Topic: Small Donors

The hosts read through a list of smaller donations, noting the relative failure of the "Bay Week" promotion. Several listeners are "de-douched" after making up for missed donations, and various personal milestones and birthdays are acknowledged.

The hosts read the names of producers who donated $50 or more, including listeners from Alaska, Spain, and India. They acknowledge a note from a former private school employee regarding the Epoch Times and Falun Gong. Adam Curry reiterates his appreciation for the community, noting that their involvement fuels his "Tourette superpower."

Renee Dupont is officially titled "Dame Chardonnay of the Lelanu Grapefields" after a delay in her peerage request. The hosts acknowledge several other $50 donors and emphasize the importance of small, recurring donations in maintaining the show's "value-for-value" model.

Hillary Clinton's campaign has aggressively pursued small-dollar donations to compete with Bernie Sanders' fundraising narrative. By soliciting "one dollar" contributions through frequent email blasts, the campaign can report a higher number of individual donors. The hosts discuss how this tactic is used to bolster the appearance of grassroots support.

The 2016 election cycle has demonstrated that massive Super PAC spending, such as the $40 million wasted by Jeb Bush, cannot guarantee success against a populist movement. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have both utilized small, unsolicited donations to bypass the traditional "donor class" and the expected influence of the Citizens United ruling.