Every time I write one of these pitches I hear from readers who think this approach — what marketing experts and economists call “this PBS crap” — is un-conservative, even vaguely socialist. The argument seems to boil down to: If we can’t make it in the market without passing the collection plate among the congregation, we must be doing something wrong.
I just don’t get this. Churches and synagogues ask for donations; does that make them socialist or liberal? We know that conservatives are more generous with their money than liberals are. Are all those philanthropic rightwingers just saps, or crypto-socialists, or crypto-socialist saps? Are they secretly giving to liberal causes? NRO makes some money from advertising. The print magazine makes money from advertising, subscriptions, and cruises. But it doesn’t cover everything. In effect, NRO works for tips. And the tips, unfortunately, have to come from you, the reader.
Conservatives don't believe in tipping, as Dr. Helen told us.
NRO straddles two worlds.
Much like Larry Craig.
We are a for-profit organization that rarely makes any profit to speak of, and whatever profit we do make goes back into the mission.Minus salaries, of course, salaries that ensure NRO writers can vacation in Paris.
I think at this point you can guess what the mission is: to make the case for conservative policies and ideas as best we can. Part of that business model requires asking the people who get value — however defined — from this site to pitch in as best they can.
[obligatory liberal bashing]
If you can’t swing sending us a few bucks, don’t. If you don’t think we’re worth it, don’t.
Never give an authoritarian permission to do something he wants to do anyway. After decades of "keep your hands off my money," most people will refuse to part with one God-given dime.
But if you can afford it. And if you do think we’re worth it. If you think the message is right and the arguments are right and the cause is right. Then please help out as best you can. We need the money to keep doing what we do. That’s not socialism; it’s math, as the president might say.
Donate, folks, so Jonah can afford a main clause to go with all his subordinate clauses.
14 comments:
Donate, folks, so Jonah can afford a main clause to go with all his subordinate clauses.
Government can't be trusted to do anything right except decide guilt in capital cases.
~
We execute people because we're free.
If it's such a great magazine, why don't they just raise their rates? Their readers can afford it.
"rightasrain: 09/22/11 09:39
Jonah, I go to bed with you every night and wake up with you every morning. That's definitely worth a donation. "
Never again!
She is just giving him a return customer discount.
I would make fun of these leeches for their constant "it's DIFFERENT when WE do it" crap except that it works time and again, so I dunno who to make fun of anymore.
We know that conservatives are more generous with their money than liberals are.
Oh yeah. "generous" is what I think of when the crowds are yelling to let sick people die at the Republican Presidential debates.
All that means is that the churches in the rich parts of town have nicer furniture and newer roofs than the churches in the poor part of town. It has nothing to do with money given to genuinely needy peole.
I wonder how much Jonah has pledged to the NR during this year's pledge drive.
Oh yeah. "generous" is what I think of when the crowds are yelling to let sick people die at the Republican Presidential debates.
Yeah, but the local symphony will have really nice seats.
Our local symphony hall was paid for with public funds, fish.
Somehow, that wasn't socialism in 1970.
Of course, Milwaukee has a history of socialism.
But yeah, the seats are nice.
I saw Spamalot and Midnight Oil there.
Not the same night.
"I would make fun of these leeches for their constant "it's DIFFERENT when WE do it" crap except that it works time and again, so I dunno who to make fun of anymore."
Well, they do vary it with "it's DIFFERENT when THEY do it," just to keep everything fresh.
I just don’t get this. Churches and synagogues ask for donations; does that make them socialist or liberal?
Excellent analogy. Because churches and synagogues sell a product in a competitive marketplace, don't they? And they take advertising, don't they?
This is pathetic even by Goldberg's debased standards. On the other hand, it does point up the essentially religious nature of contemporary conservatism.
Between the faith necessary to accept NR's assertions and dogmas, the melodramatic and essentially fiction-based worship of its sacred figures from the past, its continual revision and falsification of actual history, and its warring sects and splinter groups, maybe Jonah is right--NR IS no different from a church or synagogue.
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