An initiative aimed at boosting Democrats online offers influencers up to $8,000 a month to push the party line. All they have to do is keep it secret—and agree to restrictions on their content.
Right now Democrats (capital D, party Democrats) have a trust issue with their voter. And consistent with the most technocratic of approaches, they’re convinced that its just “how” their message" is getting across, and not the content of the message itself or the integrity of the person delivering it.
I really wish I had more time, because there is a study to be done tracking Mandami’s progress in this last election and his use of leftist media. Specifically, going on Hassan Piker when he was polling at 8%. Shows like The Majority Report, Bituation room, many others gave real time to Mandami and had him on. Democrats really, really hurt themselves between 2020-2024 where they basically abandoned attendance to leftist, online media (where it had propelled them 2016-2020. But this time, it broke through, and I think there is a key learning here: Democratic voters aren’t getting their news from mainstream media any more.
And this is critical in the context of the above headline; online viewership in online media spaces, especially on the left, is dependent entirely on trust. Frankly, we’ve been burned too many times, so purity testing/ witch hunting here necessary is what keeps the media space in line. Its a necessary evil for qualifying as leftist media, that yes we’re going to hold you to certain standards which, if you violate, we will burn you. This necessary filter has resulted in a better, more aligned, more quality media landscape.
So if any leftist media or media claiming leftism were to come in and start repeating capital D Democratic talking points, it would be the death of them. They would get burned so hard and fast its a conversation, not worth having, in practicality.
That being said, it won’t stop astroturfing these messages, so keep you hackles raised.
It’s always been amazing to me to watch the Democratic leadership complain about their “messaging problem”, instead of trying to fix their “policy problem”.
Welcome to American politics.
How do you think clowns like Charlie Kirk or Ezra Klein have a job?
Hey I like Ezra.
“If I want to work with another politician, I have to fully collaborate with them,” said one creator who was offered the contract but ultimately declined to take it and asked not to be named. “If I get Zohran and he wants to [do an] interview with me, I don’t want to give that to them.”
Creators in the program are not allowed to use any funds or resources that they receive as part of the program to make content that supports or opposes any political candidate or campaign without express authorization from Chorus in advance and in writing, per the contract.
The fact that anyone signed these contracts really shows that it’s not new media that’s game-changing on the left, it’s the politics themselves. Even if the line was more thought out than, “Pokémon go to the polls” it’d still be vapid coming from someone who doesn’t speak to the issues or wants to means test and austerity check the assistance to death.
