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It's My 47th Birthday and I'm Asking for the Help of Friends Now. [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2023-12-07
Pearl Harbor day. For myself and the nation, a time to reflect and remember a turning point in history. For me personally, another birthday. This is a time where I have to look back and look forward and decide how I am going to push my chips into the table.
What am I going all in on?
How do we build the movement?
Last night on the way back to our apartment, we passed by an unhoused genetleman, whose makeshift tricycle was retrofitted to hold his belongings. He was tired. His head was down. So too was the head of a man I ran into in Manhattan in 2015.
This man had lost his legs, perhaps in service to his country. He was in a doorway, with his head slumped. He was not even trying to rattle the cup anymore. As thousands of Broadway goers walked past, I could tell he felt invisible.
As I made a small contribution I looked him in the eyes I said, “Look at me and remember this moment. You matter.” He smiled. I said God loves you. I believe that. I have my reasons.
But it is my faith that is so great a part of what drives my liberalism.
Yes, I am a liberal. I am a bleeding heart, feed the people, house the unhoused, don’t ask questions just do what has to be done in the moment liberal. And while most of you already know that, I am making it clear to those who might just be getting to know me. I am a Mondalian Liberal. I am a lefty, a pro-union, pro-science, pro-climate, pro-peace, anti-corporate hegemony, anti-fascist full-throated LIBERAL.
I own it. I am proud of it. I carry its banner with honor.
Whatever we accomplish from this point forward as The Claw Family, including any offices I might run for, will have been a family effort, and in no uncertain terms.
But that scene in NY, like the one last night, like so many others, still haunts me.
I am exhausted.
My battery is low.
But I need to grow this thing. I need to put The Claw News on the marquee. But that is about putting all of us on the marquee.
I could have named it “Todd News.” The brand was never about me. It was always about single moms, women’s healthcare, education, economic and social justice, the climate, housing, it was not about making me famous.
It was inspired by my love for animals.
It was fueled by the memory of my mom waking up at 3 a.m. to make dounts to make ends meet.
It was about the voiceless. It was about making the most of my second chance to make a difference.
But really, this may have been born the day my grandfather’s obituary came across my email. The one that said there were only five grand-children, and that saw my dad’s side deliberately leave me out. I never got over that. I never will. I was determined to do something for broken families after that, as mine can never be fixed, maybe at least we can heal others.
So, this is an idea diary.
Here is my idea:
What I am actually talking about is the notion of building a media organization that funds other micro-organizations with the expressed purpose of getting the progressive message out.
Primarily, I have to do something to answer the audio infection that is right wing talk radio. It is all over this country, like a plague of noise that can’t be escaped. It preys upon the bitter, and is destructive to democracy The truth is, few are willing to invest in progressive media to any extent.
Well I am. And others have tried, I know.
But here is the difference:
I am not looking for it to be profitable.
I am looking for it to be impactful. I am fully prepared to build investment for it, then, spend that investment.
And, how many others dedicated 24 hours straight to getting attention for progressive causes?
Soon, I will be doing a YouTubeathon, where my lousy video skills will be paired with exhausting live streaming until I hit a subscriber goal for my Patreon and Youtube. I will do this annually. I will do this until The Claw News is on televisions in hotel lobbies like Fox News. I will work on this project for the rest of my days, and I won’t stop until I have either passed from this earth, or have succeeded and can pass on the work.
I am prepared to hear “it won’t work.” “Others have tried.” “You aren’t talented enough.” I have heard that my whole life. I have heard every reason under the sun why this is pie in the sky. But let me give you a reason I quit listening to that:
I have no choice.
Because I want to do something concrete to preserve this planet and address climate change, I have no choice.
Because I don’t want there to be anymore memorials to toddlers who were victimized by gun violence, I have no choice.
Because 600 workers laid off by U.S. Steel in Granite City, IL don’t know what they are going to do, I have no choice.
Because I can’t sleep at night until I do more, I have no choice.
So this YouTubeathon is designed to do one thing: Gain 1,000 new subscribers. I will be doing this in mid-December. I will alert subscribers when it is happening. But I figure it like this: If I can get 1,000 people to sign up, I can get 100,000. If I can get 100,000 I can get 1,000,000.
At a certain point, I start to funnel downstream to other progressive creators and amplify our message.
See the thing isn’t that it can’t be successful, the thing is I can’t find many others willing to self-fund the movement other than me.
This is a massive project however The Claw News has already come a long way. This is not about doing this on my own. This is about building alliances, and growing the family. This is about a coordinated effort to craft a comprehensive network of media that tells the truth and answer lies.
And there will be accountability. Supporters will know the other projects we pick up and support.
I have always been a heart-on-my-sleeve, no-holds barred advocate. I work my tail off to do more than just support my family, but help make a difference to the world.
This is a family diary. I need you to join my family. It doesn’t just have to be through paid subscriptions. Kind words or subscribing to my YouTube will do the trick.
And I view this as a partnership with Daily Kos. I will spend a lot of time promoting the Kos brand.
But this is some kind of way to celebrate our birthdays this week, eh? (Val and I are 17 hours and 13 minutes apart, different hospitals.) Planning a marathon live stream?
Now full disclosure, currently I am not very good. I am trying to get better. That is my history, I suppose. I work and teach myself until I get better. But what I lack in polish might be made up for in effort.
This is a brick by brick proposition. The Claw News YouTube can be found here, and there is no cost for it. But I need your help. I need to promote my brand and I need new subscribers, and I need a team of people willing to send out an email or tweet, to let people know what we are doing.
We meaning you. Us. The Claw Family. A branch of the human family.
I hope you deem my worthy of your support and your time.
I am asking for your faith in me.
As the seeds of support get planted, this grows. More than just progressive voices will be funded by our growth. So too, will progressive causes. So too, will people in need.
But be ready world, because a middle-aged thinning-haired stubborn as a mule, fight til’ the end firebrand for liberalism is determined to make a difference.
With a little help, of course, from his friends.
-ROC
If you like my work you can support me at The Claw News Patreon.
Love,
ROC
Please watch my introduction.
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