An article by NBC senior editor for technology, science, and climate Jason Abbruzzese described 39-year-old progressive commentator David Pakman as someone distinct from his peers due to being not as popular as other commentators and for not raising his voice to drown ideological and political opponents.
"[Pakman is] one of the few liberal pundits who is more likely to get name-checked by Steve Bannon than Rachel Maddow," Abbruzzese wrote. "He's a more familiar figure to fans of Joe Rogan than Ezra Klein."
The Argentina-born pundit revealed in a recent video interview that he preferred not to "get into the shouting matches or the screaming matches," believing he would do his audience a disservice should he get involved with them.
A different kid of lefty pundit
Another point Abbruzzese dealt with is Pakman's absence in many mainstream media outlets, such as NBC or the New York Times.
"[Pakman is] on Twitter...but he doesn't engage in the kinds of fights that could raise his profile," he said. Pakman had around 254,000 followers on Twitter at the time Abbruzzese wrote his article.
Instead of mainstream outlets, Pakman managed to garner an audience on social media.
He primarily engaged on YouTube through his channel "David Pakman Show," which has 1.7 million subscribers. Pakman is also on TikTok, with more than 485,000 followers.
"Pakman is a small part of a large and thriving world of online media that is either focused on politics or dabbles in it," Abbruzzese said.
Pakman's struggles to connect with fellow progressives
Abbruzzese also noticed the struggles progressive-leaning personalities on social media face when it comes to interconnectivity. Some conservatives thrive due to behind-the-scenes support from conservative donors and mainstream media support like Fox News.
According to City University of New York assistant professor Reece Peck, progressives lack the funding advantage, forcing them to "live and die by the algorithm and by their audiences".
Backlash over Pakman's tweet on Nashville shooting
While calm and collected in making comments about his political views, Pakman was not immune to controversy.
During the public outrage in response to the shooting incident at Covenant School in Nashville, Pakman and other progressives mocked Republicans and other conservatives for merely offering prayers and thoughts to the victims, their families, and the affected community.
In a now-deleted tweet, Pakman wrote the mass shooting at a Christiian school was "[v]ery surprising...given that lack of prayer is often blamed for these horrible events."
"Is it possible they weren't praying enough, or correctly, despite being a Christian school?" he continued.
As a response, Pakman clarified he was "not mocking the faith of the slain children" but criticizing the "absurdity of every Republican who sends thoughts and prayers and does nothing else to actually stop the scourge of gun violence."
Eventually, he uploaded a video on YouTube to reach out to people who took offense to his tweet.
"The tweet didn't work," he admitted. "From what I understand, from what people of faith [are saying], including Chrisitans who realize that prayer alone isn't working, we have free will. Free will creates consequences in the real world for our actions or our inactions."
