Podcaster and Thiel Capital Managing Director Eric Weinstein recently addressed the media’s treatment of Democratic presidential candidates Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard , which he paralleled to the coverage of Bernie Sanders and Ron Paul . Weinstein’s comments come after CNBC showed the wrong pictures of Yang and Gabbard on one of its chyrons.
Although Weinstein has touched on the coverage of such candidates in the past, he believes the recent coverage indicates a shift in the media’s strategy.
“This is what I call the ‘Vampire Effect’; institutions will not reflect certain people just as vampires supposedly don’t reflect in a mirror,” he wrote in a lengthy Twitter thread.
According to Weinstein, this is different from the media blackout, which refers to the candidates being left off of chyrons and graphics — something that has happened to Yang, Gabbard and Sanders on multiple occasions during the Democratic primary.
“This isn’t cute as #YangMediaBlackout. This isn’t hidden any more. This is a boast by our media. Their point to all of us is: ‘F*ck you and your illusions’. And We aren’t calling it what it is: a declaration of war by our own media and parties against our own democratic process.”
The 54-year-old mathematical physicist called the alleged Russian interference in United States democracy “amateur hour.”
“The Russians aren’t bragging like this,” he continued before appearing to suggest that MSNBC has been blatantly excluding Yang and Gabbard to test the limits of what the network can get away with.
Uhhhh…..What’s going on here? @CNBC pic.twitter.com/P0WsK7mK8o
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 6, 2020
Weinstein compared the treatment of such candidates to his experience bringing up the alleged “secret NSF [National Science Foundation] study” that he alleges led to the H-1B visa. Per Workpermit.com , the H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that permits United States companies to hire graduate-level workers in positions that require “theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields.” In one of Weinstein’s papers, posted on The National Bureau of Economic Research , he outlined evidence that the NSF purposely flooded the PhD market with such workers to create low wages for PhD jobs.
“There is an absolute black out,” he said of situations when he brings up the study.
Weinstein said that since he has the data to prove his theory, the media cannot refute it and thus chooses not to reflect it. According to Weinstein, Yang and Gabbard must make the purported interference and gaslighting in U.S. elections a focal point, adding that both the Democratic Party and Republican Party should fight against the media’s alleged tactics.
Progressive commentator David Pakman has likened the media blackout of Sanders — compiled by the campaign’s senior adviser and speechwriter David Sirota — to a type of interference in the primary. Similarly, Yang supporter and universal basic income advocate Scott Santens has a thread on Vocal Media covering the Yang blackout.