Right Takes On Small-dollar Political Donations
Commentator calls such giving “one of the biggest problems for democracy.”
From gerrymandering, to voter suppression — and most recently Gov Ron DeSantis’ move to oust a popularly elected prosecutor in Florida — Republicans and the political right have been going full-tilt at undermining Americans.
They have another target: the small-dollar donations which have grown in recent years and have been fueling campaigns on both sides of the aisle.
Right-wing author and commentator Jonah Goldberg calls such political giving from average voters, like you and me, “one of the biggest problems for democracy.”
Small-dollar donations are usually defined as those in which a maximum of $200 is contributed to a given candidate by any individual American.
And such political giving has accelerated in recent years, especially as online systems have made it as easy and secure as a purchase from Amazon.
Money from small donors made up 22 percent of 2020 fundraising — up from 15 percent in 2016, according to at least one estimate.
And such giving has helped candidates on both the right and left, as both Joe Biden and Donald Trump received influxes of such donations in 2020.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), typically do well in this metric. But the same goes for Republicans like Reps Matt Gaetz, of Florida, or Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
But right-wingers still find fault with small-dollar political giving.
“Small donors in Iowa are more important as an indicator of grass root support than anything else. But I also think we’re dealing with a time where there’s cheering and self-congratulations about the rise of small donors a decade ago,” said Goldberg, author and founding editor of the online opinion and news publication The Dispatch. “Now small donors are one of the biggest problems for democracy, for the GOP. Because small donor — large donors actually have a strategic view about moderation, who can win, who can’t.
“Small donors really are just venting their spleen with their credit card. And they lock candidates into positions that can hurt them in the general election,” he added.
Others, such as the Brennan Center for Justice, believe small-dollar donations — coupled with greater public financing — would improve politics.
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