National Review founder William F. Buckley Jr.

Comrades, the good news is NR’s 2019 Spring Webathon is more than a quarter of its way to the big goal of $175,000. The sigh-inducing news is we have to raise the rest of that amount (about 70 per cent) in the next three weeks. That’s heavy lifting.

Pulling from that philosophy of . . . the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step, and it’s related cookie fortune . . . slow and steady wins the race . . . how about you — the conservative daily reader of NR who wants to donate, who wants NR to be better fortified to fight the socialism re-emergence, but who’s yet to tender a contribution — how about you help us get to a third of the way to our goal, tonight? As we figure it, that means another $8,000 in the kitty. It’s a charitable bite-size chunk. And from there we can worry about the half-way point.

As is our custom, today and yesterday we received a number of very kind donations that came attended by hosannas, kudos, and other written exclamations and attaboys, some of which we share:

Anne, who read one of the pitches referring to generous donors Tom and Todd, donated (gulp!) $2,000. And told this tale: “My friend Todd and I used to eagerly anticipate Sundays on PBS, to watch founder William F. Buckley deftly confound his Firing Line guests with unimpeachable logic, delivered with his unmatchable acerbic wit. After 9/11, it was my friend Tom who led me to The Corner. Lo and behold, my favorite writers were writing EVERY DAY. And more than once! Though my particular Todd and Tom are not likely the same two quoted on your donation page, seeing the names I realized how influential, and long-lived, the publication has been and continues to be. Keep up the good fight.” Anne, you rock, and my hope is there is someone out there who knew an Anne and who will be inspired as you were by Todd & Tom. Maybe we ought to start a “Tom & Todd Society!”

Michael finds NR worth $100 of his selflessness. Well, it’s narrower than that “I send you this hundred buck solely because of Kevin Williamson.” If there was ever a good solely reason, this is one. Thanks Mike.

George kindly tenders $50 along with some kudos: “Thanks for an alternative to mindless leftist parrots of nitwittery and falsehoods.” George, it is we who must thank you, not only for your generosity, but for using “nitwittery.”

Dietmar donates $200 and a bumper-sticker explanation: “Socialism doesn’t work.” Who wouldn’t want that on their conservative car?!

Holly tosses $25 into the collection basket and a good explanation: “Given to honor Heather Wilhelm’s latest piece: ‘The Banality of the F-Bomb.’” Curse the cursers! And praise the Hollys for their kind support.

Another wowza: Beverly coughs up a grand. And her thoughts are nothing to sneeze at: “Thank you for all you do to help us keep our sanity! Your efforts are what help me continue to have hope that the progressive ideas can be beaten. I read your articles every day. Thank you!” We’ve said it before and will say it again: No, thank you.

We’ll end with Laura, who saw fit to contribute $200 and attached to them some encouraging words: “Thank you for your responsible, honest and thought- provoking journalism. You are breath of fresh air in a world where shrill dishonesty and demagoguery increasingly prevail. There is rarely a day that I do not check in with NR.”

So as for you, the wanna-donor. Please do it. Donate here, and right now, so we can put our heads on the pillows tonight and say, a third of the way there (it’s either that or we double to dose of anxiety meds!). Thanks to all who have given and to all who are about to: We are so deeply appreciative. If you want to give, but not via the Internet, then do whip out that checkbook, make one payable to “National Review,” add an extra zero before the decimal point, put it an envelope, seal it, apply a stamp, and address it to National Review, ATTN: 2019 Spring Webathon, 19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10036.