So far, I think this might actually be the Worst Fund Drive Ever.

[Skinner]

Even before this fund drive started, we knew there was a good chance that it would be our worst ever. This presidential primary is among the longest ever, and it's certainly the most divisive in recent memory. Sure enough, we were right. As I write this, the number of donations we have received appears to be the lowest since February 2004, in the heat of the last presidential primary. Of course, that primary was over by early March, so only one fund drive was affected by it. This year, there's a chance that this primary might even last through our third quarter fund drive in August.

So, rather than wallow in self-pity, the three DU Admins decided, What the heck, if this is going to be our worst fund drive ever, we might as well enjoy it! And so, the theme of Worst Fund Drive Ever was born. Don't like DU? We'll even let you punch the Admins! (Virtually.) As a fund-raising scheme, this approach does not seem to be particularly successful. But as an face-saving scheme, it is turning out to be a huge success. When the fund drive fails to reach its goal, or when we limp across the finish line at 11:55PM Sunday night, we can nurse our bruised egos by telling ourselves that we knew all along that we wouldn't make it. If we're feeling particularly delusional, we can tell ourselves that the fund drive failed because we are beloved so by our members that nobody wanted to donate and punch us in our virtual faces.

Interestingly, this time we're getting a lot fewer emails than usual from people telling us they refuse to donate this fund drive because we're doing such a crappy job. I think some disgruntled members might be a little bit confused about how to react to the the fund drive: Do I donate so I can punch the Admins in the face? Or do I not donate so they won't get my money? Similarly, we're receiving more emails than usual from people who want to donate, but are reluctant to do so because they don't want to punch us in the face.

Here, let me help.

For those of you who are angry at the Admins and want to punish us, read this: You should donate to DU, because then you get to punch the admins in the face. We will be deeply humiliated by this public face-punching, and we will be very sad if this fund drive reaches its goal of 1000 donations.

For those of you who are not angry at the Admins, but are reluctant to donate because you don't want to punch us, read this: The "punch the DU Admins" promotion is just a little bit of self-deprecating humor, and should not be considered to be equivalent to really punching the Administrators of Democratic Underground. We won't feel bad if you donate, and we don't really think you want to punch us in the face. In fact, we would greatly appreciate it if you did donate.

If you still can't bring yourself to donate, cut out this image and tape it to the top of your computer monitor, where the DU Administrators' faces appear:



See how much better that looks?

But all kidding aside... As you know, Democratic Underground is a completely independent website, and we depend on voluntary donations from our members to help cover our costs. We know this Democratic primary season has been long and difficult here on DU. But still we need your help. Please take a moment to donate right now:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/donate.html

Thank you for your support.

David Allen ("Skinner")
Democratic Underground Administrator