Obama’s comments appear in a new video supporting Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 50 which would allow the California legislature to draw new congressional boundaries ahead of the midterms

Barack Obama has entered the political fray ahead of November’s special election in California, accusing Republicans of attempting to “rig the next election” in a new ad backing Governor Gavin Newsom’s Proposition 50, a ballot measure that could reshape the state’s congressional map.

“Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to rig the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years,” Obama says in the 30-second ad, urging voters to approve the proposal. “You can stop Republicans in their tracks.”

  • TipsyMcGee@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    12 hours ago

    All this astrofurfing and campaigning for Newsom is just a proactive effort to preempt any radical voices from gaining traction from the anti-Trump momentum. That’s the top of their agenda right now, institutional integrity and democracy is at best second.

    • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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      3 hours ago

      this has little to do with campaigning for newsom… it’s about supporting the counter to republican gerrymandering

      you might be right in general, but this is not that context

    • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      This is a great example of “the left” being manipulated to turn on itself. Newsom ain’t great but he is better than anything my former party Republicans put forth. If he makes it through the primaries, please for the love of Satan vote for him in the general. If Republicans win again it’s completely over. If I were still one I’d be completely OK with so many worse things happening. Be more scared of what is yet to come than a groveling centrist like Newsom.

      • Tinidril@midwest.social
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        1 hour ago

        Newsom would be Trump if he lived in Texas. If he is the Democratic nominee in 2028 then I personally am giving up on politics. I’ve been fighting for a better Democratic party for 40 years, and after all that they are worse than the Republicans were when I started. No, fuck that. Newsom would be the last straw for me. If he gets the nomination, there is no saving the country anyways.

        • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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          31 minutes ago

          If I see you headed on a train to the camps I’ll make sure go give you a thumbs up while you roll by. Giving up is pathetic. Go dig your grave and don’t complain when they come for you.

          • Tinidril@midwest.social
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            18 minutes ago

            Has 40 years of supporting corrupt Democrats saved us from the camps? It sure doesn’t look like it to me. Camps are proceeding right on schedule. That’s the whole point. At best the camps get put on hold for four years. At worst, they get diversity quotas for the guards.

      • Michael@slrpnk.net
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        5 hours ago

        This is a great example of “the left” being manipulated to turn on itself.

        Yeah, Obama is dividing the left with another power play. People don’t want Newsom for a number of reasons. People want to vote for an actual leader who has principles.

        • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          Vote for him in the general regardless. Why is this so hard? Vote in the primary and show up in the general. Our voting system is so simple.

          • Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz
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            3 hours ago

            Nah, that just encourages them to ratfuck progressives. I am not voting for Newsom in the general.

          • Michael@slrpnk.net
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            4 hours ago

            I couldn’t vote for Bernie Sanders in the 2020 primary because of Obama’s power play. Convincing effectively all candidates to drop out and endorse Biden was election interference.

            Our voting system is already rigged and the person warning that Republicans are rigging the next election is responsible, in part.

      • EldenLord@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        You both can be right with these seemingly opposed stances. Doesn‘t matter actually, all that matters is that the left is divided and the right isn‘t. That‘s all it takes for evil to win.

        Change that!

        • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          This is my point reiterated. I don’t like newsom either, but i would vote for him 1x10^100 if he were the candidate in the general. The “he is being normalized” shit is why the left loses all the time. Complain about him, but don’t assume enough centrists wont vote for him in the primaries for him to be the general candidate. I’m tired of people not voting, then bitching about the current administration.

        • pahlimur@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          And? Of course they are going to do this shit. Good people don’t rise against great evil, sort of evil people use it to slither into power.

      • Michael@slrpnk.net
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        5 hours ago

        would have any chance in hell of winning

        …why do you believe that? Kamala was the opposite of radical and lost horribly to Trump.

        If anything, it’s worth trying to run on something progressive or otherwise substantive, since running on status quo policies doesn’t seem to be working.