I don't think it was irrational for people to support him at a time when his social media made him seem like he could be a genuine contender, coming out as autistic despite the ridicule he knew he would get
everybody realized after the Destiny video that he had no idea what he was talking about and couldn't defend anything, barely anybody really supported him after that and his attempt to create a new party was a move so dumb I don't see how he could have any supporters left by that point
his candidacy wasn't ruined by his positions or anything like that, it was ruined by him being a shit candidate that was able to pretend to be decent when the spotlight wasn't really on him
his social media following could have really benefitted him had he ran a smart campaign, knew what he was talking about and stayed with the Democratic Party, so it's nonsense to make fun of that tbh
Joshua Collins is something to learn from if we're going to throw in on some electoralism
- know your positions
- know what you're talking about
- know your audience and what speaks to them
- network in real life, not just online (harder with COVID)
- run a real ground campaign (harder with COVID)
- don't depend on anything but honest to god hard work
- practice those debate skills
the next AOC could be here right now, it's just a matter of playing your campaign the right way
To expand on 1, have several stump speeches prepared. Like if you want to be a politician, you need to be prepared for when someone asks broadly and vaguely what you stand for, to go into a small speech about your policy positions and why they are good/important.
Also, don't do internet bloodsport debates on twitch with people like Destiny. Best case scenario, it's a waste of time.