Tuesday, August 6, 2019

JOUR107.1001--Kamala Harris (D-CA) & Activision Video Games--CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS 2020

JOUR107.1001
J. L'Angelle
Univ of Nevada, Reno
Fall 2019


     (The Arcade)--Curious how some of the most vocal opponents to language used that may or may not incite white terror against ordinary citizens come from those who have investors in their campaigns. California's junior Senator, Kamala Harris (D-CA), has been talking up the condemnation on the usual public soap box, Twitter;


     "Mass shootings don’t happen at this frequency anywhere else on the planet. They happen in America because our so-called leaders lack the courage to act.  I’ve had enough.
As President, if Congress fails to act, I will take executive action to keep our communities safe."
Senator Harris, however hasn't had enough money given to her by the video game manufacturer of "Call of Duty" which has been cited in the aftermath of El Paso-Dayton as contributing in keeping our communities anything but safe.
     Open Secrets, the online portal that lists campaign contributions to candidates, shows Activision Blizzard individuals contributing more than $13K to her 2018 campaign;
     "#89  Activision Blizzard  $13,551  $13,551  $0"  (Open Secrets)
This might explain why the focus is deflected away from video game manufacturers and toward "white supremacist" language from the President, carefully avoiding the hotbutton NRA link in the process.


     A close read at Open Secrets of the board members of Activision shows who contributed to Harris', (and others') campaign;
     Reveta Bowers (Dir)-$1000/2016 (to Harris)  (in addition to $5000 to Obama in 2011);
     Bobby Kotick (Dir) - $5400/2015-16 (to Hillary Clinton)
     Robert Morgado (Dir)- $1000/2019- (to Tulsi Gabbard)
     Casey Wasserman (Dir)- $2700/2018 (to Adam Schiff); $2700/2017 (to Cory Booker)
     Elaine Wynn (Dir) $2700/2016 (to Harris); $5000/2018 (to Dem Congress Campaign Cmtee)
If ever there was a "call to duty" it's the Activision board members stuffing the candidates' pockets with cash to keep legislation deflected away from curbing violence in video games, or even bringing the topic to the table in the halls of Congress.
     Nothing could be more clear than why all the studies that link violent video games to domestic mass homicides is systematically suppressed by the politicians.

Works Cited
@KamalaHarris, "Enough", Twitter, 6:33 PM · Aug 6, 2019
Campaign 2018, https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/contributors?cid=N00036915&cycle=2018&recs=100&type=I
Activision Board, https://www.activisionblizzard.com/board-of-directors
Harris photo, KCFJ 570 Radio
Call of duty image, G2A

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