It might be a nice troll of FB, but @jack's decision to ban political advertising is a huge blow to progressives, and a boon to big-money candidates.
Twitter and FB are where candidates build and organize lists of supporters, that they then turn into donors and volunteers /1
Twitter and FB are where candidates build and organize lists of supporters, that they then turn into donors and volunteers /1
Those lists are way more valuable to progressives who believe in something and can motivate people to give and take action than they are to centrist candidates. Kamala, for instance, has a HUGE email list, but can't raise money from it. /2
If tech monopolies block candidates from using their platforms to grow their support, progressive candidates are screwed. Go check how much @berniesanders & @ewarren spend on Twitter and FB to see how important it is.
@BernieSanders @ewarren There is a belief, rooted in simple ignorance of how campaigns work, that this won't hurt somebody like @BernieSanders because he already has an army and can raise it organically. He does have an army, but he still spends a lot on social media advertising because it works for him
@BernieSanders @ewarren The other political force that will be hurt by this is the populist right, but guess what - they have enough big money they'll be okay. The left would die.
One thing I wrote about in my book is how Jackson's '88 campaign was hobbled by an inability to turn energy into small $$
One thing I wrote about in my book is how Jackson's '88 campaign was hobbled by an inability to turn energy into small $$
@BernieSanders @ewarren Think about it this way: If you believe that there is untapped working-class potential out there to build a movement, don't you think that a lot of those folks are reachable through social media?
If they're untapped, it helps to sponsor a post to target them. That's the point
If they're untapped, it helps to sponsor a post to target them. That's the point
@BernieSanders @ewarren @AOC saying you shouldn't be able to spend to spread disinfo is great (though problematic if Daily Caller determines what's true) but this would extend to any info. A look at her FEC filing shows she spent 100s of thousands last quarter alone on social media ads, cuz they work 
@BernieSanders @ewarren @AOC Reading the replies here, there's a willful refusal to engage with reality.
@BernieSanders @ewarren @AOC If only Twitter bans ads, that'll hurt progressive candidates but it wouldn't be fatal. If Facebook does it too, that's damn near fatal in this ecosystem. That's how unknown candidates find supporters, persuade them to join their email list/contact info, then organize them.
Also there’s really no such thing as “organic” reach on an unaccountable monopoly’s platform. They dictate your reach, whether organic or paid, as FB has done in crushing organic reach.
