andrewrgross comments on true story - crowd size at his final rally before the mids. ..

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 5 points 3 days ago (9 children)

A lot of the things Trump does bother me, but the constant rallies are the thing that I worry might set a precedent.

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[–] andrewrgross@lemmy.today 0 points 3 days ago (7 children)

I actually don't mind it. Regular direct communication with the public? That's an improvement from Biden, who disappeared and rarely spoke to the press.

Don't get me wrong: I hate what Trump SAYS at his rallies. But the rallies don't bother me.

Town halls are better, though.

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[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 9 points 3 days ago (3 children)

What bothers me about rallies is that they're about rallying people, not conveying information. They're about making a group of people feel stronger and more powerful. When he's at a rally, he isn't being the president for the whole country, trying to bridge divides and unite people. He's instead trying to tell one group of Americans that they're the real America, and that the rest of the country is full of evil.

You could theoretically have rallies that tried to make Americans be their best selves. But, most of the time rallies are about inflaming one group against another group, so I'd rather there be no rallies.

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[–] andrewrgross@lemmy.today 2 points 3 days ago* (1 child)

I get that, but these are also a tool for political revolution.

Bernie Sanders and AOC hosted a series of nationwide rallies against oligarchy in 2025. When they started, the political pundit class ridiculed these as out of touch. Oligarchy? That's just a thing in Russia. Americans don't even know what that is.

... cut to today. Oligarchy is a mainstream concept. They rallied people -- not just folks like you and me, but a lot of normie #resistance liberals who were convinced in 2018 that Trump was an aberration on a well-functioning meritocratic American government -- to shift political consciousness and organize in their communities to resist fascism.

Rallies are a tool to educate, motivate, and build public pressure, and can absolutely be used for good.

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[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 days ago

Neither Bernie Sanders nor AOC are the president (yet). Rallies are fine by a political party or politician. It's different once you've won the office and are supposed to be governing on behalf of all the people.