March 12, 2009

The Palin Family Regrets to Inform You…

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The Governor of Alaska and Mr. Todd Mitchell Palin announce that
the engagement of their daughter, Miss
Bristol Palin, to Mr.
Levi Johnston,
has been ended by mutual consent.

In a shocking development, the
torrid betrothal of 19-year-old apprentice electrician Levi Johnston
and the daughter of the governor of Alaska—a year-long relationship that created two-month-old Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston and helped bolster the pro-life and working-class credentials of Sen. John McCain—has ended.

The liaison stood little chance of success, especially after the Republican Party transformed the two
high-school dropouts into symbols of social
conservatism. With that pressure, it’s no wonder the teens couldn’t withstand the normal trials of dating, never mind
the stress of playing it out before the entire country. And so, having performed his role with considerable aplomb, Johnston may now retreat to obscurity, free to snowboard, ride dirt bikes, go camping, film reality TV shows, and hang out with the boys to his heart’s content.

As for his son, Tripp Johnston, there’s no reason to worry. Many people conceived by unmarried couples have gone on to achieve illustrious feats in their own rights. 

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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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