February 25, 2009

Republicans Do Know How to Use the Internets and Make Videos

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The bailout got you down? Does it feel like the members of Congress just aren’t listening? Got a video camera and too much spare time? Don’t fret, sad little big-government-haters: You can heed the advice of Meghan McCain, get your fifteen micro-seconds of fame, and win your bailout burden back.

Yes, Republicans do know how to use the internets.  Right.org (you got to give them credit for the snazzy URL), launched an online video contest that asks DIY film makers to “Be creative. Make us laugh. Teach us. Above all, make us oppose the bailouts.”

The winning entry receives $27,599, or one person’s share of the bailouts. Entrants will flood YouTube until a winner is chosen by a “panel of qualified judges” in July. The idea for a video contest follows hard on the heels of the Best Job in the World put on by the Queensland Tourism. Though there are, understandably and sadly, far fewer bikinis in the Right.org contest.Right.org describes itself as a “grassroots online community” who
“gathered some talent and money and built this side.” Where the money
came from is unclear. Comments go to Evan and Duncan (who could not be
reached for comment). Besides the video contest, Facebook, and a Twitter feed, Right.org offers users
nifty tools for calculating their family’s share of the bailout and
gives them the chance to sign a petition opposing the bailout. The
options are “sign the petition” and “No thanks (I’m fine with Congress stealing my money).

Right.org even redefines the Merriam-Webster word of the year,
“bailout,” as “making us pay for corporate failures that are not our
fault.” And, we all know, the only appropriate response to that kind of
malfeasance from the Man is to dress up in a Hawaiian leis and make a
freaking video.

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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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.

payment methods

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