Rush and a caller today were laughing about the flurry of fundraising emails and letters the GOPe and its various heroes have been sending out, claiming that they need help to fight Biden's attacks on the energy industry, his reinitiation of schmoozing Iran, and rejoining the Paris Climate Accords, among other clearly predictable horrors. As Rush pointed out, we had a guy who had put an end to all of that dangerous nonsense - his name was Donald Trump. You remember him, don't you, Mitch? The man you recently accused of inciting an insurrection?
I've been getting emails, too. Now, to be honest, I've never contributed any money to anybody's political campaign - except to put a handful of coins in a big jar at Barry Goldwater's North Carolina campaign headquarters in Raleigh in 1964 when I was nine years old (I at least got to take a poster and some bumper stickers). In retrospect, I wish I had kept my dollar and change. Not only did Goldwater lose big, but he turned out later to be a bit of a disloyal jerk (not to mention completely non-conservative on right-to-life issues). Anyhow, live and learn. If I ever do donate money to someone or something again, it sure isn't going to be to Nikki Haley's PAC or the Republican National Campaign Committee. I'm not contributing to any blogs, either. I've gotten fundraising appeals from several of those, too, including ones I like. But I'm convinced that blogs don't really make a difference; they preach mainly to the choir. I'm also concerned about the inner workings of some of these outfits (both Hot Air, which I disdain, and PJ Media, which I generally like, are both owned by Salem Communications, I believe). And quite aside from my paltry resources, a number of billionaires have demonstrated the futility of funding webzines and think tanks if the goal is to create genuinely large shifts in public opinion.
"So, Paco", you might ask, "if you don't believe blogs make any difference, why do you run one?" Frankly, I do it because I like to write, and I like communing with my small, but highly distinguished, group of commenters. Plus, I learn new things all the time from the people who comment here. And some of you make me laugh out loud.
Hear hear!
ReplyDeleteI stopped giving to the RNC a decade plus ago -- either during Bush 43's waning years, or when Obama was President, I forget -- because of their basic spinelessness. I did donate occasionally to the state GOP, but that stopped when the senior GOP legislatures started acting like the donks. I regret both.
I have given to specific candidates, most of whom were not in my jurisdiction, because they are decent people, a rarity in politics. I'm funny that way. But nearly all of them, nope, not a dime.
I used to donate to the RNC, as well as to individual campaigns. I dropped the RNC back when they kicked the Tea Party to the curb, and told them that when they called (although in fact I was probably just speaking with some worker in a call center in Bangalore and not to an actual RNC employee).
ReplyDeleteBesides, any money given to the RNC now is probably getting delivered to the DNC (after being suitably laundered of course) for their "Hire a hitman to kill Trump" fund.
I gave Bush money, regret that.
ReplyDeleteI did donate to the puppy blender a couple weeks ago when he stopped letting Amazon put up posts advertising their wares, the ones by Helen.
He did it the day after they cut off Parler.
Meant to say....
ReplyDeleteMy little boycott is to never click a Twitter link again.
Even if it is the cutest puppy video ever.
I'll say this much: I may break with precedent and contribute money to whoever runs against Mitch McConnell, either in a primary or in the general election. I've absolutely had it up to here with that arrogant reptile.
ReplyDeleteI don't donate to political parties, or to Facebook charities, or to UNICEF. I do donate to local food pantries, local women's shelters, and the Salvation Army. Those are the only entities I feel I can trust to actually do what they say they do.
ReplyDeleteWe've been long-time contributors to the Salvation Army, and we also give to the Little Sisters of the Poor, whose order operates homes for the elderly poor. It is good to see your money actually put to work. We actually experienced an excellent example a few years ago. We made a donation to the Little sisters, and the Mother Superior sent us a thank you note, and she pointed out an interesting development: the air conditioning system had conked out in one of their buildings, and our contribution turned out to exactly match the deductible on their insurance policy. God and his mysterious ways...
ReplyDeleteI agree with your multiple points. HotAir if off my reading list. Money is much better spent contributing to organizations close to home who do real work, not tossed in the huge national pile for consultants to squander. And the GOP desperately needs new leadership in both houses. There are numerous people better qualified: Nunes, Jordan, Cotton, Hawley, etc. etc. I personally hope that one of these people (not Trump) takes the reins and becomes president in 2024. Trump was essential to set things in motion, but it needs to be about the next generation of leaders and not one guy. And we can be sure the democrats will trash whoever it is just as gleefully as they did Trump.
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