Kat Abu is amazing and just the kind of grass roots candidate we need everywhere.
no use for supposedly honest people if the system itself is corrupt.
If by grassroots you mean suspiciously funded by 80% out of district and living off her rich republican parents money to do it
Hope I’m wrong, but I don’t trust anyone who wants this kind of power.
Although I agree with you, we will not get out of the hole we’re in if we don’t support people like this to overtake the ones that are legitimately hungry for power.
On the flipside, there’s always the possibility she’s doing this as a stunt and doesn’t mean any of it. Plenty of Gen-Z pretend to feed homeless people on TikTok, could just be a glorified version of that.
I do genuinely hope I’m wrong, but even at a very basic level here - she’s using funds people donated to her campaign for a purpose other than campaigning,.did she make this clear to people before they donated? If it is just being done for campaign clout then it’s kinda disingenuous by definition. I do hate that I’m this cynical fwiw.
Yes, she’s been very upfront about it. She makes it clear at her fundraising events that the proceeds are going to charitable organizations. Her campaign has been soliciting canned goods and menstrual hygiene products, instead of cash, in exchange for yard signs and stickers.
I get your cynicism, it’s a well-known adage that anyone who seeks power doesn’t deserve it. But for as long as we have elected federal representatives, I’d prefer to elect representatives who actually make tangible efforts to take care of people. Even if you see it as self-serving, to me it’s refreshing to see a candidate appeal to voters’ compassion instead of appealing to their fears and prejudices.
It’s all good, I’m in a similar cynical boat. By default I don’t trust anyone that’s in the spotlight by choice.
However, if shitty people start doing things like this just for clout, well it’s better than the Nazis that are taking things over right now I guess that don’t even try to pretend to be a good person.
This candidate’s skills seem to be in communication and I’m glad they are using it for good.
I hope this inspires a new generation of politician candidates that put action ahead of the politics in their messaging, because I admit that action alone without messaging means no one hears the good work you are doing and gives free reign to culture war misinformation and billionaire funded hate campaigns.
It has worked. Here in Vancouver, we got a city councillor whose day job is a dishwasher, because of their progressive vision and their concrete action over rhetoric to help people in our communities. He and an anti-automobile candidate beat out the incumbent party’s cop candidate and the NIMBY candidates by a wide margin.
Kat Abughazaleh is her name.
Also worth noting she’s running for congress in Illinios
Specifically, IL-9, against the incumbent democrat, whose name is “Kat Abughazaleh’s opponent.”
She’s not running against the incumbent, no. Jan is retiring after this cycle. She’ll be running against a fresh slate
You can tell she’s to the left of the incumbent because her name doesn’t appear in the headline.
The incumbent is retiring. There will be no incumbent.
How do you pronounce it??
This is HORRIBLE! We NEED to Make Sure this Person FEEDING THE POOR LOSES!
-Chuck Schumer and the DNC!
Kat’s great, but her opposition to traditional Democratic politics is going to tank her campaign. The Democrats only want old, rich
conservativescentrists.It is nice to see at least one Democrat who’s doing some real good, though.
I like to think the tides are slowly, but gradually, turning as more people realize how useless the democrats have been. I hope there will be more candidates like Kat showing up everywhere soon
I like to think the tides are slowly, but gradually, turning as more people realize how useless the democrats have been.
Yeah, I noticed it as well ever since Chuck Schumer rubber stamped the Republican budget bill-- which would disenfranchise millions of Americans from Medicare cuts-- without offering much resistance. Even some of the die-hard centrist Democrats here in Lemmy seem to sobering up as well. But hopefully my observation isn’t just contained in social media and my information circle, but the also throughout the US.
There’s a part of me that wants to be optimistic, but this is America.
An out of district plant is not great
This is the way
I wonder if once elected she would be able to get taxpayer dollars directed in such a way, or if this is activity mainly enabled by the freedom and increasingly unregulated campaign system of American politics.
We don’t need more Glusencamp-Perez or Fetterman types in office, but if this campaign actually translates into real, meaningful policy towards the hungry and homeless (if only in Illinois)? Can’t complain, though that feels unlikely in this environment.
Once you’re in place and have access to tax dollars instead of campaign funds, you get them spent on things by putting that community infrastructure into place.
One problem with that is they’re running for a collective position. In their campaign, they’re captain of their own ship. A congresswoman is more a crewmate. Greater power, but more divided.
One thing they would be able to do, though, is never stop campaigning. They’ll be less active, as a congresswoman, but the campaign pivots to next election (which, let’s be honest, that’s already the norm, there is no break from politics anymore), and that next election can be focused on on-the-ground community campaigning the entire time.
So, no, you won’t see the same level of activism with tax dollars, they don’t lead, but she and others that follow her can do good consistently with their position through campaign funds and fight for good in their government while that happens.
That right there is a beautiful woman
Her videos and work at media matters are excellent as well.
Even if she’s not going to win, she’s using her campaign to help real people right now. Props for that.
The criticism that she only recently moved to the district is in bad faith. How many of the city’s mayors had residency loopholes? We should be encouraging and welcoming visionary newcomers like Kat who are seeking to make an impact, especially given the state’s population drain.
Could Kat fix the backward ass US healthcare system and labor laws?
What elections are in March?
I saw her political videos on TikTok. She would give explanations about the content that was aired on Fox N*** over the last little bit of time, coverage that you might have missed, and how things are being portrayed to its viewers. Her segments were very well done and very useful.
Are Gen Z the chosen ones? I hope so.
I think she’s amazing and wish her nothing but luck.
I know that if she is spending money this way, she’s doing it on the up-and-up with only the right intentions.
But I can’t get over thinking that political campaigns doing charity work starts to resemble “a chicken in every pot” vote-buying. I would love it if someone who knows campaign finance law better than me could comment on the legality of it.
