September 23, 2010

The Democratic Plan

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Ezra Klein says a record isn’t enough. Democrats need a vision statement just like the GOP:

Telling them to look at what Democrats have attempted but failed to pass isn’t enough. Voters don’t know about the 372 bills the House has passed and the Senate has ignored, or the 44 bills the Senate has passed and the House hasn’t acted on. And legislation is not synonymous with vision. Legislation is about what you can get done. It’s about compromises with Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. It’s about the Senate’s calendar. It’s about the committee structure. Vision is about what you want to get done, and it’s worthwhile for voters to know that, too.

Meanwhile…..

A senior Senate Democratic aide told TPM today there won’t be a vote on extending the Bush tax cuts in the upper chamber before the November election….The aide said it’s already a winning message without a vote since Obama and Democrats have framed the debate as the Republicans being for the rich and Democrats wanting to help the middle class….”We have a winning message now, why muddy it up with a failed vote, because, of course, Republicans are going to block everything,” the aide said.

This is why there won’t be a Democratic vision statement of any substance. They don’t want to run on their record because they’re scared to death of it. Voters hate the stimulus, they hate TARP, they don’t care about financial reform, and if they don’t exactly hate healthcare reform, they aren’t too thrilled with it either. And since Democrats have seemingly given up on fighting back and persuading people that this was all good stuff, a defense of their record is out.

And the future? Well, Republicans have the advantage that they can promise pretty much anything. Sure, you’d have to be pretty gullible to think they’re seriously planning to reduce the deficit, but there are plenty of forgetful people out there. They’ll believe whatever Republicans say. Democrats, however, can’t do this. I mean, what are they going to say? That we need a climate bill, repeal of DADT, more stimulus, and immigration reform? Even a forgetful electorate isn’t that forgetful.

And anyway, Dems already have a winning message! Just like the man said. Why, just look at the polls.

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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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