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[-] kibiz0r@midwest.social 45 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

In an effort to gain ~~votes from moderates and republicans~~ campaign contributions from billionaires

(Not even a dig, just the economic reality of modern campaign finance. What do you do, as a progressive running against a fascist, if you’re offered a chance to 10x your reach, and “all you have to do” is downplay your most controversial positions?)

(Edit: Quotes around “all you have to do”)

[-] ea6927d8@lemmy.ml 18 points 6 days ago

The thing is that they do not simply stop saying what they supposedly believe, they work towards policies that aren't in the interests of their voters.

[-] kibiz0r@midwest.social 13 points 6 days ago

Oh yeah, the rest of the meme still 100% applies.

You know the four most ~~expensive~~ dangerous words in the English language, right? “This time it’s different”.

[-] lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 6 days ago

Campaign spending has diminishing marginal returns: past making a voter aware of a candidate or an issue, it doesn't do much. It's not the decisive factor in a partisan, general election, where party affiliation & incumbency matter more. The relation between campaign finances & election outcomes is correlation rather than causation. Donors contribute to candidates likelier to win, and wealthy donors contribute large sums to improve their access to the winner.

In major elections where the voters already know the candidates pretty well, advertisement money is mostly wasted. An advertisement is unlikely to cause a voter to flip parties.

Money matters more in primary races & local elections full of unknown candidates lacking an incumbent. There, ads help raise awareness of candidates & issues voters hadn't known about. Multiple candidates of the same party may run, so party affiliation isn't decisive, and advertising matters more.

[-] iceonfire1@lemmy.world 21 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

The meme mentions this like it's a Democrat issue, but Republicans do the same thing.

For example, Trump disavowed Project 2025 policies as too extreme, but then obviously followed them very closely.

The issue is election winners are almost always the one with >50% popular support. So candidates are incentivized to align their policies with those of the median voter. This persists across different voting systems, so rebuilding it for that reason may not help.

But you can still elect a progressive by voting for them in the primary election (where they can be more authentic) or if the median voter becomes more progressive (more progressives vote).

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 13 points 6 days ago

So candidates are incentivized to align their policies with those of the median voter.

*The median donor. The median voter is way to the left of your average Dem politician.

[-] commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

he didn't stop trum from getting elected to a second term

edit: somehow responded to the wrong comment. whoops

[-] Formfiller@lemmy.world 16 points 6 days ago

The democrats are owned by Israel and the same Zionist billionaires but any time I bring up this easily provable fact people always freak out and mob because I’m saying both sides are bad. It’s literally the facts https://www.trackaipac.com/congress

[-] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

It's over for establishment Dems in my eyes. I refuse to vote for any candidate that is a Zionist or a liberal. I voted for them my whole life and this is where it got me. I'd rather not vote and let MAGA destroy this country than allow those snakes into office again.

[-] Ryanmiller70@lemmy.zip 8 points 6 days ago

.world idiots get big mad at facts

[-] MrErr@piefed.world 10 points 6 days ago

Joe Biden changed nothing. Even if Kamala Harris won, nothing would have changed. Without changes people like Trump will always be able to win elections. So until the democratic party is willing to bring some real changes, I say let things fall fast, then something new can be built without the Republicans or democrats. 

[-] nexguy@lemmy.world 23 points 6 days ago

"I say let things fall fast"

You must not be in the crosshairs of the Trump regime... yet.

[-] Tempus_Fugit@lemmy.world 8 points 6 days ago

Well I'm pretty sure everyone on this platform is considered a domestic terrorist now because of NSPM-7. I'm still not going to vote for liberals or Zionists. I'd rather die fighting.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 6 points 6 days ago

I see where you're coming from, but "let things fall fast" is playing right into the hands of capital. Times of crisis aren't storms to be waiting out; they're opportunities for radical organization and action.

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[-] lmmarsano@lemmynsfw.com -2 points 6 days ago

Written like someone who doesn't understand the goddamn point of primaries & local activism.

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[-] Skullgrid@lemmy.world -2 points 6 days ago

Joe Biden changed nothing.

really? Joe Biden continued disregarding the CDC with regards to COVID and a zillion other things he did different to trump?

[-] mononoke@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Joe Biden continued disregarding the CDC with regards to COVID

His administration repeatedly said that the pandemic was over, you don't need to wear masks anymore, you can go back to work, and then Omicron happened. None of that was at any point ever true. Biden himself caught COVID during the very press release he gave to say COVID was over in September of 2022! COVID/Long COVID are still billable conditions in hospitals; doesn't sound very "over" to me! Everyone is always sick. They sell 4-in-1 swab tests OTC at pharmacies now. Is it really over? "Back to normal" happened with his administration's blessings in 2022, and that playbook was primed as early as the second year of the pandemic in 2021, under Biden. Now no one cares about the most communicable disease in history that shows no evidence of ever being cleared, has no cure, and is still spreading and mutating to be vaccine-avoidant like a wildfire, not just the anti-vaccination crowd. Tons of opportunistic viruses re-emerge with new outbreaks of one terrible thing or another spreading every year because people are wrecking their immune systems catching COVID over and over and over, even while vaccinated. All of that happened during the Biden years. All of that continues to happen because the good blue man said we could go to the movies again. He is culpable.

[-] Skullgrid@lemmy.world -3 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

what are your current daily covid prevention steps?

EDIT : And are you sure you want to claim that Biden's covid plan is as bad as "shove lightbulbs up your ass, wash down horse de-wormer with bleach"?

[-] Grail@multiverse.soulism.net 1 points 6 days ago

Watch out folks, there's a lot of people in this thread who have been manipulated by the Democrats into saying you shouldn't vote for the Democrats.

[-] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago

Wow, you'd think I threatened to kill someone with my comments being removed. Mods around lemmy are idiots. I hate this place sometimes. Ya'll are no better than reddit.

[-] tlekiteki@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 6 days ago

Vote for people with actual integrity who don't lie for popularity?

this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
446 points (95.0% liked)

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