Small Donors Rule; Lobbyists Drool
We are experiencing a seismic shift in American politics and it is not surprising that the biggest beneficiaries are mostly oblivious. Corporate media and corporate politicians are still playing a game in which industry lobbyists and would-be ambassadors set the tone of a political race by bundling donations at closed-door events.
That world is over — and you are the vanguard of the new order.
While Bernie Sanders is the clearest example of the rise of the small donor as the new center of energy in the Democratic Party, both Jon Ossoff and Beto O’Rourke have surfed this wave, and Senator Elizabeth Warren is also eschewing bundler parties for a pure grassroots strategy in the presidential primary.
So what does this mean for 2020 and The Lefty League?
Instead of seeking out big party donors like the hedge fund owners who bankroll both the Democratic and Republican parties, we are building our efforts to regain the U.S. Senate for progressive Democrats on a highly engaged community of grassroots donors. ActBlue, the movement-oriented donations platform, now has nearly 7 million users who can give to political campaigns and organizations with a single click — combined with a broad FEC exemption for internet activities by volunteers, this infrastructure allows grassroots politicians and organizations to compete with big money in ways we’ve just begun to explore.
This cycle, we plan to make life challenging for as many Republican incumbents as possible. We plan to promote as many progressive Democrats as possible — boosting their name ID and standing in their districts for months before traditional campaigns begin to take advantage of effective, low-cost digital advertising. In fact, creative and staff costs included, we can reach at least 50 people in a district for each $1 from our grassroots supporters.
I hope that you will give yourself a hand today for your contributions to changing the face of American politics — we’re taking our country back from special interests and we’re doing it by growing a new infrastructure that’s powered by people and small donations instead of corporate greed.
