As the finger-pointing begins, and the autopsy of the Kamala Harris campaign continues, financial details are being released on how the Harris campaign managed to blow more than $1 billion in war-chest funds — and not only lose, but get wiped off the electoral map by Donald Trump, who ended his campaign with roughly $488 million. That’s not a Dr. Evil typo: Kamala Harris not only blew a billion dollars, but actually ended up $20 million in debt.

As it turns out, the Harris campaign wasn’t run much differently. As reported in the Washington Examiner, the Harris campaign spent upwards of six figures to build a custom set for her appearance on the Call Me Daddy podcast, which only netted about 800,000 downloads.

There were seven swing-state concerts that involved high-priced performers — Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi, Ricky Martin and more — who seemingly ended up costing the Harris campaign more than $20 million on event production alone, and reportedly even more on paying the celebrities to appear. Even Oprah Winfrey charged the campaign $1 million to show up. The campaign went so far into debt that the campaign was reportedly forced to scrap Canadian Nineties indie-pop singer Alanis Morissette to save money. The pop concert campaign strategy is said to have been the brainchild of former Obama advisors on the campaign.

Of course it was lmao. I saw approximately one million ads of the Democratic politicians begging for donations, and I'm not even on their email and phone lists. Thinking about all the regular working people who donated their hard-earned money for it to be lit on fire by a PodJohn

https://thespectator.com/newsletter/kamala-harris-ran-the-fyre-festival-of-campaigns-bad-press-11-11-2024/

Edit: I had almost forgotten about the Kamala Fashion Week party

  • ElChapoDeChapo [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    As it turns out, the Harris campaign wasn’t run much differently. As reported in the Washington Examiner, the Harris campaign spent upwards of six figures to build a custom set for her appearance on the Call Me Daddy podcast, which only netted about 800,000 downloads.

    The weirdest fucking thing about this is that it's a podcast, most people are just listening to it

    This is like building a custom set for a radio appearance, it makes no sense on any level

    • REgon [they/them]
      ·
      2 months ago

      The price makes perfect sense though, once you account for consulting fees.

      • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
        ·
        2 months ago

        Not even money laundering, just good old fashioned corruption.

        It’s just consultants and vendors getting waaaaaaay more money than they should for things because they have connections

    • miz [any, any]
      ·
      2 months ago

      AHAHAHAHA THEY BUILT A FUCKING SET FOR A ONE-OFF PODCAST APPEARANCE AHAHAHAHAHA

  • Dolores [love/loves]
    ·
    2 months ago

    reportedly even more on paying the celebrities to appear

    rich lib celebrities are supposed to give YOU money how do you enter a political bribery contest and fail to be bribed i-cant

    • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      2 months ago

      I think this is what gets me the most. These are the people the Democratic Party is supposed to try and get money from, what the fuck is this?

        • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
          ·
          2 months ago

          Well yeah, it’s textbook corruption, but typically this step of that network goes the other direction. Rich celebrities are usually big Dem donors, and they’ll maybe get kickbacks in some way but generally the idea is to funnel money from those celebs to vendors and consultants and other party insiders.

            • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
              ·
              2 months ago

              That’s what they normally do, that’s what I’m saying. They didn’t just give a bunch of money to middle men, that’s the whole point of a Democratic Party campaign, what’s notable is giving a bunch of money to rich celebrities who are normally big donors.

              It’s the money going to people who aren’t middle men and consultants that confuses me.

          • TheLastHero [he/him]
            ·
            2 months ago

            It's the Obama playbook, being able to hang out with cool celebrities afterwards is more important than politics or winning or any of that silly stuff

  • Dingus_Khan [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    I can't believe famous popstars all demanded their regular fees and didn't volunteer their time for a candidate they were enthusiastic about. Absolutely shocked and stunned I say

  • huf [he/him]
    ·
    2 months ago

    gotta respect the grifters for fleecing the kamala campaign of absurd amounts of money...

  • PKMKII [none/use name]
    ·
    2 months ago

    While Harris was going broke paying movie stars and pop singers, Trump got more campaign leverage out of three hours on Joe Rogan and thirty minutes at McDonald’s.

    Once again the Democrats run their campaign like it’s thirty years ago.

    • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      2 months ago

      Yeah I also thought that as a non American. It was probably one of the worst moves to make when running against Trump. Trump's major appeal to a lot of people is that he's an outsider running against the "liberal elite". Harris being endorsed by most major celebrities just reinforces that idea.

    • Feline
      ·
      2 months ago

      Even before results started coming in, the difference between election night rallies was obvious. Kamala had the bigger production, but the crowd seemed dead in comparison. Like they were just there for a free concert

      • miz [any, any]
        ·
        2 months ago

        some part of the decision matrix has to be that without free concerts from big celebrities, they cannot draw crowds.

  • Awoo [she/her]
    ·
    2 months ago

    Celebrity endorsements are actively detrimental to a campaign in the UK. People get PISSED at celebrities and tell them to fuck off out of politics. It aggravates people considerably.

    I don't know whether this is also detrimental in the US but judging by spending multi millions on these people and achieving NOTHING it clearly seems like a wasteful approach. It's all show. Ok you did concerts? What's that gonna do for people's lives?

    • ChaosMaterialist [he/him]
      ·
      2 months ago

      Counterpoint: taylor-commie

      Celebrity is a link between Elites and the Masses as a deliberately crafted parasocial relationship created by Old Media for advertising. These days celebrity is giving way to influencers as the old media system gives way to new media, but using that parasocial relationship for advertising is still the same.

  • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    As it turns out, the Harris campaign wasn’t run much differently. As reported in the Washington Examiner, the Harris campaign spent upwards of six figures to build a custom set for her appearance on the Call Me Daddy podcast, which only netted about 800,000 downloads.

    Apparently it was because she didn't want to travel to where the podcast is usually hosted, so they had to build the set where Harris was at the time. Also a really inefficient way to spend money compared to what the Trump campaign did, in regards to going on Joe Rogan. Trump and Vance spent almost nothing in comparison, and got a lot more outreach and views that made them appear "normal" from the short clips I've seen.

  • Ildsaye [they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    forced to scrap Canadian Nineties indie-pop singer Alanis Morissette to save money

    The ghouls killed Alanis to sell her organs and pay their creditors angery

  • pooh [she/her, love/loves]
    ·
    2 months ago

    So it seems this is a right wing site and I’ve only seen this story come up on right wing sites. Her campaign was obviously a dumpster fire but I’m taking this with a grain of salt until I see a better source. Anyone have a source for this that isn’t some reactionary media outlet?

  • Grownbravy [they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    Someone was about to suck dick for water for the festival, you cant call it the fyre festival of campaigns if it wasnt about to resort to that to get some B list pop star

  • Azarova [they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    being a consultant in this country has got to be the cushiest job on the planet

  • ChaosMaterialist [he/him]
    ·
    2 months ago

    Of course it was lmao. I saw approximately one million ads of the Democratic politicians begging for donations, and I'm not even on their email and phone lists.

    My email was harvested and put on blast for donations. No organizing, only donations only-throw

    And literally nobody was phonebanking or knocking on doors, not that I'm bitter or anything....

    :posting: :posting: :posting:

    Banging the sign again in the post-season...

    :posting: :posting: :posting:

    Liberals are outnumbered 2-to-1 by non-voters. 50% of the electorate did not vote in 2020, so if they aren't doorknocking they are not serious.

    The projection from your :LIB: friends will be at an all time high, so be on the lookout.

    Here are some non-doomer threads to breadpill your :LIB: friends and family

    Lit for your weeping lib neighbors

    Just a reminder to tell your fellow liberals that they didn't fail anyone. They were failed by DNC leadership

    From marx and blushing-engels talking about 3rd parties

    that workers’ candidates are nominated everywhere in opposition to bourgeois-democratic candidates. As far as possible they should be League members and their election should be pursued by all possible means. Even where there is no prospect of achieving their election the workers must put up their own candidates to preserve their independence, to gauge their own strength and to bring their revolutionary position and party standpoint to public attention. They must not be led astray by the empty phrases of the democrats, who will maintain that the workers’ candidates will split the democratic party and offer the forces of reaction the chance of victory. All such talk means, in the final analysis, that the proletariat is to be swindled.

    previously... previously... previously... previously... previously... previously... previously... previously... previously... previously... previously...

  • Piment [they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    All those dem operatives who wanted Oprah to run for president, but can't even get her to show up for free i-cant