Conservative Bloggers, the Chopped Liver of the Right...

Over the past several weeks, a number of bloggers have pointed out just how well our Liberal counterparts are recompensed by the "progressive" movement, while we often slog along scrambling to make ends meet. Zilla of the Resistence joins an ever growing list of conservative bloggers who self fund their blogs...often to the detriment of their own personal bills.

Did you see the list of bloggers who were struggling in Jimmie's post from this past summer? Well most, if not all of them, are still battling to keep their heads above water. Jimmie's idea for a Great Tip Jar Rattling was a stroke of genius, because the politicians and those who donate the big bucks to them care nothing for the hard working bloggers whose work they benefit from, we are little more than doormats to them, if they deem to notice us at all. We are chopped liver; PACs and the politicians, even when they are unelectable losers, are kobe beef to them. Which is why Conservative Bloggers so very badly need support from their readers, because nobody else appreciates the work that we do. It is a much different story on the left, which is why they have the advantage, as The Lonely Conservative addressed HERE.

Most conservative bloggers have other jobs and other responsibilities. We do this because we believe the United States is the last best hope on earth, and we want our kids to grow up with the same opportunities we’ve had. Most don’t do this out of some love of the 1%. We do it out of love of freedom. We lose sleep, and work at night and on the weekends. I’m not whining, I just want people to realize that the conservative new media is doing a heck of a job without any help from the likes of billionaires like George Soros. Imagine what we could do with funding. RTWT

The truth of the matter is that the Left has a tendency to use it's propaganda tools far better than the Right does. They have long since systematically funded bloggers who work so hard to further their causes (as wrong-headed as they are), while the Right just bribes politicians (i.e. "campaign donations"). Jimmy Bise makes the point that just what Charlie Christ, who is a GOP elite favorite, yet lost disasterously to Marco Rubio in Florida in 2010, brought in campaign donations in 6 months, would fund...

Charlie Crist, who will be a continual thorn in conservatives’ sides if he’s elected to the Senate, raised $4.3 million in just one quarter this year. That much money could fund a good conservative news site for at least five years, if not more like eight. Do you know how much good reporting we could get with a budget of just $500,000 a year? Think about it. Play with the numbers. You think I couldn’t land Vadum and McCain for 70 grand a year, plus add in Ace and Moe Lane for blogging power at the same amount? That’s only $280,000. Set aside fifty grand for tech stuff (hosting, design, troubleshooting) and advertising, another 60K for expenses (to pay reporters to go on the road and for freelancers), 60K for an editor, and 50K to me for supervising the whole operation and there you go. There’s $500,000 a year. And that doesn’t count any potential income the site might get from outside advertising, which you know it’ll get. As the site grows, the budget can creep up, but only for people who will add direct value to the site, but we add on as advertising revenues warrant the increase.

Divide $500,000 into $4.3 million. That’s how long I could run a hypothetical conservative news site with the money dunderheaded conservatives gave Charlie Crist in just three months. Meanwhile, Stacy had to rattle the tip jar so hard his teeth ached to get just a few hundred bucks to do some original reporting in rural Kentucky. That’s ridiculous.

Now, how many scoops will that buy you every year, Mr. Rich Conservative? Four? Five? How do you like the idea of Stacy McFreakingCain prowling Capitol Hill five days a week and writing until 5 AM? How about having Matthew Vadum on ACORN’s ass all the time? You want traffic numbers? Ace and Moe will bring you crazy traffic and you can be damned sure that Rush and Mark Levin will be reading the news they report on their radio shows. We won’t be without contacts.

Most of us on the right blogosphere are stuggling to get by. Personally, for 50k a year, I could do this full-time and actually be able to get to a lot more political events...something I've had to stop doing since early summer. For $75k a year, I could cover all of Maryland as well as parts of northern Virginia and Delaware...PLUS, I could actually afford to get cable television and watch what's being said on news networds beyond ABC, CBS and NBC. I would love is FoxNews would start broadcasting their 6PM evening news on their local affiliates, just as the 1st three do...

We in the Conservative movement just aren't spending our money wisely. Bloggers are doing yeoman's work getting the message out, but, as Glenn Reynolds says, "something that can't go on, won't go on..." Those with the funds available, really should hit tips jars around the web on a regular basis...
That's my two cents...