The Farm Fighter vs The Harvard Ghost
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You know how I always say the antidote to political cynicism is finding an authentic candidate who you can tell is running b/c they actually give a damn? Someone who doesn’t spit out talking points like a broken Pez dispenser?
Well, buckle up—because this week we met one!
Her name is Hallie Shoffner. A sixth-generation Arkansas farmer, on a farm that started around 1890 and she had to shut down—like so many farmers—the beginning of this year. So she decided to run against human-happiness killer, Tom Cotton, to help people not have to shut down farms, businesses, etc in Arkansas anymore.
Single mom. Spreadsheet junkie. Not a polished political robot, but a real-deal human being who’s running for Senate to take out the walking embodiment of elitist detachment and perhaps the original cause of acid reflux: Tom Cotton.
All I have to say is—WOW—this wasn’t some usual interview with canned applause lines. This was Hallie laying it bare:
She had to shut down a 132-year-old family farm this year because the economics—thanks to relentless instability, GOP-fueled tariffs, and Washington negligence—no longer work.
She’s fighting for Medicaid, because 1 in 3 Arkansans depend on it. Cotton’s proud of a bill that would rip coverage from hundreds of thousands of them.
She called the “Big Beautiful Bill” what it is: a billionaire bailout disguised as governance—gashing SNAP, gutting rural hospitals, and blasting holes in Arkansas’ own state budget.
And she’s got no patience for Ivy League hypocrites like Cotton who smile for out-of-state donors while flying over their constituents’ suffering.
This wasn’t just economic populism. It was human. Hallie told the story of a Dollar General worker in rural Arkansas—offering a place to stay to a woman in crisis, while he himself came up five bucks short on groceries.
That’s the Arkansas Cotton doesn’t see from 30,000 feet. But it’s the Arkansas that Hallie and most Arkansas actually live in.
And what’s her plan?
Not some jargon-filled nonsense. Not triangulating BS. Her campaign is built on storytelling, shared struggle, and straight-up truth. And yeah, she’ll throw punches. Not for politics—for survival. To help her neighbors and community.
I’ll say it plain: Tom Cotton is vulnerable. He’s the kind of antiseptic senator who never shows up, never smiles, never does a damn thing anyone can name. Besides frowning and huffing his way through Sunday shows—because he doesn’t work.
Hallie does. She's been up before dawn running a farm. She knows risk. She knows what collapse looks like. And she’s got the guts to make it personal.
I’ve run campaigns in red states. I’ve seen how cynical party hacks can screw this up. So if you're reading this, support the hell out of Hallie while she’s still building steam.
🎯 ShoffnerForArkansas.com — contribute, volunteer, spread the word.
Because the truth is: farmers like Hallie have been bailing out America for generations.Now it’s our turn to have her back.
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The Nazi Hunter Exposing And Bankrupting Nazis
After Hallie lit the fuse, we brought in Kris Goldsmith, a real-life Nazi hunter (yes, you read that right). Founder of Task Force Butler, Kris is a combat veteran, antifascist investigator and also founded Veterans Fighting Fascism.
He also runs the On Offense Substack and podcast—and is a co-host of Find Out, a no-bs political show that calls out cowards, builds power, and gives a damn about winning.
As you can tell, Kris isn’t messing around, in fact, he’s spent years exposing hate groups and fighting authoritarianism across the country. So the guy is no keyboard warrior—he’s a combat vet who came home from Iraq, and was distressed by the rise of white nationalist terror groups like Patriot Front and Blood Tribe.
He then decided, as someone who loved his country, he had another fight he simply had to take on, and it’s turned the lives of goose-steppers everywhere into something more akin to a living hell. His mission? Make being a Nazi “difficult and expensive.”
Through investigations, lawsuits, and helping law enforcement, he exposes extremists not just online, but in courtrooms—where it actually hurts. (And he makes corporate media cover these stories by creating the spectacle necessary, or they’d just ignore it to continue their series of “interviewing Nazis in Ohio coffee shops”).
And the stories Kris told on Amped Up? Chilling.
We’re talking about armed militias plotting to black out Baltimore by hitting the power grid as part of their “accelerationist” ideology to bring down the U.S. government and enact the fascism they hold dear. More chilling? Billionaire tech bros like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk who share this sick ideology.
Then there are the Neo-Nazi soldiers posting his home address to try to get him SWATed. And yes—many of these same freaks get popped for child porn (see “The Epstein Files” and Trump) and weapons charges.
Chris broke down how hate, violence, and predation feed each other online, and how we’re way behind countries like Germany and France when it comes to stopping it.
His point was blunt but clear: free speech doesn’t mean freedom to terrorize. And if our government won’t step up to stop it, people like him—and the rest of us who care deeply about fairness and justice—will have to do it to protect the vulnerable and our republic.
🎯 Task Force Butler — contribute, volunteer, spread the word
Altogether a helluva powerful episode of Amped Up w/ Cliff Schecter! We hope you’ll join us again next week at 2pm et, only on Substack!
Independent Media For.26/day!
We’re only 15 paid subs from 1000! Let’s cross the threshold and amplify our voices!
Benefits we’ve created for those who upgrade to paid:
Support for our Soundcheck Fund—which gives grants and free promotion to talented smaller creators to build an ecosystem of independent media & save democracy
Substack AMA each week w Cliff/David Shuster, video posted just for paid subscribers
Insider scoop in columns/videos by Cliff & David; Amped Up shout-outs; pics/video from behind the scenes, trips, events; lottery for free merch/periodic celeb shout-outs
Ability to comment on all content and send us DMs (we are setting this set up)
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