Jonah Goldberg: 'Small donors are one of the biggest problems for democracy'

Amy | 8:51 PM on August 10, 2023

We're old enough to remember when Jonah Goldberg used to be a leading voice for conservative values.

Now? Not so much:

Jonah Goldberg knocks small-dollar campaign donors:
"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." pic.twitter.com/PaJteFMWbq
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) August 10, 2023

We've watched the clip a number of times to make sure we're hearing this correctly.

'Small donors are one of the biggest problems for democracy'?

Well, that's certainly a take.

Not a great one.

Not even a good one.

But a take nonetheless.

“The problem with small donors is they want politicians to represent them instead of their corporate donors…”
— Daily Trite 🇺🇸 (@realDailyTrite) August 10, 2023

It sure does sound like that's what he's trying to communicate here. Heaven forbid the little people support a candidate that they feel best represents their values.

This reminded me of when Obama said rural Americans were bitter and clung to guns and religion.
— Wrongthink Radio (@wrongthinkradio) August 10, 2023

Great point, and probably a good reminder that no matter which 'side' they're on, the pundits and politicians who think they know better than the rest of us are hopelessly out of touch with the average American.

I used to be a fan. I don’t know if Trump broke him or exposed him.
— Chris Christensen (@dwc8647) August 10, 2023

We're going with the second one.

Jonah didn't take too kindly to be called out on his opinion:

Yeah? Do you have an argument to make? Weird you didn’t tag me. I didn’t like the rise in small donors when it fueled Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders. Why should I change my views when the problem has made things worse?
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) August 10, 2023