Of course, if we don’t approach or meet our goal, yeah, “belly up” might be the right phrase, in an unfortunate way. But for the time being, we’ll consider it in the sense of “. . . to the bar.” If you are a frequent NRO denizen, here early and often, guzzling down all the free content – and knowing that it’s really not free – then I encourage you to . . . belly up to the bar and buy a round, by making a contribution, right here. Our goal is $246,000, and it is a symbolic figure: one thousandth of the amount George Soros gave to lefties from 201-2014.
We’ve had many a good and generous reader contribute so far, and some have even left an encouraging word with their donation:
Hillary spotted us $50 and turned the gratitude around: “Thank you! It would be lonely without the National Review. I read NRO daily and appreciate the content from all the writers.”
David sends $75 and it comes with directions, and a promise: “Twenty five for each goal. When I win the lottery, I’ll do better!” (We will use the money raised for three main purposes: to help fund out litigation in Mann v. National Review, to bankroll our top-to-bottom rebuild of NRO, and to fund a new editorial position.)
Kathleen ponies up a sweet $25 and shares a delightful memory: “Back in the day, my father used to read Mr. Buckley’s column to me while I sat on his lap at the breakfast table. You do excellent work and I’m proud to support you!” Makes me want to have a bowl of Blackford Oats.
Nick pulls $300 from his wallet and sends it to NR along with this explanation: “I’m in my early 40’s and have not yet voted Republican, but in the last few years I’ve found observable reality increasingly impossible to ignore. So I began to read up on the ideas of “the other side.” It’s compelling stuff. NR is my favorite site. I hope you can fix the technical glitches soon. Thank you for your thoughtful work.”
And we’ll end with this, from Earl, whose kind $100 donation proves that guilt works! “Keep up the good work. I read your website every day (guilty conscience hovers over me!), so I should contribute to its continuation.”
Please find these good people inspiring. We really need your help. You can make your contribution to NR here. Many thanks in advance.