The Jimmy Dore Show: "Massive Astroturf Campaign To SHUT UP Candace Owens"

Release Date: January 2, 2026
Host: Jimmy Dore
Guests/Regulars: Kurt, Mike (Anonymous Commentator), Ryan Matta

Episode Overview

In this lively and combative episode, Jimmy Dore and his panel dissect an alleged, highly coordinated online campaign to discredit Candace Owens and her investigation into the murder of right-wing figure Charlie Kirk. Dore draws parallels between the tactics used against Owens and previous media manipulation campaigns, suggesting a larger effort—funded and orchestrated in part by political actors and gambling platforms—to suppress dissenting voices and muddy the waters around high-profile controversies.

The episode features deep dives into astroturfing, shell company financial shenanigans related to Turning Point USA, and how modern bounties incentivize influencers to push specific narratives. Cited throughout are notable social media threads, clips from Charlie Kirk, and detailed overviews of suspicious political funding apparatuses. The tone is skeptical, sarcastic, and charged with Dore's signature outrage toward establishment power structures.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Astroturfed Anti-Candace Owens Campaign

• Alleged Online Coordination: The episode opens by explaining an influx of social media accounts and influencers suddenly turning against Candace Owens for her investigation into Charlie Kirk's assassination.
  • Discussion of Evan Kilgore: Once a supporter, Kilgore publicly distances himself from Owens, claiming concern about the credibility of her lead witness, Mitch Snow ([00:15–08:50]).
  • Dore's Position: Jimmy and co-hosts argue that skepticism towards Candace is less about facts and more about coordinated discrediting efforts.
• Paid Smear Tactics:
  • Right-wing influencers appear to be promoting similar talking points and retweeting promotions from PolyMarket—a political gambling platform with alleged ties to the Trump administration ([09:48–13:39]).
  • The show scrutinizes simultaneous attacks on Candace Owens, connecting them to possible paid promotions, suggesting, "If this guy [Mitch Snow] was garbage, no one would care… there certainly wouldn't be tons and tons and tons of posts about it." — Jimmy Dore ([15:36])
• Skepticism of Payments and Motives:
  • While not directly accusing all critics of being paid, Dore repeatedly suggests the timing and content are “obviously” coordinated and “AstroTurfed,” even as he remains careful about making direct accusations ([22:40–23:24]).

2. Dissecting the Influencer Bounty System

• Ryan Matta Explains “Clipping” and Bounties:
  • Matta breaks down, with detailed hypothetical and real-world examples, how PACs and shadowy actors buy influence by posting bounties for certain narratives ([51:20–54:51]; [55:18–58:21]).
  • Influencers are incentivized with per-view fees to repeat keywords or themes and can rack up significant sums by covering trending paid topics.
  • This system blurs the line between organic discussion and manufactured consensus.

  “This is how the game’s played, guys. So just hope you guys are up to date. My name is Ryan Matta, motherfuckers.” — Ryan Matta ([54:51])

• Global Participation via Bounty Platforms:
  • Many “viral” tweets can be traced to accounts outside the U.S., further to bounty hunting by non-participant actors ([54:55–55:08]).

3. Turning Point USA, Shell Companies & Shady Finances

• Wolves in Finance Segment:
  • A recurring theme is the convoluted financial structures within Turning Point USA and associated PACs, namely millions being funneled through 110 LLC—a business operating out of a UPS store mailbox ([26:49–49:47]).
• Key Details:
  • The address is linked to Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman, with conflicting accounts of the company’s age and legitimacy.
  • The web presence of the company is minimal, unindexed by Google, and unchanged since inception—a major red flag according to the panel ([30:35–31:33]).
  • Possible connections between Breaking Point executives and those profiting from these structures.
  • Charlie Kirk, before his murder, had begun probing the financials, ordering a full audit—which, pointedly, “they are not doing” after his death ([43:12–43:51]).

“It is extremely suspicious that she still refuses to do an audit.” — Kurt ([47:06])

4. Charlie Kirk’s Warning & Motive Discussion

• Charlie Kirk Clip:
  • Dore plays a prescient Kirk soundbite about the intelligence agencies’ dominance over U.S. politics and their active involvement in manipulating public opinion ([20:05–21:06]).

  “We have a super government that exists above Congress… [these agencies] run the country… run the intel agencies… run the country.” — Charlie Kirk ([20:30])

• Speculation on Motives:
  • Discussants hypothesize that Kirk’s emerging stance against the intelligence community and his push for financial transparency could have motivated a cover-up, and fueled the aggressive backlash against Candace Owens’ investigation ([21:06–23:24]).

5. Media Manipulation Patterns: Past and Present

• Parallels with Earlier Campaigns:
  • Dore references similar patterns—such as campaigns to keep junk food as part of SNAP benefits—where allegedly minuscule payments can drive massive online advocacy ([23:39–24:41]).

  “They were being paid hundreds of dollars, not thousands… being pro-SNAP benefits, being able to buy junk food." — Jimmy Dore ([24:33])

• Skepticism Toward “Organic” Outrage:
  • The hosts return to the point that genuine opposition would never generate such a sustained, networked response absent shadow funding and coordination ([59:37–60:45]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Investigation vs. Smear:

  “They're acting like Candace has come to conclusions and she hasn't. She's just following leads, which is what every good investigator does… And this might come. Mitch's story might come to a dead end, but right now it hasn't.” — Jimmy Dore ([03:36])

• On Burden of Proof:

  “The burden of proof's on the government… It's not on Candace Owens. She could just raise a reasonable doubt if she wants.” — Anonymous Commentator ([04:18])

• On PolyMarket Influence:

  “It begs the question, were they paid to come out against Mitch Snow?… I can't verify the veracity of that.” — Jimmy Dore ([09:48]; [12:11])

• On the Financial Shell Game:

  “So I tracked down [110 LLC] to the parking lot of a strip mall… It is operating out of a UPS store mailbox.” — Kurt ([26:49–27:34]) “Tyler Boyer needs to answer the simple question, where did he get the $650,000?" — Kurt ([37:25])

• On the Astroturfing System:

  “Are we really buying that this trans shooter… Why isn't Benny Johnson…talking about the fact that most likely this was a professional hit job carried out by Israel? Everybody's silent on except Candace Owens and Carolyn and the OGs.” — Ryan Matta ([58:12])

• Meta Reflection:

  “If she's so crazy, if she's so crazy, she's so out of her mind... Why would anybody care? Again, this is—it's obvious what's happening. It's obvious this is coordinated. It's obvious this is AstroTurf.” — Jimmy Dore ([59:37])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Astroturfed Smear Campaign Overview: [00:15–09:41]
• PolyMarket and Paid Influencer Discussion: [09:45–15:36]
• Turning Point USA and Shell Company Deep Dive: [26:49–49:18]
• Paid Influence System Explained (Ryan Matta): [51:20–54:51]; [55:18–58:21]
• Charlie Kirk Clip on Intelligence Agencies: [20:05–21:06]
• Conclusions & Recap: [59:37–60:45]

Summary Takeaways

• Astroturfing is Real & Pervasive: Dore and his co-hosts portray the influencer attacks on Candace Owens as emblematic of the new landscape where coordinated, paid social media campaigns can shape narratives and silence inconvenient investigations.
• Financial Chicanery and Shell Games: Behind much of the political drama are networks of non-transparent companies and suspicious financial flows, which Dore argues demand far more public scrutiny.
• Systemic, Not Organic: Organic backlash is differentiated from manufactured dissent by its timing, volume, and cross-platform identicality, often incentivized by bounties and influencer marketing infrastructure.
• Establishment vs. Whistleblower Pattern: The episode paints a familiar portrait of how voices that threaten established power structures—by questioning official narratives or exposing financial corruption—often fall victim to ruthless, coordinated suppression campaigns.

For listeners new to the episode:
Jimmy Dore and his panel use their typical sarcasm, suspicion, and expletive-laced humor to walk step-by-step through complex stories of online manipulation, urging the audience to question the authenticity of what trends on social media, especially when orchestrated so obviously—according to them—against figures like Candace Owens. The episode is a crash course in skepticism toward digital consensus, and a warning about the ease with which well-funded actors can commandeer the public conversation.