June 16, 2008

Wild and Unfounded Clinton-as-VP Speculation

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In a memo to reporters titled “Obama Campaign Fills Out Key Posts for the General Election,” the Obama campaign announced today that it’s Chief of Staff to the Vice Presidential Nominee is… Patti Solis Doyle.

That’s right, Hillary Clinton’s former campaign manager and longtime ally is slated to run the VP nominee’s operations. But don’t immediately assume this means Clinton has an inside track on the spot. Solis Doyle was used as a scapegoat for most of the Clinton campaign’s problems, and when she got the boot in February there was no shortage of Clinton staffers willing to trash her anonymously on her way out. Clinton didn’t come to her defense. At least not publicly.

Clinton and Solis Doyle reportedly have not spoken since Solis Doyle’s ouster. The Obama camp is clearly being strategic by placing her in this spot (there are dozens of other people who could play this role on the campaign, after all). But how?

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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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