December 29, 2009

Miscellany

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Three quick items:

  • Yes, the filibuster sucks, but I agree with both Ezra Klein and Bruce Bartlett that the tradition of Senate holds is even more odious. But if it’s not possible even to do away with holds, I’ll reiterate my suggestion that the Senate scale way, way back on the number of officials that it has to confirm. Maybe the top two officers in each executive department, appellate judges and above, and a few others of similar rank. The rest should just be straight presidential appointments.
  • Can we all, please, chill out about the failed plane bombing, chill out about Janet Napolitano’s “the system worked” gaffe, and chill out about Obama remaining in Hawaii? Just. Chill. Out. We don’t have to go completely cuckoo every time something like this happens. Instead, let’s find out where the system failed instead of hysterically guessing about it, and then figure out what we ought to do about it.
  • For decades now, the initiative process in California has primarily been a tool of the rich and powerful, not the grassroots. Here’s the latest outrage.

That is all. You may now return to Monday Night Football.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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