I think that most billionaires are clueless to how savagely hated they are by the larger population.

This is a realization that I’ve come to:

that humans survive (and thrive) when there is a genuine organization based in part on empathy. When a human tries to disrupt this organization for their own gain then it’s in the best interest of the group to ostracize and remove that human from the group.

Yet to many of this followers these stories are all just bullshit lefty propaganda to smear the name of their great leader. They aren’t completely dumb they just have been brainwashed to only believe certain people and certain news organizations.

This is a great starting list from @[email protected] to questions I had about running for office, because it does seem overwhelming:

Definitely good questions. I couldn’t find any “Beginners Guide to Running for Office”, so I sat up for a while chugging coffee and reading a whole bunch of local election board websites and other related sources, and this is what I came up with. This is by no means a comprehensive list or plan, but I tried to break down the main components of running for a local office in the most general terms possible, so it could be applied more broadly.

Preparation

Figure out which office you want to run for, where you think you can make the most difference with your skill-set in your community.
Research the responsibilities of the office you’re seeking. Attend school board or city council (or whatever) meetings to see how they operate. Take lots of notes or record it if allowed.
Identify key issues in your community, your potential opponents, and the demographics of your district.
Clearly articulate why you’re running and what you hope to achieve. This will be the foundation of your campaign.
Check your local election board for eligibility requirements like residency, age, filing deadlines, and paperwork.
    Here’s a portal to all state and local election offices - https://www.usa.gov/state-election-office
    Leon County, Florida Supervisor of Elections has a great breakdown that should give you a general idea of the necessary requirements, deadlines, and paperwork - https://www.leonvotes.gov/Candidates-Elected-Officials-and-Campaign-Finance/How-to-Run-for-Local-Office

Campaign Team

Campaign Manager: Appoint someone to oversee operations. Preferably someone with some political savvy and/or managerial experience.
Treasurer: Appoint someone to manage finances and ensure compliance with campaign finance laws.
Volunteers: Recruit a team of dedicated volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and event support. The number of volunteers will vary, depending on the size of your campaign, but there’s no such thing as too many.
Advisors: Network with local community leaders and activists who share your vision, and listen to them. They have their ears to the ground, and can offer critical advice on what your community needs.

Campaign Strategy

Set a budget and determine how much money you’ll need for materials, advertising, and events. Focus on grassroots fundraising. This seems to be the most difficult part with no clear answer, so look into the campaign financing of previous candidates running for the same office to get an idea of how much it’ll likely cost.
Develop a clear, concise message that resonates with voters.
Identify your base and tailor your outreach to their concerns.
Map out key milestones like filing deadlines, debates, voter registration deadlines, and Election Day. Set realistic goals to accomplish by those dates.

Build Your Brand

Create a professional logo and a memorable slogan that reflects your values. Say what you want about Trump, but “Make America Great Again” and “MAGA” are a great slogan/logo combo. It’s simple, clear, and easy to remember.
Build a simple website with your bio, platform, and contact info. Use social media to engage voters and share updates.
Print flyers, yard signs, and business cards to distribute in the community.

Community Engagement

Knock on doors to introduce yourself and listen to voters concerns.
Show up at community gatherings, fairs, and town halls to build visibility.
Organize meet-and-greets, town halls, or fundraisers to connect with voters.
Seek support from local leaders, organizations, and activists to boost your credibility and visibility.
Volunteer at homeless shelters, food banks, and other places. Even just a day here and there can make all the difference. Engage with employees, customers, and residents about your campaign. Listen to their concerns, and offer viable solutions.

Fundraising

Focus on grassroots fundraising by asking friends, family, and community members for small contributions.
Set up a donation portal on your website and promote it on social media.
Keep detailed records of all donations and expenses to comply with campaign finance laws.

Messaging

Send press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to announce your candidacy and major events.
Participate in candidate debates and forums to showcase your platform.
Post regularly about your platform, events, and endorsements. Engage with people in the comments.
Send postcards or letters to targeted voters highlighting your key issues.

Get People to Vote

Help eligible voters register before the deadline.
Encourage supporters to vote early or by mail if available.
Organize volunteers to remind voters to cast their ballots and offer rides to the polls if needed.

Again, this is by no means a comprehensive, foolproof plan. I didn’t include many resources, because requirements, deadlines, and paperwork all vary by state and county. These just seemed to be the most common points I picked up from a number of sources, and should at least give you an idea of how and what to research further.

Personally, I have no ambition to run for office because I’m already 50 and don’t want to add to the pool of geriatrics running this country. We need to hand the torch to young people. That said, I will help any way I can if someone younger wants to run. Speech writing, phone banking, logo design, or pretty much anything else, I will gladly offer my services for free.

I honestly think that both parties like to not be in power for this very reason. All the money and none of the responsibilities. Pretty sweet setup

JFC I’d actually appreciate the maga version of the Democrats.

These fictional Democrats are organized, well funded, cohesive and seem to have a great long term strategy for ruining republicans. With an organization like that you’d think that they would be in control of the government?

I think nothing would elevate the hatred of billionaires more than if they buy up the national parks for their own private estates.

Great Smokey national park is now the walton’s family compound

Rocky Mountain National park is now the gates compound

Yosemite becomes musk’s outdoor playground

The grand canyon is bezo’s now

Just writing that elevated my blood pressure

Great list, thank you for putting it together!

Yes they did but they didn’t lose control of their narrative which is weak and feckless.

“give me more money and keep me in power and I promise to not do much.” and “don’t look left, they are crazy!”

Not saying it can’t be done, obviously it can but to many people saying “run for office” is like saying “build a car”.

Are there primers on how to start with a campaign for people that have the desire but not the knowledge?

What is all involved in starting and running a successful campaign?

How much time do you need to dedicate to the campaign?

What would be the personal cost for running for office?

Who do you need to hire to help you (manager, donation specialist, volunteer coordinator, etc)?

My guess to this is that the higher the office the more people and money you will need.

I’m not writing this to be contrary but to really get answers - I think more people would be more open to the idea if they could see what a campaign needs to be successful.

There is a reason the main Democratic leadership is not pushing a more left leaning agenda, they would lose. If the left got a foothold on the national conversation like maga did then the middle of the road Democrats fear they will go the way of the middle of the road Republicans and that is out of power.

I think one of the reasons that OWS struggled was a lack of a clear message and a lack of leadership.

But I think it finally ended with “necessary” outdoor camping laws that most cities put into place to breakup the camps. That and the moderates laughing at them instead of supporting them.

republicans remain cautious about directly confronting Musk, who spent $288 million supporting GOP candidates in 2024 and threatened to fund primary challengers against opponents.

There are systems to fund political campaigns that don’t involve kissing the boots of one billionaire. Systems that would allow these politicians to actually feel free to more closely represent their constituents. But I don’t see the current crop of politicians wanting to really work too much, they would rather sell their soul to one man and then impotently complain about it.

if one man can build a baseball field in a corn field that brings back the dead, then trump can do the same with manufacturing.

That’s how it works right?.. right?

It’s an idealized world that was created by ad agencies to sell shit to people.

in other words Norway has “fuck you money”

So what are you doing?

Are you organizing people to go out and protest or are you just being a keyboard warrior? You know that phrase put up or shut up? Why are you not out pulling people in to a long protest? If you are why are you not taking this time to get more people in your protest? If you are not then you are no better than all these people that you’re bitching about.

You’re right this is a conversation that is going no where you’re just here to bitch and really not do anything. Later.

Yes, Americans have been pacified - though I think most western countries’ populations are to some extent. And because of that pacification they are not going to jump up and do the really difficult stuff of resistance until it starts effecting them more - this I agree with. But your argument or your complaint sounds like if Americans don’t jump from pacification to doing the hard stuff nothing else matters. It’s all or nothing in your mind.

But that isn’t how it works, small protests and boycotts on large scales do have some impact. They also demonstrate to Americans that resistance does work and possible get them to do more. If there is small successes then larger, more difficult resistance has the chance to grow and be sustained.

should these protest happen sooner and more often, sure but they didn’t and that is arguments for history - So maybe this administration will actually prompt more people to start doing more uncomfortable actions to change the country for the better?

Americans have not had to protest like this in many many decades. That is it’s been “good enough” for a large part of the population to not really do anything, so there is no system that people can tap into like in France. So thinking that you are going to get a million+ people to go into the streets and shut everything down for a few weeks isn’t realistic.

American protest opposition also has a great response to these gatherings by getting them to turn into riots so there is justification for military style responses. Which makes people on the fence hesitant. Getting people to dip their toe in the lake of resistance is the best way forward. It’s slow, it looks silly and limiting but if it works it emboldens more people to do more.

The irony is that it might then be a car with the potential to piss off two groups

I get why people don’t want to piss off some of the maga people. they do seem a bit snowflake-y and overly armed but at the same time not expressing yourself due to this fear is giving them more power than they deserve.