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#elections

119 posts70 participants5 posts today

#trump #voters #elections #michigan Too late , they new since the first administration that he is insane;

“ Most Michigan swing voters in our latest Engagious/Sago focus groups said that although they voted for President Trump in November, they have objections, frustrations and fears about his behavior since he returned to power.” axios.com/2025/03/14/trump-har

.S. President Donald Trump answers reporters' questions while hosting Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin in the Oval Office at the White House on March 12, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Axios · Focus group: Trump swing voters in Michigan have buyers' remorseBy Erin Doherty

It's worth noting that their plan isn't to stop having #elections. Their plan is to have phony elections where Trump happens to win 80% of the vote every time, as has happened with Putin and Russia for the last 20 years. This is an important distinction because they will be spending the next few years weakening democratic institutions (essentially anything that offers #resistance) and strengthening far-right institutions, all while playing wordgames about being defenders of freedom and #democracy (deny, redirect, ad hominem), just as Russia does with its own state owned media. Or course, most mainstream media will continue to play the 'just reporting both sides' game, to Trump's advantage.

It's essential right now though, despite all its flaws, that we don't abandon #journalism. Autocrats gain and maintain power by silencing critical voices in the media and keeping the public in the dark and checked out. Their most hated democratic tool is a free press, and so it has never been more important to support good journalism and to closely follow press freedom. Yes, the NYT institution is a dumpster fire. But Trump still hates their journalists and would love to see them in jail. The moment he starts jailing journalists is the moment we HAVE to be in the streets, because that is the five alarm fire bell: the point of no return. Once journalists are afraid to speak, he will have zero levers of accountability to restrain him. A free press and a knowledgeable public is the last line of defense. #uspol

I wrote a mini article about platforms and politics. Joe Rogan helped Trump win, they say. In the lead up to the Australian election, are the leaders of the major political parties ditching traditional media for podcasters and youtubers? Well, no. No they are not.

#AusPol #Media #SocialMedia #Journalism #Elections #Liberal #Labor

uts.edu.au/research/centre-med

University of Technology Sydney · Platforms and politics

Looking forward to two days of exciting conversations on state #AI policy! The Summit on State AI Legislation is bringing together state legislators, civil society, industry players, and academics to discuss #deepfakes, #elections, and more—and, of course, how state policy can help shape good AI outcomes.