The end of the Idaho "Gang of Eight"...and other stories

We're NOT Doomed: Fri July 3, 2026

To do the work you know and value, creators have to get paid.

And sure, we could have a second job, but then we couldn’t do the work to the best of our ability. It would always be half-assed.

There are four ways for us to make money.

First, we have fellowships. These are mostly 501c4s that want to help political creators grow and learn the tools to make more money other ways. These are mostly finite. It’s a certain amount of money over a short period of time. This includes groups like Chorus. Which works with progressive creators to make more resources and information available to those involved.

That’s the big boogie monster everyone is so scared of. A fellowship.

Second, there’s the platforms themselves. Instagram, Facebook and YouTube all pay, but it’s not consistent and like me with TikTok, it can go away completely for no rhyme or reason pretty instantly.

Third. Our audiences. Through websites like Substack and Buy Me A Coffee and our own merch, we are able to ask for support so we can continue doing this work full time.

I mostly rely on this way. That’s not by choice. I am fully aware that my audience is not necessarily in a great place financially and asking you for money on a regular basis is painful. But that’s what it takes to be a political creator doing this full time.

Or, the final way, you’re lucky and you get sponsorships.

This means a company or organization pays us to promote something. These are ads. These are the posts you probably don’t enjoy reading or watching so it’s hard to get enough views for companies to want to work with us.

Not to mention, for political creators it’s even harder cause most companies don’t want to touch us with a 10 foot pole, and many of the ones that do, can’t afford our rates. Cause, $500 does not put food on the table.

We need to change the conversation around ads done by creators on social media. I’m a fan of a few YouTube comedians and it always strikes me that whenever they do a brand deal, their fanbase says “the only creators I’ll watch ads for are you.”

I’m glad their fans are watching theirs, but the rest of us are trying our best too. And it’s even harder as a political creator because our audiences hate anytime we do anything paid and make it known.

If we work with a candidate, we’re a “paid shill.” It’s seen as a badge of honor to not get paid but still promote something.

Every other industry people expect someone is getting paid, but creators are expected to wait for money to fall from the sky. Brand deals are embarrassing and shameful. We have to disclose them to comply with the FTC, but when we do, we know we are putting a target on our backs.

So, we ask for support. “Get a paid subscription to my newsletter,” “Buy Me A Coffee, even $10 would help so much!” “Hey, did you hear about my new merch?”

And…nothing. If you don’t want us to do sponsorships and accuse us of being a paid shill, but don’t want to pay for our work either, then how is this sustainable at all?

You want us to do well, right? Have the time to tell the stories you followed us for, and not burnout cause we’re doing everything ourselves since we can’t afford a team. You want us to do this full time so we’re not cutting corners and can research as much as necessary. Right?

So please stop using “paid shill” and start celebrating when we get sponsorships. When we work with incredible people who actually value our work and understand that we need funding to do it.

Watch the ads. You don’t even have to actually listen. Just have them play on mute, though I promise we all try really hard to make them as exciting as our regular videos.

And consider supporting your favorite creators if you can afford it. Remember that if you don’t support them that work could go away cause it’s just not sustainable to do anymore. This doesn’t just go for the ones who are super successful either. Support your favorite small creator, don’t wait till you see others think are valuable too.

Make it so that we can keep doing this work for a long time to come. Treat us like you want to be treated when you work hard at your job.

Please?

Okay, getting off my soap box now. Onto the stories!

Idaho

Tue, May 19 - “The Gang of Eight,” the most conservative faction of the Idaho Senate is now the gang of three after the May Republican primary.

The State House also had some wins. Three ultra conservative members were ousted there too.

The far right has been making significant gains in Idaho for years, and for the first time in a while, it’s looking like that might be reversing.

That might not feel like such a big deal, but as Boise State Political Science Professor Jaclyn Kettler said to Boise State Public Radio:

One vote can matter a lot in terms of whether legislation is going to move forward out of committee, whether it succeeds on the floor. We had a few really close votes this past session.

Sometimes, oftentimes, wins are incremental. But each incremental win adds up, and that’s how we will take back this country and make it something we can be proud of.

New Hampshire

Thu, May 28 - From the outside, New Hampshire looks like a Blue state. They have two Dem senators and two Dem members of the House, so they must be Blue, right?

Well, not exactly. New Hampshire is a strange state and pretty Republican, as is evident looking at their voting restrictions.

HB 1569, which passed in 2024, limited how to prove citizenship to register to vote. Before the law went into effect it only took a sworn affidavit, eve when there was a challenge to someone’s registration.

With this law, now an eligible voter had to provide documentation like their birth certificate or a passport. Not everyone has the necessary documents readily available, so a lot of people weren’t able to vote.

But, in May, Biden appointee, Judge Samantha Elliott ruled that this anti-voter law was unconstitutional, saying:

Eliminating the affidavits constitutes an unjustifiable burden on the right to vote in violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Eliminating the Challenged Voter Affidavit further violates voters’ rights to procedural due process.

Now this isn’t over yet. The state is trying to get Judge Elliott to stay her own decision, while they appeal to the 1st Court of Appeals. As of this ruling, the primary was 11 weeks away, which they argue is too soon to change the rules now.

But this ruling is now over a month old, she hasn’t stayed the ruling and the Primary is now 7 weeks away, I don’t see that that’s going well for them.

Rulings like this are another reminder that Republicans cannot destroy elections like they want to. And I think that needs to be repeated as often as possible.

Monterey Park, California

Tue, June 2 - With a margin of over 76%, Monterey Park voters voted to ban data centers.

This outcome was not a surprise, but that’s only because of the campaign that went into raising awareness of a proposed data center.

This campaign was not easy. The developers of a proposed project tried to have private 1:1 meetings with Andrew Yip, the co-founder of San Gabriel Valley Progressive Action. He turned them down and made sure they made their case in a public forum instead.

And it was his organizing and quick thinking that got the measure on the ballot. at a March 4 City Council meeting. He explained to LA Public Press:

It was actually a very short timeline. We found out about this data center in November. So it was only a few months where we organized folks and got a ballot measure in place.

And as Mayor Elizabeth Yang told the publication: “We’re hoping that our actions here in our little city are going to set an example for other cities that are dealing with similar issues.”

Like all of LA county, for instance. And that’s what Yip and SGV Progressive Action will be working on going forward:

There’s going to be three virtual community meetings on data centers. That would be the opportunity for residents to bring a permanent ban on data centers in unincorporated Los Angeles County.

If this Monterey Park win inspires you, then help Yip and others make it a reality in LA County at large.

Just reading this story makes it feel doable in a really tangible way.

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And those are today’s stories. If you didn’t notice the there, it is, of course, voting. Voting at all levels for all races, both people and measures alike. We have a lot of different ways to fight back, but this one should always be at the foundation.

Remember, your vote is your voice and that voice is your superpower, but only when you use it!