December 19, 2019

“Billionaires In Wine Caves” Is Our New Meme About Rich Donors

Elizabeth Warren really didn't like Pete Buttigieg's recent fundraiser held in a wine cave.PBS

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The biggest fight of the night—by far—has been about whether Democratic candidates should accept donations from rich people. Billionaires in particular, and “billionaires in wine caves,” to be super specific about it. (This was Elizabeth Warren’s jab at Pete Buttigieg for his recent big-dollar fundraiser held in an underground wine cellar.)

This is . . . dispiriting. I get that Democratic candidates are mostly going to agree with each other about most things, so you’re not going to see a ton of sniping. But can it really be true that the single most contentious fight among Dems is a debate about fundraising tactics?

 

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The December 31 deadline is closing in fast. To reach our $400,000 goal, we need readers who’ve never given before to join the ranks of MoJo donors. And we need our steadfast supporters to give again today—any amount.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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