 MoJo Reader,
It's been a long and hard year, which is perhaps the least controversial observation I've ever made.
But it's also been stupid.
That's what was on my mind when I recently sat down to recap the year for my newsletter, This Land (which you should sign up for if you haven't yet!). And it's a thought I'd like to build on now that it's my turn to ask Mother Jones readers to support our work with a year-end donation.
About that first: Our fundraising team tells me that there's still some $170,000 left to raise by Friday's deadline and that even with the big spike in donations that typically occurs during the final three days of the year, there's real concern we might come up short.
I'm a journalist, not a fundraiser, and asking for your hard-earned money doesn't come easy to me. But we can't do the indispensable and independent reporting you count on us for if folks like you don't help. So if you treasure the kickass reporting you get from us as much as we love doing it for you, please consider pitching-in with a donation to help us get as close to that number as we can.
Now here's what I mean in calling 2021 a stupid year: Ignorance can kill. And ignorance and anger are a lethal combination. That stupidity was fully on display regarding two crises that defined the past twelve months: COVID and the war on democracy. Tens of millions of Americans refused to follow expert advice and receive vaccinations. Consequently, the pandemic persisted and many died. Tens of millions also refused to heed reality and accepted Donald Trump's fact-free Big Lie about the 2020 election, supported his efforts to overturn the results, and refused to recognize the threat to the nation posed by the January 6 riot.
Of course, being guided by fervor untethered to facts is nothing new for human beings. But the past year has shown how powerful, damaging, and deadly such irrationality can be—and not only on the specific matters at hand. How can we effectively discuss and debate the nation's needs and problems, such as climate change, income inequality, health care, and education, if we cannot recognize reality? At issue here is not a difference over tax policy or abortion, but whether one plus one is two.
This is a profound political problem without a clear political answer. And it's all because of the continuing perversion of American politics by Trumpism, even with Donald Trump gone from the White House.
For the past five years, we at Mother Jones have worked hard to cover the dangers and corruptions of the Trump years: revealing the most dangerous undercurrents and rejecting the false equivalence that aided his ascendance. With the nation threatened by authoritarianism, cronyism, and right-wing fanaticism, we knew that no-holds-barred journalism was needed to battle the forces of Trumpism and reactionary conservatism. And we have seen, sadly, that this mission remains as crucial today.
We have a lot of important reporting to do in 2022, and I sincerely hope you might part with a couple bucks to help us close that big $170,000 fundraising gap in the next three days so we can finish the year strong and ready for all that's ahead. You have my promise that we'll put your hard-earned money to good use doing the fearless and bold reporting you expect of us.
Back to all that stupidity: It is no coincidence that the set of Americans who have refused to be vaccinated against COVID overlap with those who accept Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election and see no problem with his assaults on the Constitution and democratic governance. In each instance, Republicans and conservatives, deploying disinformation and propaganda, have waged a war on reality and counted on tribal loyalty and political resentment of their followers to trump expertise, evidence, and facts. This past year has reminded us the stakes are high and that it's damn important that people like us who are laser-focused on the threats to our nation and our democracy keep paying attention and play a crucial role as next year's midterm elections approach and we head toward the 2024 presidential contest. (Yes, Trump could be back.)
When ignorance is literally killing Americans and hysteria is being weaponized, we desperately need independent and fierce journalists who can deliver the truth and lots of it. Those who profit from disinformation and discord want the citizenry to be distracted by artificial outrages—just look at the phony moral panics over critical race theory or…Dr. Seuss!— rather than focus on the profound challenges the nation faces. They want to replace science and facts with conspiracy theories. It's all part of an alarming and emboldened movement to shut down the truth.
Why should you support Mother Jones with your hard-earned cash? Because getting the truth out is our sole mission. We're here for one job: to reveal the treacherous skullduggery and misdeeds of those in power and those seeking it (or re-seeking it!) and to shine a light on demagogues and deniers of democracy, whether they're in a TV studio, a Facebook group, a corporate boardroom, a Washington, DC, office, or a tacky mansion by the ocean in Florida. It's what drives all of us at Mother Jones.
And I know you don't want anything sugar-coated. Right now, America is facing an unprecedented peril. Republican and conservative efforts to suppress voting, gerrymander congressional districts, and gain control of vote-counting and election-certifying mechanisms in the states amount to an extensive campaign to implement political apartheid. I know that might seem hyperbolic, but this year has undeniably demonstrated that the GOP is pursuing both systematic strategies and underhanded bureaucratic shenanigans to attain and maintain power and limit the popular will.
That's the Big Story right now, and we need to throw everything we can at it in 2022 and beyond. But—and it's a big "but"—we can only do this if we have your help. Without support from readers like you the work we do would not exist. We aren't funded by big corporate advertisers. We don't have a billionaire owner. We don't depend on hedge funds or high-flying venture capital funds for financial support. For some odd reason, they're not too keen on us.
But for going on 46 years now, enough of our readers who value the hard-hitting reporting we produce—people like you—have pitched in so we can keep doing independent journalism that calls it like it is. My fellow reporters and editors in MoJo's Washington, DC, bureau thank you for having our back.
You know how these fundraising appeals work. We tell you that we need your help and that we're at risk of not meeting our goal. Well, that's the truth here. $170,000 is a heck of a lot of money to raise in just three days. But it's vital we get as close to that number as we can so we can do a heck of a lot of digging to expose the forces that are arrayed against democracy, climate action, economic equality, racial justice, reproductive rights, and the other values and goals shared by most Americans.
And here's the bottom line: With your help we can do the type of reporting that can make 2022 a lot less stupid.
Put simply, folks like you—and your generous contributions—allow us to pursue the kickass journalism that the moment demands. It's reporting that isn't hindered by the desires or demands of advertisers or well-heeled owners. It's free, fearless, and fierce.
My fellow reporters and editors and I at Mother Jones are all incredibly grateful that, thanks to people like you, we can pursue the journalism our country needs. If you can right now, please join our team and help us close that big gap today so we can start 2022 on strong footing.
I know that for many, it's been a tough year. I hope that you and your families are faring well in the face of the challenges we all have been confronting—and that the reporting we at Mother Jones do makes a difference in your lives. And thanks for letting me intrude upon you during the time of year when we do look forward with hope and for considering my request for help. If you can't contribute, I'm glad you find our work valuable enough to be reading my email. Best wishes for the coming year.
Onward,  David Corn Washington DC, Bureau Chief Mother Jones P.S. If you recently made a donation, thank you! And please accept our apologies for sending you this reminder—our systems take a little while to catch up.
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