California's Gubernatorial Contest: Where Past Missteps May Not Be Enough to Derail Candidates
Katie Porter, a Democratic candidate for California governor, has been embroiled in controversy after an old video surfaced of her cursing and berating one of her aides. However, despite this, she remains in the top tier of the gubernatorial field. This trend is not unique to Porter; Graham Platner, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Maine, continues to draw large crowds and leads polling in the Democratic primary despite his own share of disturbing online posts.
Even more remarkable are the cases of Jay Jones, who won the election for attorney general in Virginia despite his own history of making inflammatory comments, including jokes about shooting the Republican leader of the state House. In these contests, it seems that past missteps may not be enough to derail candidates, at least not yet.
The shift in how we perceive scandal and its impact on politics is largely driven by the way we consume news. With the ability to curate our own news feed, many people choose to ignore negative stories or select those they wish to hear about. This has made it increasingly difficult for scandals to reach a wider audience, let alone gain traction.
As one expert noted, "in a world where there's a wealth of information, there's a poverty of attention." The sheer velocity of information delivery now makes events more fleeting, making it harder for any one piece to penetrate deeply or resonate widely. This, combined with the fragmentation of our audience, means that many politicians can continue to thrive despite past missteps.
For example, President Donald Trump has survived numerous controversies, including two impeachments and a conviction on felony counts. While some might argue that his actions are egregious, others have learned that survival is often more advantageous than surrender. Bill Carrick, a seasoned Democratic strategist, now believes it's impossible to tell a candidate to drop out of the race unless there's evidence of extreme wrongdoing.
This shift in how politicians navigate scandal has far-reaching implications for democracy itself. As one expert noted, "the people have decided," and voters can take all the information into account when making their choices. If they prefer candidates who have made mistakes or exhibited questionable behavior, that's their choice.
The trend may be worrying, but it also underscores the resilience of politics as an institution. The ability to withstand scandal and continue to thrive is a testament to the enduring power of democracy itself.
Katie Porter, a Democratic candidate for California governor, has been embroiled in controversy after an old video surfaced of her cursing and berating one of her aides. However, despite this, she remains in the top tier of the gubernatorial field. This trend is not unique to Porter; Graham Platner, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Maine, continues to draw large crowds and leads polling in the Democratic primary despite his own share of disturbing online posts.
Even more remarkable are the cases of Jay Jones, who won the election for attorney general in Virginia despite his own history of making inflammatory comments, including jokes about shooting the Republican leader of the state House. In these contests, it seems that past missteps may not be enough to derail candidates, at least not yet.
The shift in how we perceive scandal and its impact on politics is largely driven by the way we consume news. With the ability to curate our own news feed, many people choose to ignore negative stories or select those they wish to hear about. This has made it increasingly difficult for scandals to reach a wider audience, let alone gain traction.
As one expert noted, "in a world where there's a wealth of information, there's a poverty of attention." The sheer velocity of information delivery now makes events more fleeting, making it harder for any one piece to penetrate deeply or resonate widely. This, combined with the fragmentation of our audience, means that many politicians can continue to thrive despite past missteps.
For example, President Donald Trump has survived numerous controversies, including two impeachments and a conviction on felony counts. While some might argue that his actions are egregious, others have learned that survival is often more advantageous than surrender. Bill Carrick, a seasoned Democratic strategist, now believes it's impossible to tell a candidate to drop out of the race unless there's evidence of extreme wrongdoing.
This shift in how politicians navigate scandal has far-reaching implications for democracy itself. As one expert noted, "the people have decided," and voters can take all the information into account when making their choices. If they prefer candidates who have made mistakes or exhibited questionable behavior, that's their choice.
The trend may be worrying, but it also underscores the resilience of politics as an institution. The ability to withstand scandal and continue to thrive is a testament to the enduring power of democracy itself.
I mean, I get that we can choose what we read online, but shouldn't politicians be held accountable for their actions too? It feels like they're getting away with some pretty shady stuff and people are just shrugging it off. Like, I know the guy who got elected as VA's AG was funny, but shouldn't he have been removed from office or something?! 
at least were having a lot of discussions about it though which is kinda cool
. Politicians are learning to live with it and even use it as ammo 
. Meanwhile, our attention spans are smaller than ever, so who needs actual policy talk when you've got a good scandal 
?
But at the same time, people are choosing to ignore those stories or just focus on the good stuff about them.
And with social media, people can curate their own news and highlight only what they want to see. It's like trying to have a conversation over a noisy cafe – sometimes you gotta shout really loud just to get someone's attention 
It's like voters are saying "oh, they're flawed, but I'll take them over the other option" 
That says a lot about our democracy! 
We can't just tune out or ignore scandals; we need to have tough conversations and hold our leaders accountable. But hey, that's what makes politics so interesting, right? 
Can't wait to see how this all plays out! 
out there. It's hard to keep up with everything that's happening. But at the same time, it's like, can't we just see the bigger picture for once? All this focus on scandals and past missteps might be making us miss the forest for the trees... or in this case, the election 
. It's like, come on, dude! If you're gonna bring that kind of heat to your team members or online communities, maybe think twice before running for office 
. It's like they're immune to consequences or something 
.