Posted on 08/08/2005 4:32:54 AM PDT by summer
At least 80 wealthy liberals have pledged to contribute $1 million or more apiece to fund a network of think tanks and advocacy groups to compete with the potent conservative infrastructure built up over the past three decades.
The money will be channeled through a new partnership called the Democracy Alliance, which was founded last spring -- the latest in a series of liberal initiatives as the Democratic Party and its allies continue to struggle with the loss of the House and the Senate in 1994 and the presidency in 2000. Many influential Democratic contributors were left angry and despairing over the party's poor showing in last year's elections, and are looking for what they hope will be more effective ways to invest their support.
Financial commitments totaling at least $80 million over the next five years generated by the Democracy Alliance in recent months -- at a time when some liberal groups, such as the George Soros-backed America Coming Together, are floundering -- suggest that the group is becoming a player in the long-term effort to reinvigorate the left. The group has a goal of raising $200 million -- a sum that would inevitably come in part at the expense of more traditional Democratic groups, although alliance officials say donors have committed to maintaining past contribution levels....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
What the Republicans have done is to mobilize their voters as good as the Dems have done.
Ideals, as oppossed to ideas, are not "thought up," they are ingrained belief systems that need no special packaging or clever message, and until they understand that, they will being going down this road.
"Progressive majority"? Oh, please. They don't understand anything do they?
A retired investment banker hmmm? Looks pretty young. Nice to know the Dems remain the party of the little guy, the working man.
Small problem: to have a think tank . . . one must think.
Aren't think tanks supposed to rely on facts for their research? The libs wouldn't know a "fact" if it came up at bit them on the ass.
Sounds like a lot until you consider that the late Digital Equipment Corporation spent $200 million to create a new corporate image and after all that money had been spent simply changed its logo from blue to the color of dried blood. Then DEC went out of business.
Thinking sounds like a great plan for the Liberals...just as long as they don't have to actually DO something...
We already have plenty of liberal think tanks. They aren't worth their money now so why do these people think new ones will accomplish anything? Let em spend their money.
It only takes 20 years for a liberal to become a conservative without changing a single idea. - Robert Anton Wilson
Eighty million dollars should reduce that time by about half.
However, if you look at what the Conservative movement did in the early days, they focused on getting rid of the kooks, i.e. KKK Members, John Birch Society members, etc.
This is where progressives are going wrong. They still have the Al Frankens and Michael Moores hailed by the liberal establishment and the party that they closely identify themselves, the Democratic Party.
They must also humble themselves to the mindset that the majority of the country does not believe in their values and they must figure out a way to bring them over to their side without coming across as if the voter is an idiot. Much harder when the Conservative movement has become the market leader.
Even if this effort fizzles, they still have the mainstream media, Universities and Hollywood to promote the hollow values and failed policies.
To me this sounds like an internet start up with no real business model to generate profitibility, just a lot of press and hype.
I totally agree with you. The left tries to pick up one state each election as their method for winning.
They know they cannot win 80+ percent of the country so they win their heavily leftist states and try to rob one, like Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004.
We are closer to winning in a landslide then they are to winning the White House.
The Brits call failure, "deferred success."
The "whining and always blame others" tank?
Shh! do you realise you could have sold that statement to the Dems for $80 mill?
Click to this site to see a list of the Democracy Alliance contacts! http://www.discoverthenetwork.com/viewIndividuals.asp?catid=
Wasn't it Digital that rented every hotel room in Boston and also a cruise liner in Boston Harbor for a big sales meeting/exposition/wine $ dine/customer-seeking week long event in the 80's?
Getting the money will be the easy part - finding some dems who can actually think will be impossible. As another poster suggested, a "feelings tank" would be more practical for them.
I hope they continue to get their message out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.