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submitted 9 months ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/news@lemmy.world

U.S. Rep. Katie Porter became a social media celebrity by brandishing a white board at congressional hearings to dissect CEOs and break down complex figures into assaults on corporate greed, a signature image that propelled the Democrat’s U.S. Senate candidacy in California.

The progressive favorite known for spotlighting her soccer mom, minivan-driving home life was trounced in Tuesday’s primary election to fill the seat once held by the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, finishing far behind Republican Steve Garvey and fellow Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.

Porter didn’t go down quietly. She immediately pointed a finger at “billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” That claim resulted in a brutal social media backlash from many who were happy to depict the congresswoman as a graceless loser.

Perhaps chastened by the criticism, Porter later clarified her initial statement to say she didn’t believe the California vote count or election process had been compromised, but she didn’t recant her earlier remarks. Rigged, she said in a follow-up, “means manipulated by dishonest means.”

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[-] snooggums@midwest.social 160 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

She immediately pointed a finger at “billionaires spending millions to rig this election.” That claim resulted in a brutal social media backlash from many who were happy to depict the congresswoman as a graceless loser.

Stop booing her, she's right!

[-] TommySalami@lemmy.world 51 points 9 months ago

It's the use of "rigged" that throws me. I agree money in politics is bad, and adds improper influence and incentive into the whole thing. That is not the same context that we have widely seen "rigged" used in the last 8 years. The term brings to mind GOP lies about election integrity, and bogus claims of fraud.

If this was just someone I was talking to I would brush the statement off as bad word choice, and move on if there was nothing else. With it being a statement after an election loss from someone with political experience I struggle to let it slide. Word choice and presenting ideas/policy is a major part of the job she is running for, and I think such poor word choice in a statement she had every opportunity to proofread and consider is worthy of some criticism. Doesn't make her an election denier, or anything of the sort, but it does warrant a little slap on the wrist from the public.

Overall she's right, but there were many better ways to say it.

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[-] olympicyes@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

“Rigged” is a loaded word these days and it was careless of her to use it. She could’ve just said billionaires are gaming the system or some other term that gets her point across. She won twice in Orange County of all places even with district moved, but she ran a poor race. I saw no Porter signs and no one stopped by campaign for her, unlike her house campaigns.

[-] rynzcycle@kbin.social 6 points 9 months ago

No! How dare she accurately describe the problem with American democracy!!

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[-] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 80 points 9 months ago

She was done dirty. Her own party played nasty tricks to keep her from winning.

[-] themadcodger@kbin.earth 60 points 9 months ago

Nasty tricks to keep a populist candidate who isn't a fan of the current capitalist system from winning? Well that certainly sounds familiar.

[-] DancingBear@midwest.social 48 points 9 months ago

DNC is gonna keep doing the same thing they always have. They don’t represent democrat voters nor do they have any accountability to anyone.

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[-] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 6 points 9 months ago

Reminds me of 2016 and we're all aware of how that turned out.

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[-] LostAndSmelly@lemmy.world 70 points 9 months ago

Adam Schiff is so fucking slimey. I do not want that man to represent me. He spent millions to boost a republican so that he would not have to run against Katie Porter. It reminds me of Hillary's superdelegates. The party is broken, the mega rich are pretending to let us have a say and then pretending to fight against the Republicans instead of solving problems.

[-] MeekerThanBeaker@lemmy.world 38 points 9 months ago

I like what Adam Schiff did previously for the country, but I did not like the tactics he did for this election against Porter. Yah, I get that it's politics. But if he needed to boost a Republican in order to not go against another Democrat in the fall, then maybe he's not the best person to represent California.

Now, there's a chance Steve Garvey could win the Senate seat in November. It's a very, very small chance, but it's not zero. Why take that chance when it's so important?

I hope Katie Porter does not go away. She's exactly what this country needs. The only thing I didn't like is that her campaign pretty much copied Schiff's after he did this. She's must've known it was hurting her too much.

[-] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

Well said. It was very selfish of Schiff. Schiff vs Porter in November would've been a win win. Boosting a crazy Republican is an awful decision and is a tactic that's already come back to bite us.

[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 13 points 9 months ago

Turning out a bunch of Democrats to vote would have helped down ballot too.

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[-] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 9 points 9 months ago

Porter responding to blunt dirty tactics is very different from her opponent initiating dirty tactics. Progressives don't benefit from unilaterally disarming. The motivation and cause is very different.

[-] natecox@programming.dev 32 points 9 months ago

I’m a California constituent, and the idea of Adam Schiff representing me over Katie Porter makes me physically ill.

[-] Tja@programming.dev 9 points 9 months ago

And thousands of others prefer it, apparently.

[-] natecox@programming.dev 17 points 9 months ago

Do they? Or does spending millions of dollars campaigning simply effectively manipulate?

The media is a powerful tool, controlled basically exclusively by money.

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[-] lennybird@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

I liked both of them for different reasons. Yes I wanted Porter to win because I believed in her convictions to progressive policy, but if you watched the January 6th hearings, Schiff was fucking amazing.

[-] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 6 points 9 months ago

I was a huge fan before and after the hearings. He was great. I am far, far, less of a fan after seeing this cynical and slimy campaign.

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[-] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 67 points 9 months ago

I love Katie, but she fights the power and the power controls everything

[-] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 51 points 9 months ago

Katie, I'm going to give you the same advice that Jen Barkley gave to Leslie.

Get a better job! Don't be the kid that graduates high school and hangs out in the school parking lot. Be the woman who moves away, climbs the ladder, and confidently comes back, and has sex with their hot old English teacher just for kicks.

We need people like you. Do not give up. If you run for President in 2028, I will volunteer!

[-] lennybird@lemmy.world 50 points 9 months ago

I'm sorry she lost. People like her, Rachel Bitecofer, AOC must be the future of the party.

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago

I'm not even from there, and I'd want to vote for this woman and for AOC.

I feel like it would be good to have more women in power in general, like Jacinda Arden, Yulia Tymoshenko, Sanna Marin. I was super hoping for Magdalena Andersson for prime minister, but we got Ulf Kristersson as CEO instead...

:/

[-] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 36 points 9 months ago

It was only a matter of time after she embarrassed the banks.

Progressive candidates do not thrive in an open democracy.

[-] mods_are_assholes@lemmy.world 26 points 9 months ago

Did you just accidentally misspell 'oligarchy'?

[-] anarchy79@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago

Wait, what? Yes they do? What "open democracy" are you referring to?

[-] EatATaco@lemm.ee 13 points 9 months ago

It sounds edgy enough and it's defeatist, so it's going to be upvoted.

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[-] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 27 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

My 2¢ - she just didn’t do a good job of getting her name out there with many Californians. Her name recognition is big with the wonks and the people in her district, but the people that bested her were doing a better job of getting their names out there. She’s a better candidate, but she didn’t run as good of a campaign.

[-] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 35 points 9 months ago

Ads cost big money, and if your opponent is well-funded by super-rich pacs ... well, you lose.

The money is the issue, and the powerful have most of it.

[-] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

Fair point.

The lack of press is what stood out to me the most. But if I think about it for a sec, Schiff managed Trump’s impeachment, he was on the Jan 6 committee, etc. So when the press wants to talk to a democrat about Trump’s crimes, they often knock on his door. He is a talking head that people pulled anytime Trump’s name came up - which happens all the damn time.

Porter not only had to run the ads and buy the mailers, but she needed a way to compete with the organic press that Schiff was going to get. And she wasn’t able to pull that off.

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[-] Dkarma@lemmy.world 23 points 9 months ago

Move to WI Run for Senate.

Her kind of no nonsense politics really sells in the Midwest.

[-] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 19 points 9 months ago

Damn. I loved her white board slapdowns.

[-] maculata@aussie.zone 16 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

She was AWESOME.

[-] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.world 15 points 9 months ago

She had my vote mar 5th

[-] harderian729@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

We don't want to solve these problems.

Most people think the disparity in wealth should grow, so that's what it does.

I have no hope for civilization and just look out for myself and those close to me, now.

[-] Savaran@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago

As I tell my kids. There’s no reason to like the game, and spend your entire lives doing what you can to change it for the better, but while you’re doing that, and to change the game, you’re going to have to play it as best you can.

We’re not going to change to a utopia overnight, it has to be one little change at a time and people have to work to get to the place to make those changes first.

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 9 points 9 months ago

I'm not sure most people think that. But the ones with money and power do.

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this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2024
346 points (96.5% liked)

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