'Like the Thunderdome': Small-dollar donors blamed for filling Congress with 'firebrands and conspiracy theorists'

Small-dollar donors are responsible for fueling firebrands and conspiracy theorists who “treat Congress like the Thunderdome,” a Washington Post columnist wrote Monday.

Meant as a way to counter big money’s influence on politics, attempts to use the internet to solicit many small contributions from everyday people has actually damaged democracy, wrote David Byler.

“Grass-root donors in the party have rewarded anti-establishment firebrands and conspiracy theorists who specialize in televised political stunts,” he said.

He added: “Many candidates on this list — including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Byron Donalds (Fla.) and Harriet Hageman (Wyo.) — have all won over small donors by pandering to far-right causes and embracing former president Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen.”

He gave examples of when the cashflow from everyday supporters was seen to spike, quoting research by Eitan Hersh, a Tufts University associate professor of political science.

Among them was that of “Joe Wilson, the South Carolina congressman who infamously yelled “you lie” during President Barack Obama’s 2009 joint session of Congress — and subsequently raised more than $3 million in small donations,” he wrote.

“Today’s top GOP fundraisers learned from Wilson’s example. Greene saw a fundraising spike after she tried to impeach President Biden on his first day in office and another when her antisemitic, conspiracy-theory-laden social media posts surfaced and she attempted to cast herself as the victim.

“Gaetz’s biggest fundraising days of 2023 came in early January — when he helped turn McCarthy’s speaker election into a multiday circus. These lawmakers play to the GOP’s worst instincts — and grass-roots donors love them for it.”

The problem, in a different form, also exists for the Democratic Party, with small donors sinking money into unwinnable seats because of fantasy, he wrote.

“You get to imagine a fantasy. Wouldn’t it be great, if you’re a liberal, if Mitch McConnell lost?” he said.

Small-dollar donations have become a massive cash cow for both parties. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden received $543 million and Donald Trump $347 million in individual donations smaller than $200.

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