Joe Rogan sounds like the new Rush Limbaugh (over target hurl alert)

Press Run ^ | January 7, 2022 | Eric Boehlert

[DoodleBob]

Late last year, popular podcast host Joe Rogan invited onto his show Dr. Robert Malone, a world-class Covid denier and medical quack, who told Rogan’s millions of listeners that public health experts advocating for vaccines today are akin to Nazi’s in the 1930s. Getting vaccinated against a deadly virus was a sign of “mass formation psychosis,” and Malone suggested Biden was leading a hypnotized cult. It was a misinformation-fest that Rogan said at the time he hoped would go viral.

It did. Then the whole thing got banned by YouTube, where the Joe Rogan Experience gets uploaded, for violating the platform’s rules about trafficking in pandemic lies. It was the latest, reckless example of a once-libertarian podcast host with an eclectic past (actor, comedian, “cage-fighting commentator”), hitching his wagon to conservative lies and distortion, as he whips up distrust of the government and science.

As Rogan takes a hard turn to the right, you get the feeling he wants to be the new Rush Limbaugh — the source of GOP misinformation and conspiracies. More than any other daytime talker, it’s Rogan who could fill Limbaugh’s shoes after the GOP host passed away last year.

Like Limbaugh, Rogan preaches to a mostly male audience of roughly 10 million that wallows in victimhood while the host lashes out at imaginary forces trying to keep the White Man down in America. (“Straight white men are not allowed to talk.”) Like Limbaugh, Rogan faces no consequences for peddling ceaseless lies. Spotify, which has exclusive rights to Rogan’s show, refuses to acknowledge the torrent of misinformation that flow from his show, while at the same time pretending Spotify podcast hosts must adhere to company guidelines.

And like Limbaugh who landed a $100 million contract for the endless litany of smears he trafficked in for decades, Rogan last year penned a nine-figure deal.

The podcast host made political headlines in the winter of 2020 when he said he would support Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the Democratic primary. Lots of progressives rushed to embrace the host, suggesting he reached an audience outside of the traditional Democratic base, even though Rogan appears to despise the Left.

Since then, Rogan has lurched to the far right, announcing last year he preferred Trump over Biden in the general election.

With the pandemic, the host has become aggressively and arrogantly dishonest. “I believe he’s become more emboldened to push baseless conspiracy theories and right-wing lies over the past year,” Media Matters researcher Alex Paterson recently told The Verge. “Just from listening to him every day, he’s by no means remitting conspiracy theories and false rhetoric on his show. If anything, he’s leaning into it more. He’s a darling of the conservative right in the United States. Joe Rogan has shown really clearly that he will use his podcast to spread conspiracy theories, right-wing lies, [and] racist rhetoric in order to sort of promote himself.”

Rogan gladly plays hosts to chronic GOP liars such as Ben Shapiro and Alex Jones, while remaining a huge supporter of Tucker Carlson.

There’s big money in right-wing hate and conspiracies, and Rogan’s leaning into all of it —“Nancy Pelosi is the head witch” of the Democratic Party — at the same time Limbaugh’s death created a hole in the far-right media landscape. When Rogan endorsed the baseless notion that the Clinton family was somehow connected to the 2016 murder of Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staff member, he sounded just like the deceased AM talker. Same with Rogan’s regular anti-trans rhetoric.

The similarities don’t end there. Just as Limbaugh in 2020 claimed Covid was “no worse than the common cold,” Rogan today lies without pause about a public health crisis that has claimed the lives of nearly one million Americans, going as far as claiming “actual microchips” are “being injected into your arm to see if you have COVID-19.” The show has become a cesspool of unhinged anti-vaccine rhetoric.

He endorsed the nonsensical lie that the government was monitoring private citizens’ text messages for anti-vaccine content. He urged young people not to get vaccinated because “exercising” would protect them. He said use of Ivermectin would effectively treat COVID-19, claimed Biden didn’t actually get his vaccine shot live on TV because they’re too dangerous, warned vaccine passports would move the country towards a “dictatorship,” and insisted immigrants crossing the Mexican border were driving a Covid surge.

It’s all indistinguishable from the bile that Limbaugh made his career spreading and amplifying. We’ll never know how many of Limbaugh's loyal, elderly listeners died from the virus, in part because he assured them the infection was essentially harmless. And we’ll never know how many of Rogan’s (younger) listeners got sick or died from Covid because of the host’s nonstop propaganda campaign against a miraculously effective, and free, vaccine.

Rogan seems eager to carry on Limbaugh s toxic legacy.

[Nifster]

Who is this turd named Eric??

[dennisw]

Joe Rogan is very good when he has good guests. When he was on YouTube he was top heavy with lame-ass comedians and MMA dudes. His old YouTube videos are still there.

Joe was a Bernie Bro. Everyone knows this.

[Big Giant Head]

Also to be fair, Rush didn’t like to endorse candidates early. To be a true Trumpist, one had to jump on at the beginning. Like my wife did.

Me? I was late to the party as well. He said all the right things, but my gut instinct (which was wrong) was telling me con artist. I DID end up voting for him in the primary, as that was the point I saw EVERYONE bagging on him, so I figured he had all the right enemies.

I’m just tired of ALWAYS getting my least favorite candidate winning the primaries. Always having to vote for the lesser of two weasels. I was afraid Trump was going to be that again.

I was never so happy to be wrong!!

[DoodleBob]

Here is the actual commentary

“I really believe that if Michelle Obama runs, she wins,” Rogan said on his podcast to comedian Tim Dilllon “She’s intelligent, she’s articulate, she’s the wife of the best president that we have had in our lifetime in terms of like a representative of intelligent, articulate people .” The only thing that would stop her [Michelle Obama] is if she bought into some of these policies that are destroying businesses in America that make people scared,” he added.

In the interview, Rogan said that he predicts that Vice President Kamala Harris would be Obama’s running mate in a presidential election. “They’re going to bring Harris. Michelle Obama and Harris. Harris comes back as the vice president. Michelle Obama’s the president. We get a double dose of diversity,” Rogan said.

“They’ll win,” Dillon said. “And who’s on the Republican side? DeSantis?”

“Trump and DeSantis,” Rogan responded. “They have to make a super team. It’s the only way they win.”

The operative phrase is "a representative of intelligent, articulate people." I thought Obama was a terrible Executive who was full of bad ideas that were antithetical to America, he created racial animosity where none existed previously, he signed Obamacare, his chief regret was that he didn't wreck the 2nd Amendment more, and...well...he's a dope.

But Obama could sell. He was a great salesman. And the "intelligencia" who prefer wordsmiths over doers like Trump, fell head over heels for him. And like a millionaire who summits Everest via Sherpas carrying him to the top, Obama had the MSM and Hollywood to support him every step along the way..

I don't read Rogan as being a supporter Michelle's candidacy (though I suspect he harbors respect for Barack, and clearly he thinks there's intelligence somewhere in that couple) as much as saying that she and Kamala would be tough to beat in the popularity contest that is the Presidential Election.

[TexasFreeper2009]

Like Rush I originally supported Cruz, but throughout the primary I moved steadily towards Trump and in the end voted for Trump.

[RKBA Democrat]

Another leftist tool spouting off. Thick with hyperbole, thin with content.

[pepsionice]

You can add to your lists....Joe will invite rocket scientists, historians, experts on diets, and literally hundreds of people who’d you normally never hear from. But you won’t get any Hollywood freaks.

[Pigsley]

Nobody is the new El RUSHBO. My fav on radio is Dana Loesch. She is like a fire cracker and I am glad she is on our side. Funny, too.

[DoodleBob]

Hannity is awful on many levels....but I will ALWAYS give him props for being on the Trump Train from Day 1. Sean had Trump on his show before anyone else did, he was backing him repeatedly on TV and radio, and (as far as I can remember) he never supported Jeb!

In some ways, Hannity is like McConnell..he did one thing right. He's utterly useless but if McConnell doesn't block Merrick Garland, we get a 6-3 opinion SUPPORTING the OSHA mandate.

[daler]

I could be mistaken, but I seem to recall hearing Rush, on more than one occasion, say he was on board the day Trump came down the escalator.

[DoodleBob]

As I wrote yesterday, Stern is sort of like Lynyrd Skynyd - ground-breaking and legendary but haven’t been relevant for decades, and they carry on with a handful of original members that weren’t the brains in the original bunch.

Howie and Skynyrd are known for what they did and not what they’re doing. Rogan is on the ascent and Stern is a rich, complaining has-been.

All that’s missing is a tragic plane crash.

[al baby]

Beat me to it, I Listen to the ol windbag for his whole tenure Rogan is no Limbaugh

[DoodleBob]

Ping - more fun.

[KeyLargo]

Yes, a leftist scumbag.

Eric Boehlert
@ericboehlertMontclair, NJFollowers: 220Kpressrun.media
Founder/editor https://t.co/QUPv4USean, home of fearless media commentary. Author. Former staffer Media Matters, Salon, Rolling Stone, Billboard.

[Jim from C-Town]

How do you call a vaccine that neither stops protects against transmission nor prevents illness a miraculously effective vaccine? They are now selling the idea that we need 3,4,5 or even continuous vaccines against a virus that has a survival rate over 99.5% for all but the very old or the very sick.

Even the government now admits that at least 75%, SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT, of those that died had an average of AT LEAST 4 comorbidities. IE: They metaphorically had one foot in the grave & the other on a banana peal! All deaths are sad, but all of us will die. It is hardly a head slapper that a viral infection could cause the very sick & old to die.

[kenmcg]

Comparing Rogan with Rush is sacrilegious. Rogan couldn't shine his shoes.Rogan says Obama was a great POTUS and that Michelle would be a great candidate; give us a break.

[jimjohn]

I agree. But the other day, he had to tell denver to turn down a guests mic when he began talking since the revolver.news guy would not shut up. He should make that a standard policy to avoid what you stated above.

[JudyinCanada]

Joe Rogan is NOTHING, compared to Rush. Joe Rogan is more like the Rush Limbaugh for the younger generation. All that means is that he is popular and listened to faithfully by many, even though he is nothing like Rush.

Rush was who we listened to. It’s Rogan’s guests that attract his audience.

[metmom]

When the left melts down like this, you know you hit them hard.

[JudyinCanada]

I’m with you there, Pollard. I couldn’t stand Hannitus Interruptus, and Bannitus Interuptus is just as bad!

I do appreciate what he does, but listening to that constant cutting off and stopping his guests is infuriating.