I'd been looking at PAC contributions when I should have been looking at the people who actually have daily access to the Capitol - the media. The true lobbyists.
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) March 10, 2026
Punchbowl News represents a whole lot of powerful industries and they are unflinching admirers of Senate Majority… https://t.co/WPKyXGb7yo pic.twitter.com/YVtLzIloiW
I'd been looking at PAC contributions when I should have been looking at the people who actually have daily access to the Capitol - the media. The true lobbyists.
Punchbowl News represents a whole lot of powerful industries and they are unflinching admirers of Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
John Thune is the "paid influencer ecosystem." 𝕏 merely exposed how that machinery works in the Senate.
Just look at the posts of
@AndrewDesiderio
, their senior Senate "correspondent." Almost every single one is about defeating the SAVE America Act and praising Thune.Punchbowl isn't shy about where their money comes from. Founder Jack Sherman himself admitted that 90% of Punchbowl's revenue is from "corporate sponsorships." They made 10 million dollars in revenue their first year... what kind of "journalist" company pulls that off?
The podcast featuring them outright describes their business model as getting their money from "sponsorships bought by trade groups and companies looking to get their public affairs messaging in front of those making and influencing policy."
Punchbowl got in ethical hot water when they treated a whole bunch of lobbyists to luxury box seats at a NFL game.
If you want to know why SAVE America Act is being slow-walked...
Start with
@PunchbowlNews
.
. @PunchbowlNews would you like to comment on this business model I've reversed engineered of how you keep @LeaderJohnThune in line? pic.twitter.com/Wl32OL6WPl
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) March 10, 2026
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