New Year, Same Current Revolt

We will continue to deliver.

I want to start by saying thank you for even taking the time to read this.

When we started Current Revolt in 2020, it was just a place where the team and I could vent our frustrations with the lockdowns and other political happenings we weren’t pleased with.

Four years later we’re breaking stories that are causing actual legislative changes in Texas.

I’ve really enjoyed running a scrappy tabloid that plays hard and loose with how we run stuff. In school, I never enjoyed reading much, and I definitely didn’t enjoy writing. Now I do both a lot.

I’ve met some of the absolute best people Texas has to offer (and some of the weirdest), I’ve seen the way the sausage is made on the conservative-right, endless scams from politicians, and have heard the wildest stories of bad behavior of Texas legislators.

It’s fun. It’s interesting. I spend most of my days during session on my phone, mostly laughing, listening, and sourcing stories. I walk around the house pacing on the phone, so much so my wife now hands me a Swifter so I can clean and talk at the same time.

The biggest sense of accomplishment comes from the readers, though. When people approach me and say thank you, either for writing about something that other media refuses to talk about or for making them laugh at some of the ridiculous memes or jokes or stories we publish.

Lately we’ve been asked a lot to expand our news outside of Texas coverage. I am adamant against this for a few reasons.

1. I love Texas, and everything outside of Texas bores me.

2. Texas is bigger than most countries; there’s endless content and things going on here.

3. I love Texas.

People often rag on Texas for being boring, flat, and lacking things to do. I guess at times it can be. But what Texas lacks in mountains, good weather, and beaches, it makes up for in fantastic food, interesting people, insane political drama, and a centralized location to travel from.

People have also asked me lately what I plan on changing for 2025; the answer is mostly nothing. 2024 was a fantastic year for us, and I know 2025 will be too. One thing that won’t change is continuing to listen to the feedback, criticism, and suggestions we receive so that we can improve.

Smart people have praised us for always calling out the scam-artists and weirdos, even if those scammers and weirdos happen to be on the political right. The slower people will periodically send me emails getting mad at things like covering 911 domestic violence calls from GOP leaders or, more recently, a certain Republican freshman’s legislative director getting upset that we’re calling out political celebrity paid-shills for promoting politicians without disclosing they’re being paid.

We aren’t about promoting or providing cover for any specific side. I think I’ve made it obvious to most, through our writing and my X posting, that staff, including myself, in Current Revolt leans right, sometimes far right, on political issues. That being said, we still call out the people on “our side” because for some reason these guys on the right end up being the most degenerate, weird, or crazy. Whether it’s whipping out a gun to go shoot the guy cucking them, sending anime-porn to women who aren’t their wife, or cheating on their spouse with their legislative staff, the politicians and figures on the right, especially the “far-right” continue to engage in some of the most degenerate behavior Texas has seen.

One of my favorite stories that I’ve told some people but never put in writing was after disgraced Representative Bryan Slaton did the “deed” with his staffer; one of the first things out of his mouth (I’m told) was, “I hope this doesn’t end up in Current Revolt.” Less than a week later it did, of course. I still love that Slaton released a letter through his lawyer calling Current Revolt “third-rate” news. He ended up resigning shortly after. Hilarious.

This is all to say the staff and I have had a wonderful time writing about Texas happenings. And I’ve personally had a great time meeting and chatting with our readers across Texas. I would like to do this more. If you’re a club leader and looking for a speaker, hit me up.

If there’s one thing I wish was different, it would be our financial situation. Running a scrappy media outlet like this isn’t cheap, nor is it especially easy (financially). We have a handful of donors I’m especially grateful for, but those mega donors that write the checks with the commas in them are almost non-existent because we don’t exchange checks for promises. We can’t be bought out. We’ve been offered money before to kill stories or avoid talking about specific topics, or even promote topics without disclosure, and I’ve always, without hesitation, declined. Turning down these offers is something I’m really proud of, but it definitely costs us financially.

Which brings me to the ask. We need money. It sucks even asking because in a perfect world, Current Revolt would exist purely off subscriptions. We’re close but not there yet. So if you’re reading this and you want to help us, we would really appreciate your financial support. You can donate here:

Any dollar amount helps. We run a lean ship: no fancy offices, no studios with backdrops, no giant parties, and yet we still manage to out-news some of the more legacy media outlets. So you can donate to us knowing your money goes to doing real things, not covering rent or other nonsense.

We’re looking forward to a very exciting 2025 and this upcoming session. We will continue providing you the truth, laughs, and inside news that you won’t hear anywhere else.

Thanks for reading.

Tony Ortiz
Current Revolt