The big scuttlebutt in the conservative world is the rumor that Ben Shapiro‘s The Daily Wire may be going bankrupt.  I have no idea if that is true or not, although their longtime co-founder, Jeremy Boreing, is apparently stepping down from his position as co-CEO.

It’s a good reminder that some of these big-named conservative commentators are often too big for their own good.  In some ways, having a bigger brand and presence means you also have to walk a thinner and thinner line.  I am increasingly ambivalent about Shapiro, who I think hedges his bets too much.  He was flat-out anti-Trump eight years ago, and now acts like he was leading the charge for Trumpism in 2015.  Balderdash!

Whatever happens at The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro is going to be okay.  He’s got book royalties, a nationally-syndicated radio show, a popular podcast, etc., etc., etc.

But you know who does need support?  The small fries.  But not just the political commentary small fries:  the artists, authors, writers, composers, musicians, painters, craftsmen, etc., the people who are making culture on a shoestring budget and a prayer.

Not just me, either, but that would be nice.

With that, here is 19 April 2024’s “Support Culture, Not Political Machines“:

Last week regular contributor and senior correspondent Audre Myers wrote a piece for Nebraska Energy Observer entitled “Lets Chat” [sic].  In the piece, Audre ponders the question of whether or not to continue donating to the Republican Party (by which I take her to mean the Republican National Committee), and solicits readers for their opinions on the issue.

Audre is quite aware of the perfidious machinations of the RNC, but the source of her quandary is whether or not to help cash-strapped President Trump with his campaign.  If you’re going to give any money to any candidate, my personal, unsolicited advice is to give to only two sources:  Trump’s presidential campaign directly—not through the RNC or any PAC—and to local candidates (or, alternatively, your county GOP).  That’s where your money will have the most impact.

Overall, though, I advise strongly against giving any money to out-of-state political campaigns or to political parties generally.  Indeed, in my comment on Audre’s piece, I argued that our money is much better spent supporting small conservative creators.  I think I made a compelling case:

I stopped donating to the RNC years ago. It’s a waste of money. I also stopped contributing to the SCGOP and my local GOP, but the latter is largely because I am no longer active in my county GOP. When I do make donations, it’s to specific candidates, but it’s been years since I have done so.

As I have long argued, our money is better spent supporting writers, artists, creators, etc., on our side. I’m actually a bit offended that people will give $50 to the RNC, but decline to spend $1 or $5 a month to support small conservative creators (and I don’t mean Ben Shapiro—he has plenty of money already). The same folks that will drop $50 on some distant political machine will plead poverty when asked to contribute $1 a month to a blog.

“Politics is downstream of culture,” as the late Andrew Breitbart famously said. All of our national politics at this point are cultural conflicts. If we want to win the Culture War, we need to support culture, not a guy from Kentucky who looks like a turtle.

If you want to support actual conservatives desperately trying to create real, alternative culture, give to those creators and platforms.  Purchase their art, listen to their music, subscribe to their Substacks and SubscribeStars, promote their writing.

If you’re interesting in supporting my writing, you can do so here.