Progressive bloggers raise hundreds of thousands for Democrats supporting public option
The idea of bloggers raising money for progressive candidates that support certain issues is nothing new — the Blue America PAC has been around for awhile and had already raised hundreds of thousands for candidates in the past. But with the recent news that the public option may get cut out of healthcare reform, Howie Klein and the three other popular bloggers that make up the PAC knew they would have to take action quickly. On Tuesday they launched the “Standing Up For The Public Option” campaign and managed to raise over $100,000 in less than 24 hours for the candidates they chose. The goal is to raise a quarter of a million dollars for dozens of lawmakers that have taken a pledge to support a “robust public option,” a means of rewarding those who are standing firm against pressures to back down and support a more watered-down bill. As of this writing, that goal is nearly met, with almost $240,000 raised so far.
“We’re trying to show Congress that they don’t have to depend on these lobbyist and these corporate CEOs for money,” Klein, who writes for the blog DownWithTyrany, told me in a phone interview.
The blogger said that so far over 2,500 people have donated, most simply choosing a handful of candidates to give a dollar each to.
“That says so much to me when someone does that, because someone who gives $5, they might not have more money to give,” Klein said. “I got an email from a woman today who used to be a rock and roll singer, a woman I know. And she told me she’s unemployed and has no money. She can’t afford her COBRA anymore, and so she’s given it up. And she had $40, and that $40 meant a lot to her, and she donated one dollar to 40 different candidates.”
He said that progressive bloggers have provided a means for constituents to differentiate between candidates based on the issues they support, rather than just encouraging them to donate to someone simply because he or she is a Democrat.
“They’re giving it to people who are progressives, people who are fighting for working families,” Klein explained “People who are backing the positions they’re in favor of. If you’re in favor of a public option, and it’s important to you, well these are the candidates that are supporting it.”
The campaign wouldn’t be nearly as effective, he said, if it weren’t for the fact that dozens of bloggers have linked to the pledge campaign after it was initially announced. He said that after the major national blogs began trumpeting it, many state and local blogs took up the torch and rallied behind candidates in their own states that were on the list.
“We have the California bloggers saying, ‘let’s make sure our people will get lots of money and pump them up,’” he said. “And the Texas bloggers, these are among the most politically aggressive people I’ve ever met in my life, not just on this issue but others. These people are amazing. When they found out there were three Texans on there they went berserk and have been rallying the Texas blogosphere. There were three of these [candidates] from Texas, and they all jumped to the front of the ranks with the number of people and the amount that was being donated to them. And it’s been a battle for the top slot.”
Klein said that in addition to providing monetary support to the candidates, the campaign also lets them know there are “literally thousands and thousands out there who admire what they’re doing.” In an environment where nearly all lawmakers are feeling pressure to concede their views in this debate, such moral support may be a welcome reprieve as they try to stand their ground.
