October 18, 2013

Surprise! Mitch McConnell Reads Mother Jones

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/5435148905/sizes/m/in/photolist-9hhypT-8Qv2wg-BY9rZ-6P2kBn-a3FP3b-ffBk21-6ptYBN-7Gei5H-9xKRKN-8UG5xY-dy6jRn-8TTXLg-c8UNmq-c8UN1J-cE7HJC-81Cx4n-dwSt21-dwLYip-dwLYdV-dwSsVy-dwStBd-dwLYsr-dwLXyc-dwLY9v-dwLY5t-dwSsrE-6zgZRu-cvi2YW-cvi3oL-cvi2nJ-cE7J51-cE7HVd-92X6Bh-eZmrxi-eZmrrX-7w3JEH-7w3AaD-7w7r7U-7w7t91-8yxqKy-9hhznM-9hxoJw-9hxpi9-9hugtk-9hkGsE-9huh7a-9hugLp-9hug9Z-9hhzMx-9hhyPT-9hkHgf/">Gage Skidmore</a>/Flickr

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In an interview on Thursday morning with the National Review‘s Robert Costa, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made an intriguing comment that caught our eye. Fresh from helping to broker the deal to end the government shutdown and lift the debt ceiling, McConnell was asked by Costa if political factors in Kentucky were shaping his legislative strategy in Washington. As we’ve reported, McConnell faces a tough reelection fight, including a fierce primary challenge, with Kentucky tea partiers steaming over McConnell’s deal-making on issues like the 2012 fiscal cliff deal, Syria, and now the debt ceiling.

McConnell’s response: “Oh, that’s the Mother Jones thesis.”

Here’s the full exchange:

COSTA: A lot of reporters think your decisions are driven by political considerations in your home state, especially your primary versus Matt Bevin and a potential general-election campaign versus Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes. How are those factors shaping your strategy?

MCCONNELL: Oh, that’s the Mother Jones thesis. I have nothing to say about my primary opponent. And this week, it’s pretty obvious about whether that’s driving my decisions. As for [Lundergan Grimes], the whole rationale for her candidacy is that I’m part of the dysfunction in Washington, so she’s probably been pretty unhappy over the past 24 hours. I’ve demonstrated, once again, that when the Congress is in gridlock and the country is at risk, I’m the guy who steps forward and tries to get us out of the ditch. So it’s been a bad 24 hours for her, and she’s going to need to find a new rationale.

We’re flattered to know that McConnell, arguably the most influential Republican official in Washington, reads Mother Jones. We assume he’s referring to a September 19 story by David Corn which examined whether McConnell’s tea-party challenger, Matt Bevin, was preventing the minority leader from fully engaging in the shutdown negotiations. “McConnell must fear the wrath of [Kentucky Senator Rand] Paul and the Paulites, should he engage in wheeling and dealing that results in any accords that offend the sensibilities of the tea partiers,” Corn wrote. “Caught between Rand Paul and the White House, one of the most powerful and sly politicians in Washington has little room to work his behind-closed-doors magic.”

For what it’s worth, we’d also direct McConnell to our reporting on other aspects of his reelection fight, including the race’s hefty price tag, the fundraising dream team assembled by Lundergan Grimes, McConnell’s tea party challenger, and grassroots conservatives’ dim view of McConnell and their eagerness to oust him.

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

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