re: Please read this email (don't delete)

Friend, 19 years ago this week, Daily Kos came to life with a short post from our founder, Markos Moulitsas. It wasn't meant to launch the biggest progressive political news and activism hub in the country—but it did. Daily Kos succeeded then because it offered something unique: An unapologetically progressive viewpoint at a time when conservatives dominated Congress and George W. Bush sat in the White House. It succeeds today because it remains unique—a proudly progressive, independent outlet free from corporate interests and the agendas of billionaire backers. [There is nothing else like Daily Kos, and there never will be. Our biggest source of revenue isn't ads or major donations—it's readers and activists like you each chipping in a few bucks at a time to help us make ends meet. So please help us celebrate our birthday by starting a $5 monthly donation to Daily Kos right now.]( [Can't contribute monthly? Please consider donating one time by clicking here.]( Thank you again, Michael Langenmayr, Daily Kos P.S. I've included the note that our founder, Markos, sent you earlier. Be sure to check it out! --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, 19 years ago this week, I started Daily Kos as a personal voice of resistance to a dangerous, dishonest, corrupt, oligarchical, war-crazed administration. It used my Army nickname, "kos," short for "Markos," because I didn’t want my boss at the time to know that I was, um, blogging during work hours. But I couldn’t hold it in! The 2000 election had bitterly divided the nation, 9/11 had traumatized us all, and the drumbeat to war in Iraq both scared and angered me. Liberals were non-existent in the media landscape. Daily Kos began as a personal blog where I could vent my fear and anger—I had no idea it would galvanize others who shared my anxieties and frustrations to take action. (And to be clear, I always got my work done.) Daily Kos has grown from that humble one-man operation into the largest progressive political news and activism hub in the country. This wouldn't have happened without you. The past 19 years have been a horror show for media outlets. Every part of the news media—national outlets and local ones, print and digital media—have been gutted. Newsrooms have lost [half]( their employees since the Great Recession. It is a crisis so severe that even the [UN secretary general]( has spoken out about it, as the death of news outlets and the rise of conspiracy theories threatens global stability. However, through this Daily Kos has not just survived—it has thrived. How? With the support of you and hundreds of thousands of readers and activists like you. Daily Kos has built a grassroots-funded progressive news outlet that is unique in the country—maybe in the world! We give readers the ability to take immediate, meaningful action on the stories they are reading. We even give readers the ability to not only post comments, but to produce their own stories. [Daily Kos has become a cornerstone of the progressive movement, providing the news and giving you the tools to take immediate action. Please donate to support our work by starting a $5 monthly contribution right now.]( [If you'd like to support our work, but can't contribute monthly, please click here to give $5 one time.]( Here's what makes Daily Kos unique in the political world today: - We don't rely on ad revenue or corporate sponsorship, like most other media outlets—and we don't rely on major donors, like many progressive groups. We're an independent outlet that relies on readers and activists like you, each chipping in a few bucks at a time, to make ends meet. This makes us accountable to the grassroots donors who make up our readership and not to big corporations or the super rich. - We have an agenda—and we ain't afraid to push it! Daily Kos is a proudly progressive news outlet. We take sides in fights instead of pursuing "balance" at all costs. We're not going to pretend there are reasonable people on both sides of every issue when one side is being led by corrupt, racist figures Donald Trump and Matt Gaetz. Instead, we give our readers the opportunity to take effective grassroots action, like writing to their elected officials, to make change. - We give you a platform to make your own voice heard. We're not here to be gatekeepers—anyone can come to our site and publish their own stories on the blog so long as it meets our community standards. Daily Kos is unique in our success over the past two decades, but we are not immune to the forces that have battered other media outlets. We have faced tough times—and you have come through for us each and every time we needed help. So I'm asking you to help us keep fighting to support President Biden and Democrats in Congress working to undo the damage wrought by Trump and his cronies: [Daily Kos exists thanks to the support of grassroots donors each chipping in a few bucks at a time. Help us keep fighting by becoming a $5 recurring monthly donor.]( [Can't give monthly? You can click here to give $5 one time.]( Thank you, Markos Moulitsas, Founder Daily Kos If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. (Please note that we may be slow to process checks during the coronavirus outbreak.) Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.