October 2, 2020

Biden Makes a Direct and Heartfelt Call for Common Sense After Trump Tests Positive

Tom Williams/ZUMA

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In his first appearance after President Donald Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden made a forceful call for unity and common sense.

“It’s not about being a tough guy,” the former vice president said during the speech in Grand Rapids, Michigan—a Friday afternoon appearance only made possible by his own negative result. “It’s about playing your part. Wearing a mask is not only gonna protect you, but it will also protect those around you.”

His appearance was billed as a rallying call for economic recovery—and delivered on that promise by focussing mainly on his jobs plan—but given the timing, it was also bound to be an instantly historic reaction to the day’s events. Biden took the opportunity to wish the president a speedy recovery, and as if to underscore the significance of the moment, he donned a light blue mask throughout his entire speech.

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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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