The year's most brazen appeal

My least ability is self-promotion, and closely related is the raising of funds for my own work. This is understatedly ironic, given my long-ago past of raising — in all immodesty — vast sums in the fields of politics and public broadcasting. Indeed my promotional-financing skills, when devoted to others, were in demand.

But when turned inward, that talent has always failed me. At self-promotion/personal fundraising, I stink. There's no more accurate way to put it.

So I'm going to do something I have never before done — steal, plagiarize, outright rip off some words from another site's evidently successful plea for paywalled subscriptions. The latter don't apply to this site, hence while stealing I also altered several original passages and assorted wordings peculiar to that site only. (As would any thief, I've asked not for permission to steal; I'll trust the victimized party to understand.)

What follows is the result — my last fundraising plea of 2024 — which, notwithstanding my alterations, I've put in quotation marks:

"Before I move on to the next post and we all move on to the next year, I want to offer a big and obsequious thank you to the readers of this site, and an even bigger, even more obsequious THANK YOU to its paying contributing readers. This commentary page has turned out to be not just my most consistent but also my most (emotionally) rewarding and ..."

There, right off, my word-theft had to pause. For the supplicant went on to say that his site has also turned out to be his most "(financially) remunerative source of income." I don't see this site's financing as "income"; rather, the funds raised are support for the work produced. Nor has the funding been what one might call "financially remunerative." I absolutely adore every contributing reader and deeply appreciate every dollar — individual amounts having ranged from 10 to hundreds. Still, this site's largest subsidy comes from its composer, thus its finances are more draining than remunerative. Back to thievery:

"But that income only exists because you guys have reached into your wallets and pulled out your credit cards to affirm that good (or, at least, sometimes good), human writing is worth paying for directly. As I say every time, I find this quite moving and kind of extraordinary--to get direct, unquestionable affirmation and support for what I do, from an audience that genuinely appreciates it (that literally values it!).

"So, you know, thank you for paying contributing. And if you don’t pay contribute, well, as I often say, if you get about one beer’s worth of enjoyment from my site every month, or ten beers’ worth every year, consider paying donating about that price to ensure the lights remain on and the site keeps coming."

***

One other feature of my, let's say, borrowed appeal was testimonials. This is something I have rarely done. Why? I've explained that. I stink at self-promotion. Reproducing testimonials is, in my view, pure, bodacious bragging (God knows we've had enough of that over the last nine years). And that makes me inexpressibly uncomfortable. But hey, the site I'm "borrowing" from has had success with it, so I won't allow my extreme discomfort to interfere with what seems to have worked for others. So here are merely a few kind notes from readers:  

It makes no sense that you have no more support than you do — perhaps this is another indication of the anti-intellectual zeitgeist that has seized the country and even the world?

Your posts should be mandatory reading for all.

The amount I contribute does not come close to matching how much I value your commentaries and unique perspectives.

I love your column. I read it daily. I need to talk politics with someone sane. I've tried talking with my cat, but she's not much help.

I am a recent convert to your blog. Yours is a fantastic, in my view, combination of wit, irreverence, and sound political commentary with a much-appreciated added element of getting into history; something that I feel like most of the best blogs out there today sadly lack. Please keep it up, Sir.

I shall, with your help. The year is coming to a close, and this commentary would very much like to leave it — very much needs to leave it — with a bang. The Make a Donation button is on the left. To all of you clicking it, you have my sincerest thank you in advance, which I always follow with a personal thank you. —PM

Comments

[essjay]

More often than not, the catch-of-the-day is the menu choice of P.M.Carpenter where balanced portions of encyclopedic knowledge challenge the palate. Bits of crustiness dot a rich syntactical broth. Lashings of acerbic wit to spice the fare, all sprinkled lightly with tiny nuggets of saltiness. Half measures are never offered. So much for cutesy...
P.M.C. is a master who serves up quality nourishment day after day, and has done for many years. I have read his comments off and on for some time, noting often he has posted two or three a day. His perception and analysis informs my opinion, I am grateful for his dedication to the task and loyalty to his readers. No longer will I take from this buffet for free. And more than ever, we need his historical context, if for nothing more than to know this too shall pass as it has before. - Not the time to jump ship. Let’s all keep him writing, folks Maybe some wealthier person than you or I could promise a sum, and double it, if matched by several smaller donors. It works for PBS, why not for PMC.? Details could be arranged, I assume.