May 31, 2008

Remember That “Smoke-Filled Room” Everyone Told You About?

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That smoke-filled room you’ve heard so much about is apparently where the members of the Democrats’ Rules and Bylaws Committee are as of 5:30pm on Saturday. They adjourned for lunch at 3:00 and have yet to return to the meeting room. Rumors of back-room deals are flying about. We could be waiting a lot longer, too: the committee members had “5 1/2 hours of cocktails, chicken dinners, and coffee” last night, according to James Pindell. Then again, they were up until 1:30. Maybe they’re just catching some collective shut-eye.

Somehow I doubt it. I’ll get you more news as soon as the meeting resumes.

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We've never been very good at being conservative.

And usually, that serves us well in doing the ambitious, hard-hitting journalism that you turn to Mother Jones for. But it also means we can't afford to come up short when it comes to scratching together the funds it takes to keep our team firing on all cylinders, and the truth is, we finished our budgeting cycle on June 30 about $100,000 short of our online goal.

This is no time to come up short. It's time to fight like hell, as our namesake would tell us to do, for a democracy where minority rule cannot impose an extreme agenda, where facts matter, and where accountability has a chance at the polls and in the press. If you value our reporting and you can right now, please help us dig out of the $100,000 hole we're starting our new budgeting cycle in with an always-needed and always-appreciated donation today.

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