Need To Read: September 9, 2009

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Monika Bauerlein,
CEO

Dear Reader,

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been of late. In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we take a level-headed look at the brutal economics of journalism, why investigative reporting like you get from us matters, and why we're optimistic we can grow our base of support in a big way—starting with hitting a huge $300,000 goal in just three weeks. Please learn more and donate if you can right now.

The next few months are make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising. We need to raise $300,000 quickly, and we need more online readers to pitch in than have been. Please learn more in "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," where we go into the brutal economics of journalism, and what makes Mother Jones unique and worth supporting if you can right now.

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White House photo.President Barack Obama attended the investiture ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor yesterday. This week, the Supreme Court is deciding whether restrictions on corporate money in federal elections are really all that necessary. Tonight, the president will address Congress (and the nation) on health care reform. Here are today’s must-reads:

Marc Ambinder, Official Voice of Center-Left JournoWisdom: How Obama Survived August (The Atlantic)
Health Care Reform’s Prospects Are Better Than You Think (NYT)
Our Own Kevin Drum Could Have Told You All This On Friday (MoJo)
Paul Krugman: Why The Public Option Matters (NYT)
The ~~Max Baucus~~ WellPoint/Liz Fowler Health Plan (FDL)
Consumers Paid Off Record Amounts of Debt in July. This Is Apparently Bad for the Economy (LAT)
What’s Really Behind the Van Jones Attack (MoJo)
DOJ: Blackwater Contractor Saw Iraq As 9/11 Payback (MoJo)
No, I’m Not Linking to Sarah Palin’s Op-Ed (It’s In the WSJ)

I post articles like these throughout the day on twitter. You should follow me, of course. David Corn, Mother Jones’ DC bureau chief, also tweets. So do my colleagues Daniel Schulman and Rachel Morris and our editors-in-chief, Clara Jeffery and Monika Bauerlein. Follow them, too! (The magazine’s main account is @motherjones.)