April 29, 2010

Kerry Rallies Climate Bill Supporters


The Senate’s Democratic champion of the stalled climate and energy legislation called on supporters on Wednesday to keep the pressure on legislators to act this year. “[B]ottom line: we have to pass comprehensive legislation this year or I believe we never will,” wrote John Kerry in an email.

The note compared reports of the bill’s death to the famed “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline of 1948 (which, of course, was wrong), and assured supporters that he is working to keep the bill on track.

Here’s the full letter to supporters:

Just a quick check-in as I know you’ve been reading and hearing a lot about the alleged “death” of comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Feels like it’s practically a rite of passage for important legislation—how many times was health care reform declared “dead” before it passed?

But, bottom-line: we have to pass comprehensive legislation this year or I believe we never will. I am working this 24-7, and these past 72 hours I can tell you it quite literally feels 24-7—so let me assure you: these headlines are like the famous “Dewey Defeats Truman” headline from 1948. And we need that Give Em Hell Harry spirit because there’s one thing he knew – and one thing I remember from back in Iowa when the pundits wrote us off—if you fight hard enough and keep at it, you can get where you need to go.

Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman and I are talking every day—talked a few times yesterday – and I know we can get back on track. I will keep you in the loop on things, and to keep up with what’s happening, follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JohnKerry. I’ll be updating it real-time before reality gets bounced through the echo chamber of DC and spun a hundred different ways.

There’s going to be more twists and turns ahead. There always are. But we’re keeping our eye on the prize—ending our dependence on foreign oil that makes Iran $100 million dollaswrs richer each day and has our planet headed towards a catastrophic tipping point.

We’re going to get there—and please follow me on Twitter for ways you can pitch in.

Thanks,
John Kerry

More Mother Jones reporting on Climate Desk

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE ON MOTHER JONES' FINANCES

We need to start being more upfront about how hard it is keeping a newsroom like Mother Jones afloat these days.

Because it is, and because we're fresh off finishing a fiscal year, on June 30, that came up a bit short of where we needed to be. And this next one simply has to be a year of growth—particularly for donations from online readers to help counter the brutal economics of journalism right now.

Straight up: We need this pitch, what you're reading right now, to start earning significantly more donations than normal. We need people who care enough about Mother Jones’ journalism to be reading a blurb like this to decide to pitch in and support it if you can right now.

Urgent, for sure. But it's not all doom and gloom!

Because over the challenging last year, and thanks to feedback from readers, we've started to see a better way to go about asking you to support our work: Level-headedly communicating the urgency of hitting our fundraising goals, being transparent about our finances, challenges, and opportunities, and explaining how being funded primarily by donations big and small, from ordinary (and extraordinary!) people like you, is the thing that lets us do the type of journalism you look to Mother Jones for—that is so very much needed right now.

And it's really been resonating with folks! Thankfully. Because corporations, powerful people with deep pockets, and market forces will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. Only people like you will.

There's more about our finances in "News Never Pays," or "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," and we'll have details about the year ahead for you soon. But we already know this: The fundraising for our next deadline, $350,000 by the time September 30 rolls around, has to start now, and it has to be stronger than normal so that we don't fall behind and risk coming up short again.

Please 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.

—Monika Bauerlein, CEO, and Brian Hiatt, Online Membership Director

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE ON MOTHER JONES' FINANCES

We need to start being more upfront about how hard it is keeping a newsroom like Mother Jones afloat these days.

Because it is, and because we're fresh off finishing a fiscal year, on June 30, that came up a bit short of where we needed to be. And this next one simply has to be a year of growth—particularly for donations from online readers to help counter the brutal economics of journalism right now.

Straight up: We need this pitch, what you're reading right now, to start earning significantly more donations than normal. We need people who care enough about Mother Jones’ journalism to be reading a blurb like this to decide to pitch in and support it if you can right now.

Urgent, for sure. But it's not all doom and gloom!

Because over the challenging last year, and thanks to feedback from readers, we've started to see a better way to go about asking you to support our work: Level-headedly communicating the urgency of hitting our fundraising goals, being transparent about our finances, challenges, and opportunities, and explaining how being funded primarily by donations big and small, from ordinary (and extraordinary!) people like you, is the thing that lets us do the type of journalism you look to Mother Jones for—that is so very much needed right now.

And it's really been resonating with folks! Thankfully. Because corporations, powerful people with deep pockets, and market forces will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. Only people like you will.

There's more about our finances in "News Never Pays," or "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," and we'll have details about the year ahead for you soon. But we already know this: The fundraising for our next deadline, $350,000 by the time September 30 rolls around, has to start now, and it has to be stronger than normal so that we don't fall behind and risk coming up short again.

Please 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.

—Monika Bauerlein, CEO, and Brian Hiatt, Online Membership Director

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