June 14, 2010

Groups Take Murkowski EPA Showdown to the Airwaves


Environmental and progressive groups are targeting senators for their votes last week on a measure to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The measure, sponsored by Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), failed by a vote of 47-53.

Americans United for Change is spending $405,000 on local TV ads targeting Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Richard Burr (R-NC), and Scott Brown (R-Mass.). Both Burr and Grassley are up for reelection this year. Brown isn’t up for reelection until 2012, but he comes from the state whose challenge to the EPA prompted the regulation of planet-warming gases in the first place, and he supported carbon reduction as a state senator. The Brown ads, which started over the weekend, highlight the senator’s $45,000 in donations from the oil industry and show footage of the Gulf oil spill and oil-coated animals. Here’s the ad:

Meanwhile, Clean Energy Works is running ads thanking senators who voted against Murkowski’s measure. The first round praises Michael Bennet (D-Col.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.); Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), and Jim Webb (D-Va.). Here’s the Murray ad:

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

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THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

At least we hope they will, because that’s our approach to raising the $350,000 in online donations we need right now—during our high-stakes December fundraising push.

It’s the most important month of the year for our fundraising, with upward of 15 percent of our annual online total coming in during the final week—and there’s a lot to say about why Mother Jones’ journalism, and thus hitting that big number, matters tremendously right now.

But you told us fundraising is annoying—with the gimmicks, overwrought tone, manipulative language, and sheer volume of urgent URGENT URGENT!!! content we’re all bombarded with. It sure can be.

So we’re going to try making this as un-annoying as possible. In “Let the Facts Speak for Themselves” we give it our best shot, answering three questions that most any fundraising should try to speak to: Why us, why now, why does it matter?

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