So far, 2021 has had more than its share of bad news:
- In a brazen bid to remain in office despite losing an election, Donald Trump engineered his Big Lie that the 2020 election was “rigged” and “stolen” — and he came alarmingly close to succeeding.
- On January 6, Trump adherents — animated by the Big Lie and whipped into a frenzy by Fox News and insidious social media algorithms — laid siege to the U.S. Capitol in what amounted to an attempted coup d’etat.
- Trump retains his vice grip on the Republican Party and its radicalized base.
- Trumpist legislators all across America are pushing racist, anti-democratic voting restrictions with the blatant intent to tilt elections in favor of Republican candidates. These partisan voter suppression laws have already passed in states like Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, and Texas.
- Far too many Amercians are not getting vaccinated, meaning we may not achieve herd immunity anytime soon, or ever.
- And in much of the world, the coronavirus is essentially out of control, risking mutations that the existing vaccines won’t be effective against and that could well make their way to the U.S.
- Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress — in fear of Trump and in lockstep with Mitch McConnell’s rank partisan obstructionism — are waging legislative war against even nominal progress and against democracy itself.
- And the clock is ticking on the Biden administration and congressional Democrats, who need to undo the worst damage of Trump’s presidency and advance at least some progressive policies.
This is an absolutely critical moment for everything you and Public Citizen are doing together.
As the president of this organization, it is my job to oversee all of the advocacy, research, organizing, and legal work that Public Citizen does.
I’ve been in this role for 12 years, and I come to the office every day feeling both enthusiastic and honored.
It is also my job to make sure we have the resources to carry out all that work we’re so well known for. I am just as enthusiastic and honored to do that.
Because we are up against corporate, plutocratic, and regressive forces that always have far more resources than we do.
But for half a century, we’ve been a thorn in their side. Quite a bit more than a thorn, in fact.
And while we are famously strategic and efficient, we do need a baseline level of financial strength to keep fighting — and winning.
So — with not even three full days before we close the books on the first half of this unprecedented year — I’m asking:
If you can, please donate to Public Citizen today.
A few comments:
1. A group of benefactors will match anything you contribute right now dollar-for-dollar.
2. If we can raise $25,000 by midnight Wednesday, we’ll earn another $25,000 in matching funds.
3. $25,000 is an aggressive three-day goal for us.
4. If we can reach it, we’ll be in far better shape as we head into the second half of this momentous year.
Again, any amount you chip in right now will be matched dollar-for-dollar.
Contribute now.
Even better, sign up now to be a Monthly Donor (if you haven’t already) and your contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar every month for one full year!
Thank you!
In unity,
- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
P.S. If you’ve donated recently, thank you. At such a critical moment, I’m hoping I can ask you to dig a little deeper and make another contribution while the dollar-for-dollar match is in effect. Either way, my thanks again for your ongoing support of this shared project called Public Citizen.
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