ADVENTURES IN OPPORTUNISTIC PROFITEERING: Meet the election profiteers

The old adage Strike while the iron is hot is alive and well.  The 2020 election has provided prime opportunities for fundraising, and especially by those who understand people on the right.  Here are some of the players who are opportunistically profiting from the ongoing 2020 election drama.

The Republican National Convention - they get a cut from every donation made to the new Save America PAC, set up shortly after the election, under the guise of fundraising for the legal costs of President Trump’s election litigation.

President Trump - the fine print language of the Save America PAC indicates he will profit significantly from every donation made.

Sidney Powell - How many people knew who Sidney Powell was prior to the memorable press conference she and Rudy Giuliani held on November 19th? How many lawyers do you know who have a large “donate” button on their webpage?

Stop the Steal organizers - Stop the Steal efforts have largely been blacklisted by mainstream internet and social media players, but can be located via more permissive search engines and social media platforms.  Here are images of websites for two of the Stop the Steal organizations.  Clearly, fundraising is among their top priorities.

Walk Away Movement Organizers - Quite active prior to the election, attempting to convince disillusioned liberals to jump ship, they continue to hold events post-election, with Rescue America branding, capitalizing on the continuing assertions of election fraud.  It’s easy to see, they are also very interested in financial contributions to their cause.

1776 Forever Free - Individuals from this organization have been noticeably present at pre-election rallies held by President Trump, and since then, at both Stop the Steal and Walk Away events.  Like others on this list, their website promotes donations front and center, with not one, but two donation buttons!

Right Side Broadcasting Network - One of several news-type organizations attempting to carve a piece of the audience away from Fox News.  They are all-in on promoting President Trump’s assertions of election fraud, and all of their broadcast events on Youtube provide viewers an opportunity to make financial contributions. They also like to remind viewers that they are viewer-funded.

A whole host of Youtube personalities - there are too many to name, but I’ve noticed a significant uptick in Youtube posts by personalities on the right, and especially those who cater to evangelical and charismatic Christians.  Many are now posting daily, or even more frequently, recognizing that viewers want information and guidance.  Where there is demand, astute suppliers will provide what is in demand, and improve their profits along the way.  There seems to be a sufficient population of people holding out hope for a Donald Trump election victory, and many Youtube personalities are plenty happy to come alongside and humor them.

I’m not saying that what these individuals and organizations are doing is wrong or illegal.  In some cases, the purposes for which they exist involve verifiable claims, and legitimate concerns.  They are clearly taking advantage of the circumstances of the 2020 election to generate revenue and improve their financial positions.  In every circumstance, there are those who see an opportunity to profit.  If it is clear there are consumers who demand something, there will always be those who will rise to the occasion to supply it.  Heck, there are even those who will come up with ways to generate more demand than there would otherwise be.  Case in point, the multiple unsubstantiated claims of election fraud are clearly generating more demand, than otherwise would have existed.

Some may note that some of the actions resulting in these profiteering opportunities are not helpful to the collective effort to maintain a peaceful society and trusted governance. Of course, much of this is not helpful to these efforts. However, a commitment to a capitalist mindset can easily elevate personal profit above the common good, and that has been demonstrated many times over.

If you know of other election profiteers, please share in the comments sections.