There are not huge numbers of people who will believe the astroturfing.
OTOH, RW propaganda works by spewing thousands of these false flag ops
and false freak-outs. If each one reaches and converts just 1,000 voters nationwide, the aggregate effect is millions of people are swayed to the Dark Side’s misinformation.
Separately from the above, if all this does in increase the vehemence of dislike for BLM by the BLM-haters, that in itself is still useful to the Dark Side. Getting folks to think:
This proves those BLM fools don’t even believe in their own ideas; I knew they were nothing but fake outrage from the git-go! … etc.
makes it all the harder for the real BLM movement to have any traction anywhere near the middle of the political spectrum. They’ve been thoroughly shot in the foot. Not by themselves, but by somebody masquerading as themselves. And most folks in the audience don’t see through the disguise.
They actively try to pretend they are, though. They said stuff about how this was only their opinion and the people in the foundation, but that “other individual chapters” under them might not agree.
I honestly wasn’t clear it was this clear cut. I thought they were generally thought to be on the same side as the movement–more a subset of the movement, than astroterfers.
I might have gotten less angry if I’d understood that.
Reading the website, it seems to me that they are the sort of far left thinkers ,akin to some of the Bernie bros., who think that the only reason far left politicians win the Democratic nomination is that democracy is being suppressed by the powerful elites in the DNC, rather than by the fact that most Democrats are somewhat centrist. So the fact that the torch was passed from mainstream Biden to mainstream Harris is evidence that the fix is in.
What I imagine they have in mind is a virtual mass meeting which they publicize to their followers but which otherwise doesn’t really get much publicity outside, and so when they run the virtual “primary”, low and behold, Harris comes in behind Cornell West, or maybe even Cicely Gay herself, proving that they were right all along.
My most charitable take is that they feel that Black people aren’t being taken seriously and are just being assumed to be along for the ride. They also could be afraid that the Republican narrative might drive away voters, especially among black people, and that having this sort of thing would actually refute the whole “antidemocratic” nonsense.
If they actually pulled this off—actually getting the movement on board—it could make Democrats have to take Black concerns more seriously while helping with (what they see as) a problem. It wouldn’t change the nominee, but they’d have their concerns on record, and push her more towards supporting them—just like what happens with less viable candidates in a primary.
But, as I pointed out, the problem is that we are in a very perilous time right now. You don’t want to do things like this when even being successful could cause a loss. And you don’t say the same things the right wingers are saying, because you’re validating their talking points.
Thing is, their sassy replies makes me think this isn’t it, as they didn’t do anything to argue against when people were pointing out the problems but give thought terminating cliches. Your idea makes a lot more sense.
Maybe I can possibly just think of them as young idealists who think they understand politics and that the problem is just that the left isn’t trying hard enough. And not that the US is a center-right country.
Then I can just say they need to spend more time trying to get people into local office, to build a base onto which they can then maybe try to get them into higher office. Build a party, rather than expecting the Dems to become your party.
Many of us thought he was an idiot about it, but did we call him a troll? Can’t recall. Remember, back then there was no “What were you thinking?” thread, so even merely annoying posters ended up in the omnibus troll thread.
Just heard about this,
They could pull this off since the rules allow for 300 total delegates from no less than 6 states to nominate anyone.
Of course, they don’t have the delegates so this entire thing is stupid performance art that is, purely coincidently, mimicking right wing talking points (the ‘the democrat party isn’t democratic’).
As a life-long Libertarian (well, since I was twenty-two) I have to say that is a long, stony path that leads to nowhere. The two-party system is so firmly entrenched in American society – de facto, not de jure – that even when you do manage to get some into local offices* they are as sparks on wet kindling, shining brightly for a moment then fading out.
Let’s face it. At least two-thirds, possibly three-quarters, of the American voters don’t give a damn about politics except for four to six months every four years. Coupled with the reporting media’s habit of making every political race into a horse race (first past the post?) a small movement’s best option is to get included in the Big Tent offered by the two older parties. The danger in that is, as mentioned here, being taken for granted.
If the Republican party implodes in the next cycle or two ala the Whigs, allowing room for another party to take its place I can see the Libertarian party rising to take their place, but since it has become dominated by the Mises caucus, that’s difference without distinction.
*The Libertarian party has managed to get a handful of candidates as high as state legislatures and one to the federal House (he converted after elected). Do you know of any?