Why do blog-readers make political donations

Farhad Manjoo at Salon wonders whyreaders of political blogs make campaign contributions.
That is the silliest question ever.
Why do wealthy people put on uncomfortable clothes, eat mediocre food, and listen to boring speeches, sitting around white tablecloths with their friends, while giving thousands of dollars to political candidates?
People like to gather in groups to reinforce shared opinions. They like to make a difference, to further a cause they believe in. It’s more compelling to give $20 when you see that it helps create a $20,000 joint donation that will make your candidate more viable.
Sure, there’s some e-bay like psychological re-inforcement when you see others give. But not necessarily more than when a wealthy person gives $10,000 to match the $10,000 contribution of a wealthy neighbor.
Same game, there’s just more of us playing.

2 thoughts on “Why do blog-readers make political donations”

  1. Well, strictly speaking that’s not at all what I wondered. I didn’t ask why blog readers make political contributions but instead why and how they choose (simultaneously, suddenly) to contribute to one candidate while so many other pols looking for money from blogs are coming up short. What’s the secret to why these windfalls occur? Why does Ginny Schrader get money from blogs while Barbara Boxer does not?
    And this, as the article points out, is a harder question to answer than the one you pose….

  2. Yes, that is a more interesting question — and worthy of study over time — identify candidates who raised money over the internet, and find out where the referrals came from. The epidemiology of campaign contributions.

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