November/December 1998 Issue

Not Ready for Rushmore

Image: Gary Panter

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George Bush can’t seem to emerge from the shadow of his old boss Ronald Reagan, who’s been getting all the choice namesakes (e.g., the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., and Reagan Washington National Airport). But President Clinton could lend some much-needed gravitas to Bush’s list of namesakes this winter by signing legislation authorizing the CIA to rededicate its Langley, Va., headquarters in his honor. The list already includes:

George Bush Intercontinental Airport Houston, Texas (dedicated in 1997)
George Bush Elementary School Midland, Texas
Bush Cabin at Big Cedar Lodge Ridgedale, Mo.
George Bush Plate Otto’s BBQ, Houston, Texas
President Bush’s Pizza (artichoke hearts, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, and black olives), Fuzzy’s Pizza, Houston, Texas
George Bush Bonefish Tournament Cheeca Lodge, Islamorada, Fla.

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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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