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Yeah. Although I wouldn't discount the significant of having wealthy backers, or not, in setting the landscape. The only leftist influencer I can think of that's really talking about these issues is Jon Stewart, with this as a shining example of what the conversation should be looking like on the left:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeheoxWzf2o
Why is that relegated to an oddball Youtube channel, which is obviously nowhere in my recommendations because of course it isn't, such that I almost would have missed it if not for seeing it on Lemmy? Because Apple told Jon Stewart to stop pissing off China, and he told them to go fuck themselves, and so he had to switch platforms.
Also it's significant that for a lot of Democratic politicians, it's a hell of a lot easier to talk about performative issues of social justice, in ways that are only ever pretty indirectly connected to specific policies, than it is to talk about issues of economic justice and get angry phone calls from the super-wealthy people who finance all their campaigns and operations.
Jon Stewart is one of the few left-wing figures actually making the right arguments (although i haven't seen that specific video), and the fact that he got pushed to the margins for it proves that media conglomerates don’t want real leftist messaging getting mainstream traction. This is why we need independent platforms, community organizing, and alternative funding sources. The right didn’t build their media empire overnight, and neither will we, but we have to start.
This is exactly why corporate-backed liberals love identity politics. It lets them appear progressive without challenging the structures that keep the wealthy in power. A perfect example is how corporations slap rainbow flags on everything in June but continue union-busting, exploiting workers, and funding right-wing politicians behind the scenes. This shit is right in our faces but we're blindsided to see that we're only dancing to the tune of conservatives.