Dear John:

This year has seen constant attacks on our democracy, disturbing disinformation campaigns designed to stoke fear and violence, and cynical manipulations of racial and social tension to distract voters from the real crises facing our nation and planet.

Yet there is much to be thankful for as we head into 2024 and another national election. Our democracy has proven to be resilient, with millions of Americans rejecting MAGA extremism and the courts finally holding Trump and his accomplices accountable for their attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Voters have consistently spoken for reproductive freedom since the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, workers are rediscovering their voice and collective power, and great strides are being made toward reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.

But my dear friends at the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and I are keenly aware that America is still balanced on the brink of autocratic rule and that many threats lie ahead.

Trump has promised to punish his political enemies, make mass deportations, and fire thousands of nonpartisan civil servants if he is elected to a second term. We have the most right-wing House speaker in generations and an emboldened House Freedom Caucus seeking to dismantle our government, while the far right — bankrolled by billionaires and big corporations — continues to divide us with their bogus culture wars. And pay-to-play groups like ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council) are trying to turn states into partisan fiefdoms and use the power of government to restrict our vote and eliminate our personal freedoms.

Thankfully, for the past 30 years, CMD’s intrepid crew of investigative reporters has been digging deep to expose these and other threats to our democracy. Just this year alone:

• CMD ramped up public pressure on ALEC for its long-running efforts to promote the wish lists of Big Tobacco, the gun lobby, Koch Industries and other polluters, as well MAGA and religious right groups promoting voter suppression laws and abortion bans. Since CMD launched ALEC Exposed in 2011, more than 100 companies have cut ties with ALEC over its extreme agenda.
   
• CMD revealed the dark money MAGA militant group staffing and calling the shots for the House Freedom Caucus members who have wreaked chaos in Congress and held both our government and national credit rating hostage to their extremist demands.
   
• CMD blew the whistle on the Right’s “anti-ESG” campaign backed by Big Oil to block climate progress and manufacture a crisis around responsible investing under the guise of attacking “woke capitalism.”
   
• CMD exposed the far right’s dangerous drive for a rigged constitutional convention to radically rewrite the U.S. Constitution and give delegates handpicked by GOP politicians supermajority control over proposing amendments aimed at rolling back a century of progress on economic, racial, social, and environmental justice.
   
• CMD published over 70 original investigations revealing the Right’s attempts to crush local democracy, prevent urgent action on climate change, and pump dark money into our elections.
   

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Clearly, CMD’s prize-winning role as a watchdog of powerful special interests is vitally important for all of us. As they celebrate their 30^th anniversary, I’d like to congratulate them on this milestone and all of the tremendous work that they’ve done over the past three decades to shine a light on corruption and protect our freedoms.

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I have always believed that the first step in saving our democracy is identifying who is trying to take it hostage. Autocracy and fascism feed on darkness and disinformation. That’s why we need CMD’s award-winning investigations now more than ever!

But they can’t do it without you. So I’m reaching out to you personally to ask for your support.

CMD depends on people like you to keep doing what it does best – exposing hidden influence and defending our fragile democracy!

So please join me in congratulating CMD on its 30^th anniversary by making a tax-deductible contribution today.

Thanks to a $50,000 match, your year-end gift will go twice as far!
Donate Here!

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Together we can make a difference and move toward a democracy that works for all of us.

With deepest gratitude for your generous and ongoing support,

Robert Reich
Former U.S. Secretary of Labor & Co-Founder, Inequality Media