• Krauerking@lemy.lol
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    1 month ago

    I tried to run for a small local position with the DNC using one of their arms that is for “funding and supporting small progressives” well that first bit is a lie. First question they asked me was how much money I had and if I had rich family to fund my campaign.

    I told them not really but I would rather talk policy and maybe alternatives to spending money and they told me to pretend to be religious to find a good church to get donations from cause there are some rich churches.

    I told them I was a Buddhist and happy for it, and they suggested I either find some other wealthy Buddhists cause they were sure I should be able to find some or maybe I should consider not running at all and just donating to this group or volunteering for free to them.

    This will take acceptance and support from the people that run the party and all the wealthy party owners that view themselves better than working class because of their connections and wealth.

    • MonkRome@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I’ve worked for the party and even helped recruit candidates. Some of what you’re writing here seems very inconsistent with how we did things at least in Minnesota and Wisconsin. No one would ever address religion or social class at all here. And funding your own campaign is usually a fools errand, because raising money helps people become invested in your campaign.

      But candidates are still expected to fundraise in some way shape or form. You can’t be a viable candidate in today’s world without money. Until elections are publicly funded and banned from raising their own money, money will always be necessary. The ability to fundraise also proves viability, people that raise money show people are quite literally invested in your campaign, making them statistically likely to vote and more likely to volunteer for ‘get out the vote’ efforts.

      • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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        1 month ago

        I understand all that but instead of starting with ways to start naturally and get your name out there it was directly to money. No, conversation on anything else. Just a dollar threshold for us to hit or get out of their hair.

        This was with the “run for something” group while in Florida. But there was definitely people from other states and they were all equally disturbed at the immediate grilling for us to fund ourselves and to be in a major religion.

        I do get that it seems ass backwards and incompatible with how a person would actually run for a local position and it’s why a lot of people have become disenfranchised by the whole system and party.

          • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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            1 month ago

            Oh sure. And I left but the group I worked with is national and as they brag the largest entry point for new candidates and they weren’t the state.

            Florida just ends up an easy excuse to ignore that it’s millions of people experiencing situations closer to mine.

            It’s not like Florida was a swing state or anything with a huge population and economy.