Summary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Bernie Sanders of taking millions from Big Pharma during a heated exchange, but Sanders refuted the claim, stating his donations came from workers, not corporate PACs.

Kennedy repeatedly insisted Sanders was the top recipient of pharmaceutical money in 2020, but financial data shows no corporate PAC contributions to Sanders.

Meanwhile, Kennedy has profited from anti-vaccine activism, earning millions from lawsuits and speaking fees.

The debate ended without Kennedy answering whether he would guarantee health care for all as HHS secretary.

  • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    14 hours ago

    We don’t know if it was rigged because that was never actually addressed in court.

    The DNC came in and said:

    “We could have voluntarily decided that, ‘Look, we’re gonna go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way,’”

    Their argument in court was that, as a private organization, they have a right to do that, and since they have that right, the lawsuit should be dismissed. Their argument was that as a private group, they can rig it if they want to and it’s only their own rules that they are breaking so nobody can stop them. How can anyone take such an argument at face value? “We totally didn’t rig it, but if we did, it was totally legal to do.”

    Have you heard that old saying?

    If the law is on your side pound the law, if the facts are on your side pound the facts, if neither are on your side pound the table.

    This is the DNC pounding the law (“we’re a private organization, that’s not how this works”) to be able to avoid fact-finding discovery.

    People always focus on “pound the table” but I think “pound the law” should also be considered. Because there’s a lot of bullshit ass law out there.

    The DNC went well out of their way to avoid talking about the facts and to focus on the legal mechanisms protecting them from having to admit facts. They also flat out admitted that if they wanted to choose the candidate, they could, and nobody could stop them. It was literally their argument for why the lawsuit should be dismissed, that it was legal for them to choose the candidate without input from the party.

    • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
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      14 hours ago

      no because the accusation does not really fit what I would call rigged. which would be like changing votes or something. what they did was basically influence influencers.

      • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        13 hours ago

        Anything where an election is manipulated is “rigging” an election. You’re just splitting hairs.

        https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/scale_super/3/33013/2638039-election rigging.jpg

        Notice that the image I just showed is named “election rigging.jpg”?

        The Definition for “rig”:

        rig: manage or conduct (something) fraudulently so as to produce a result or situation that is advantageous to a particular person.

        Having literal media organizations promoting the idea that the Super Delegates were all in the bag for Clinton and emails that showed they actively tried to hamstring him all falls under “rigging.”

        • MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          Are you suggesting a video game as a source for a definition of election rigging? Was there a better quality source you could use?

        • HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com
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          13 hours ago

          but influencing is not really manipulating or if you believe it is then any promotion or advertising becomes rigging. I think again the big thing here is fraudulently and what that means to folks. For me again its like changing votes, disenfranchisement, and jerry mandering would fit but getting one guy to be on your side publically over another with promises. Thats always gonna be a thing.