates a concentration of power that has, time and time again, collapsed into communist regimes, totalitarian rule, and repressive dictatorships.”
The amendment did not receive a vote and will not be part of the final resolution.
Fox News Digital reported that it had contacted the DSA, Piker, Ossoff, Moskowitz, Gottheimer, Scholten and Suozzi for additional comment.
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