Tough Times for Conservative Philanthropist

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


After taking a hit of $4 billion in the recent financial turmoil, conservative philanthropist and Freedom’s Watch-backer Sheldon Adelson is no longer the third wealthiest person in the United States, according to a revised Forbes‘ list. Bloomberg:

Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson’s net worth declined by $4 billion between Aug. 29 and Oct. 1, the steepest drop among Americans who lost $1 billion or more during the credit crisis, according to Forbes magazine.

The magazine, in its Oct. 27 issue, recalculates the effect of September’s financial news on the wealthiest Americans, those who make up its Forbes 400 list. That list was published on Sept. 17.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett overtook Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates as the richest American by posting an $8 billion gain to $58 billion during the period, the magazine said. Gates’s net worth declined $1.5 billion to $55.5 billion during the 33-day period. He had been first for 15 straight years.

I wrote about the right’s frustration with Adelson’s tendency to take a hands-on role in projects he funded back in the spring. And Peter Stone profiled the casino mogul in the magazine.

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.

payment methods

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.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate