Chuck Schumer

What's sort of the gist of a better way to run a railroad that raises money and like resources candidates appropriately, but doesn't feel annoying or at worst predatory?

What's sort of the gist of a better way to run a railroad that raises money and like resources candidates appropriately, but doesn't feel annoying or at worst predatory?

Yeah. Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate ActBlue, which is, you know, the biggest fundraising platform for Democrats. How important do you think ActBlue is for the Democratic Party? And what do you think it would mean if, you know, the DOJ made it go away somehow?

Yeah. Trump has directed the Department of Justice to investigate ActBlue, which is, you know, the biggest fundraising platform for Democrats. How important do you think ActBlue is for the Democratic Party? And what do you think it would mean if, you know, the DOJ made it go away somehow?

After the 2024 election, a bunch of Democratic operatives and fundraisers sent a letter to the leader of ActBlue demanding that they make some changes to the way their service worked. Like the biggest asks were getting rid of messages that trick donors into believing they were giving to an official party entity when they were not, or that their donation would be matched somehow by someone.

After the 2024 election, a bunch of Democratic operatives and fundraisers sent a letter to the leader of ActBlue demanding that they make some changes to the way their service worked. Like the biggest asks were getting rid of messages that trick donors into believing they were giving to an official party entity when they were not, or that their donation would be matched somehow by someone.

Do you think that letter went far enough? And what responsibility do you think ActBlue has in this kind of conversation we're having about fundraising sucking for the end user?

Do you think that letter went far enough? And what responsibility do you think ActBlue has in this kind of conversation we're having about fundraising sucking for the end user?

This might be a dumb question, but do you think it's possible for a campaign to raise too much money?

This might be a dumb question, but do you think it's possible for a campaign to raise too much money?

: That's a really good point. I bet a lot of people don't realize how much money gets spent in pursuit of fundraising. I guess a lot of listeners to this show, I bet like 90% of listeners to Pod Save America, have given to a candidate at some point. And they just want to feel like that money is going to a good cause or being well spent or just like not getting abused in some way.

: That's a really good point. I bet a lot of people don't realize how much money gets spent in pursuit of fundraising. I guess a lot of listeners to this show, I bet like 90% of listeners to Pod Save America, have given to a candidate at some point. And they just want to feel like that money is going to a good cause or being well spent or just like not getting abused in some way.

Do you have advice for people about kind of like a couple best practices around donations to politics generally?

Do you have advice for people about kind of like a couple best practices around donations to politics generally?

Yeah, that's a really good point. I mean, and that's a reason to donate early, right? Because that money could be invested in hiring a field staff and not dumping money on TV ads that may or may not work.

Yeah, that's a really good point. I mean, and that's a reason to donate early, right? Because that money could be invested in hiring a field staff and not dumping money on TV ads that may or may not work.

Yeah, agreed. And it does feel fixable. And just to just to nail a point you were making about the grift on the Republican side, like, I have this kind of faint memory of, I think, Donald Trump sending out an email ostensibly for like Herschel Walker, but 90% of the funds actually went to his pack. And then sometimes you're automatically opted in for a recurring donation.

Yeah, agreed. And it does feel fixable. And just to just to nail a point you were making about the grift on the Republican side, like, I have this kind of faint memory of, I think, Donald Trump sending out an email ostensibly for like Herschel Walker, but 90% of the funds actually went to his pack. And then sometimes you're automatically opted in for a recurring donation.

And sometimes those recurring donations continue after election day. So it is just a shocking extraction of money, usually from... their most elderly voters and supporters. So it is really as gross as it is, you can feel on our side, it is worse over there.

And sometimes those recurring donations continue after election day. So it is just a shocking extraction of money, usually from... their most elderly voters and supporters. So it is really as gross as it is, you can feel on our side, it is worse over there.