Seems like crowdfunding could make a pretty serious dent in a case like this.

It could end up being worth it for publicity alone.

I hear ya. Kinda seems like it's almost a catch 22. You can't get enough money to fight them unless you join them like Reddit did. How can we ever hope to succeed? Their tools are just going to get more and more automated until they almost completely control the flow of information on a national scale. Sure, some of us will find other outlets... but likely not enough to affect elections in a meaningful way.