(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



So David Hogg appeared on Bill Maher on Friday....and I Have Issues [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-05-11

UPDATE:

I hadn’t realized when I posted this that Muriel Vieux had written a diary this morning on this same topic. I apologize to her for not referencing her diary. She does a much more thorough job than I do attacking Hogg’s comments and I encourage everyone to go read it.

The link to her excellent diary is here — www.dailykos.com/…

David Hogg appeared on Bill Maher three times since he was catapulted into fame after a mass shooter killed 17 students, and injured 18 others at his high school, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. He and other students such as Cameron Kasky, Alfonso Calderon, and Emma Gonzales became the representatives of children who had similarly suffered during school shootings — who had lost friends and family members to this violence. They also came to represent and to speak for all those who attend school in fear because Republicans and compliant courts continue to stop any real action on gun control.

After graduating from University David Hogg became a full time activist, starting his own PAC, Leaders We Deserve, in order to bring more young people into the political process. This was an endeavour well worth celebrating, although the PACS’ successes in the 2024 election were limited.

David Hogg’s election, along with Malcolm Kenyatta, to the DNC executive in February was equally lauded, as young people were being given a strong voice within the Democratic Party. Hogg and Kenyatta went on to make a number of appearances together at DNC events and worked together on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election.

David Hogg’s decision to use his PAC, Leaders We Deserve, to primary incumbent Democrats has proven to be a controversial one. He and Kenyatta differed on this issue, not on David Hogg’s desire to primary Democratic House members but rather if it is appropriate for a member of the DNC executive to do so. Kenyatta said in a BlueSky post on 2025-04-24. “You can’t be both the player and the referee. Our job is clear cut. Let voters vote and, once they’ve made their choice, to fight like hell to get that Democrat elected.”

In the interview with Bill Maher, David Hogg was asked about his intentions with regard to Leaders We Deserve. Mr. Hogg asserted his belief that the issue with the Democratic Party isn’t with the message, rather its with the messengers (I’ve taken this and all quotes from a transcript of the Bill Maher interview published at www.realclearpolitics.com/...) He made a comment with regards to the recent death of his father, and the financial strains this illness had on the family, that I found very strong. It was in this statement that he asserted that the Democratic Message, the Party’s beliefs and the Party’s successes, were worth celebrating and that Democratic Party successes helped many including him.

So I want to acknowledge that the reason why my dad was able to even remain on his insurance in the first place was because of the protections of the Affordable Care Act, which was championed by Democrats. Along with the fact, along with the fact, Bill, that the reason why my family didn't go bankrupt before that was because of the social security system that we helped to build as well. And that's amazing (www.realclearpolitics.com/...).

He further asserted that his issue in wanting to primary Democrats wasn’t with age, although its been sold this way by many, but it was with Democrats in safe seats who “aren’t meeting the moment”. Personally, I don’t have an issue with that, although I await who it is he plans to primary and who are the people he recruits to run.

But then David Hogg started to speak about young men moving towards supporting Trump and alarms started going off in my head. Now, its true that almost all of the votes lost by Democrats among Blacks, and Hispanics were from young men turning to Trump. That’s certainly an issue.

That David Hogg turned that into a “we’re too mean to young men” canard is where my jaw hit the floor and he completely lost me.

And right now, what I think happened last election is younger men, they would rather vote for somebody who feels, who even if they don't completely agree with, they don't feel judged by, than somebody who they do agree with, that they feel like they have to walk on eggshells around constantly because they're going to be judged or ostracized or excommunicated www.realclearpolitics.com/….

I’m pretty sure no young man said to themselves in the voting booth, “I love Kamala’s policies on expanding social security, on expanding the child tax credit, on reproductive rights and on family leave, but I’m going to vote for the guy who opposes all of that because he supports my right to be creepy around women without being judged. Dammit, I shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells!”

More likely, the conversations in their head were more along the lines of, “I’m not voting for a Woman” or “I’m especially not voting for a Black Woman?”, or “when’s the next Andrew Tate podcast?”

But ultimately, what we have to do here is figure out how to bring people back in and work towards the bigger goal of advancing the future of this country and helping young people especially get by, so that they're able to focus on their lives and, you know, getting with a young woman or something like that www.realclearpolitics.com/...,.

Young men are being lied to by misogynistic “influencers” like Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan. They’re being told they’re victims of feminists, Black People, and other marginalized groups who are being, in their view, feted via programs like DEI. They are being told the most oppressed group in the country is White men and only Donald Trump wants to stop it.

The last thing I want to hear from a Democrat, any Democrat (because I know David Hogg is not the first to put this forward), is the enabling of these lies.

Someone needs to give David Hogg a lesson on challenging the misogyny and misogynoir that young men are hearing and responding to, rather than enabling that message as he did in the interview with Bill Maher.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/11/2321746/-So-David-Hogg-appeared-on-Bill-Maher-on-Friday-and-I-Have-Issues?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/