There has been a renewed wave of scrutiny in recent weeks over Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s unlikely campaign – and the extent to which her party is shelling out fat paychecks to young influencers to spread the “Gospel of Kamala” to their thousands of followers.
Rather than earn the votes of her party, Harris benefitted from a last-minute swap-out with the support of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She was handed the nomination in a late-night “virtual roll call” in lieu of having to earn the endorsement of primary voters.
Most legacy media outlets claim Harris won the September 10 debate on ABC, without highlighting the extent to which the moderators went easy on her and tough on her opponent, former president Trump.
Less known is the extent to which Harris and the DNC have relied on young social media influencers to gin up her support among voter groups not inclined to be enthusiastic about a candidate people still know little about.
The highest-profile example of this effort occurred during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On August 4, internet personality Dom Lucre went viral with allegations that the Harris campaign was paying celebrities and influencers to attend the convention. According to Lucre, public relations firms had been “paid by the campaign to inform celebrities and influencers that they can be compensated by the DNC,” along with flights, accommodation, and “exclusive invites to private parties and events.”
Matt Hill, senior communications director for the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), quickly denied the allegations. “We are credentialing content creators the same way we credential media, and we do not pay either to cover our event.”
Despite this denial, a new review of federal filings and the Democratic Party’s own public statements suggest Hill’s denial is pure spin.
Indeed, the Democratic Party had previously announced that it was “welcoming credentialed content creators” to the 2024 DNC. For the first time ever, social media influencers could apply for prestigious media credentials formerly reserved for institutional media outlets – a novel effort ostensibly “to ensure more Americans than ever before can take part in the democratic process,” explained the video posted to X.
But this wasn’t the full picture. Just two days after Lucre published his allegations, CBS News ran a very similar story, stating that “Democratic organizations are flooding the creator community with cash and providing behind-the-scenes access.” The piece confirmed that the Harris campaign was actively working with said influencers, while funneling payments through “a constellation of other Democratic political organizations.”
One such influencer, Awa Saneh, was hired by several Democratic super PACs to create TikTok videos based on “their talking points,” a gig that she suggests can pay “from $3,000 to $10,000 and upwards.” Protect Our Care, one of the organizations that hired Saneh, is run by Brad Woodhouse, who previously worked as communications director for the DNC. Saneh confirmed that “her next stop is the Democratic National Convention, where she and other influencers [had] been invited to make more content.”
While some influencers reportedly paid their own way to Chicago, others received funding for their efforts from unnamed “sponsors and organizations” – perhaps among the aforementioned “constellation” of Democratic organizations – and, in at least some cases, this apparently included the DNC itself, per FEC data. For example, Edgar Vilchez, a 19-year-old anti-gun violence influencer from Chicago who delivered “brief remarks” at the event, received $2,760 in “stipend” payments, apparently associated with an internship he held with the DNCC.
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Rather than earn the votes of her party, Harris benefitted from a last-minute swap-out with the support of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). She was handed the nomination in a late-night “virtual roll call” in lieu of having to earn the endorsement of primary voters.
Most legacy media outlets claim Harris won the September 10 debate on ABC, without highlighting the extent to which the moderators went easy on her and tough on her opponent, former president Trump.
Less known is the extent to which Harris and the DNC have relied on young social media influencers to gin up her support among voter groups not inclined to be enthusiastic about a candidate people still know little about.
The highest-profile example of this effort occurred during the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. On August 4, internet personality Dom Lucre went viral with allegations that the Harris campaign was paying celebrities and influencers to attend the convention. According to Lucre, public relations firms had been “paid by the campaign to inform celebrities and influencers that they can be compensated by the DNC,” along with flights, accommodation, and “exclusive invites to private parties and events.”
Matt Hill, senior communications director for the 2024 Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), quickly denied the allegations. “We are credentialing content creators the same way we credential media, and we do not pay either to cover our event.”
Despite this denial, a new review of federal filings and the Democratic Party’s own public statements suggest Hill’s denial is pure spin.
Indeed, the Democratic Party had previously announced that it was “welcoming credentialed content creators” to the 2024 DNC. For the first time ever, social media influencers could apply for prestigious media credentials formerly reserved for institutional media outlets – a novel effort ostensibly “to ensure more Americans than ever before can take part in the democratic process,” explained the video posted to X.
According to NPR, the DNC invited over 200 young social media “content creators,” many of whom were new to politics, in an effort to reach first-time Gen Z voters. These hand-picked youngsters were given the VIP treatment, per reporting from CNN, complete with an “exclusive lounge” and assigned campaign staff to escort them around the convention.
But this wasn’t the full picture. Just two days after Lucre published his allegations, CBS News ran a very similar story, stating that “Democratic organizations are flooding the creator community with cash and providing behind-the-scenes access.” The piece confirmed that the Harris campaign was actively working with said influencers, while funneling payments through “a constellation of other Democratic political organizations.”
One such influencer, Awa Saneh, was hired by several Democratic super PACs to create TikTok videos based on “their talking points,” a gig that she suggests can pay “from $3,000 to $10,000 and upwards.” Protect Our Care, one of the organizations that hired Saneh, is run by Brad Woodhouse, who previously worked as communications director for the DNC. Saneh confirmed that “her next stop is the Democratic National Convention, where she and other influencers [had] been invited to make more content.”
While some influencers reportedly paid their own way to Chicago, others received funding for their efforts from unnamed “sponsors and organizations” – perhaps among the aforementioned “constellation” of Democratic organizations – and, in at least some cases, this apparently included the DNC itself, per FEC data. For example, Edgar Vilchez, a 19-year-old anti-gun violence influencer from Chicago who delivered “brief remarks” at the event, received $2,760 in “stipend” payments, apparently associated with an internship he held with the DNCC.
Read the Whole Article
The post Will the DNC’s Craven Grab for Young Voters Backfire? appeared first on LewRockwell.
The post <a href=https://www.lewrockwell.com/2024/10/no_author/will-the-dncs-craven-grab-for-young-voters-backfire/ target=_blank >Will the DNC’s Craven Grab for Young Voters Backfire?</a> appeared first on Conservative Angle | Conservative Angle - Conservative News Clearing House
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