• disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      She’s the only candidate with access to the existing campaign funds. There’s not enough time to refund them all and donate to a new candidate before early voting ballots go out in eight weeks. If it’s not Harris, they’ll have to be independently wealthy to fund their own campaign in time.

      • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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        4 months ago

        Why is US politics relying so much on campaigning and donations anyway? Not that we don’t have the odd politician speaking somewhere physically here either but it is fairly rare in comparison. Most of the whole “get to know” part happens through TV or internet media. The US just seems to make it a weird spectacle, which imo just further reinforces the whole “team” aspects of it and with that the whole two party system.

        • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Our news system has no integrity, and is loyal only to money. Ad campaigns are the only option to reach the passively informed with a clear and uncompromised message.

          • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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            4 months ago

            Is there no publicly funded news media / broadcaster? Like the German Tagesschau, or UK’s BBC, or the Canadian CBC, etc? Typically there’s a higher amount of trust for those, since they are mostly acting independently and the majority of funding coming from the people itself.

            • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              We have NPR and PBS. They don’t get as much exposure as corporate news. You’ll see posts on Lemmy from both publications often, but this is obviously not the average American’s experience.

            • ricecake
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              4 months ago

              There is, unfortunately they’re viewed by on of the political parties as being evil liberal propaganda machines, and they very much want to privatize them or just sell all of their content off and shutter them.

        • barsquid@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          In 2010, a biased and purchased Supreme Court declared that wealthy people are allowed to spend whatever amounts they want to on propaganda. There’s no way to get a word in edgewise.

      • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        To be fair that money can all go to the DNC and get used on “issues” or “support” ads. Officially around 30 million could be used in collaboration with a new campaign committee, but in reality it would all be supporting the nominee.

      • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Yes, she’s the only candidate, but the funds can also go to the DNC or a Super PAC if Biden directs them there.

      • Wojwo@lemmy.ml
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        4 months ago

        Biden can redirect the funds to anyone he chooses. As long as it’s used for a campaign.

    • AmidFuror@fedia.io
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      4 months ago

      Maybe one day a party will nominate your perfect candidate, and then you can watch them get their ass whooped because the policies you support aren’t popular.

      • anticolonialist@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        That’s the thing, the policies supported by socialists are wildly popular until the socialist label goes on it.

      • mean_bean279@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        While I’m not the OP you’re replying to I definitely think Harris is going to be unpopular. The problem isn’t winning over city democrats, it’s winning over Joe Schmo in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Those people are the ones I worry about whether they’ll vote for a minority female candidate and they’re unfortunately the ones whose vote counts. This late in the game, I think the best course of action would have been running some stale white guy that mid westerners could more easily swallow. Though time will only tell and November is quickly approaching.

        Also, is Harris’ politics popular… because last time I checked she was a former prosecutor and a lot of people here on Lemmy were upset about a “cop” being elected to office. She doesn’t seem to have an opinion/political belief.

    • kromem@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I do think others would be stronger (I especially think Whitmer would be a strong candidate), but I think people underestimate just how weak Trump actually is as a candidate right now.

      It just hasn’t been capitalized on because Biden was a fucking mummy, but Trump is old and tried. His RNC speech was just exhausting to even watch, and he is falling asleep in most drawn out public appearances.

      He’s surrounded by yes men who peddle QAnon conspiracy theories and rambles on about things only his most loyal fan base even understand, playing the encore for his fans but leaving any independents or less politically engaged folks bewildered.

      None of this was able to be capitalized on by an ailing and addled Biden, but as long as Harris can be halfway coached to focus on these points and juxtapose them, she’ll be fine (even if I agree there could be much better options than a previous CA senator and law enforcement pick).