Posted on 07/18/2006 4:51:45 PM PDT by wagglebee
A year after its founding, Democratic Alliance has become a major power in the liberal movement, directing more than $50 million to liberal think tanks and advocacy groups in a campaign to better compete against conservatives.
The Alliance was formed last year with major support from billionaire George Soros and software mogul Tim Gill. The identities of its members are closely guarded, but the group now includes nearly 100 of the nation’s wealthiest political contributors, the Washington Post reports.
The group was organized, according to its founders, in the belief "that Democrats became the minority party in part because liberals do not have a well-funded network of policy shops, watchdog groups and training centers for activists equivalent to what has existed for years on the right,” the Post disclosed.
Becoming a "partner," as the members are referred to internally, requires a $25,000 entry fee and annual dues of $30,000. In addition, partners agree to spend at least $200,000 a year on organizations that have been endorsed by the alliance.
The donor club reportedly includes millionaire Susie Tompkins Buell and her husband Mark Buell, major backers of Sen. Hillary Clinton.
To determine which groups would receive financial backing from Alliance members, officials initially reviewed about 600 liberal and Democratic-leaning organizations. About 40 of the groups were invited to apply for an endorsement, provided that they submit detailed business plans and internal financial information.
Those groups were then screened by a panel of alliance staff members, donors and outside experts. So far, according to people familiar with the alliance who spoke to the Post, 25 groups have received an endorsement.
One organization that made the cut is The Center for American Progress, which is led by former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta. It received $5 million in the first round of donations.
A Democracy Alliance donation helped jump-start Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which bills itself as a nonpartisan watchdog group committed to targeting "government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests."
But the Alliance’s growing power is concerning some, who feel that an organization that is not chosen for endorsement could lose access to dozens of wealthy political donors.
Others fear that Alliance donors may be contributing money that would otherwise have gone to candidates in 2006 and 2008.
Still others are worried about that Democracy Alliance's hidden influence – unlike election campaigns, which must reveal contributions and spending, most of the nonprofit groups that receive Alliance funds are exempt from public disclosure laws.
"It is a huge problem," Sheila Krumholz, the acting executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, told the Post.
She noted that for decades "all kinds of Democrats and liberals were complaining that corporations and individuals were carrying on these stealth campaigns to fund right-wing think tanks and advocacy groups.
"Just as it was then, it is a problem today."
I love it. Keep pouring your millions down that rathole.
Alliance with whom? Anyone who is at war with the United States?
Doesn't matter. Repubs will beat them again...and again..
One reason Democrat think tanks fail is because there is virtually no scientific evidence that their economic policies work. The Cato Foundation and Heritage Foundation do rigorous policy work based on solid economic assumptions; whereas the Dimwits keep dusting off Keynes or, worse, Karl Marx in the hope that someone will figure out how to get it right.
Against all evidence to the contrary, they cling to the notion that higher taxation and bigger government can be made to succeed if only the right people are in. They ought to call their think tank the "Dinosaur Foundation".
The group was organized, according to its founders, in the belief "that Democrats became the minority party in part because ......insert answer of your choice here.
The group was organized, according to its founders, in the belief "that Democrats became the minority party in part because there wasn't a small anonymous wealthy cadre of "leadership" willing to lead the masses in the correct direction...
Bwhahahahah! God if anyone deserves these guys it's the dims.
The group was organized, according to its founders, in the belief "that Democrats became the minority party in part because liberals do not have a well-funded network of policy shops, watchdog groups and training centers for activists equivalent to what has existed for years on the right,” the Post disclosed.The libs have buggered and aborted their way to the scrap heap.
Can anyone tell me what companies Buel and Gill are associated with? I can ad them to the list of companies I will NEVER do business with. They can join Tyson Foods, Progessive Insurance, most media companies and of course any movie with....well the list is too long for my poor typing skills.
This can't be. Only republicans are rich! Everyone knows that! /sarcasm
Is this for real or a funny????
It's real, give them a few hundred grand and you too can help plot leftist takeovers.
What BS. They're quite rightly a minority party because they don't have any IDEAS that appeal to Americans. They're intellectually bankrupt, and not all the money in the world will fix that.
And the Dems keep telling everyone that they are the party of "the little guy.' What a load!!
"One reason Democrat think tanks fail is because there is virtually no scientific evidence that their economic policies work"
Oh tis true, so true. It is somewhat like Air America, where they believed they could start a media empire from scratch with zero link to real market experience. I mean, if they aren't for supply side economics, that means they must be for "demand side" economics, the theory that the more you incentivize peoples' desires, the more will be produced - how absolutely brain dead can you get.
So have at it, they can fund all the insane asylums they want, no one will listen.
Democratic Alliance
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This will have as much success as Air America.
Alliance with whom?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Very astute question!
Answer: The alliance is with the Marxists and Communists of the world.
Meet Tim Gill
Founder and Chairman
A successful entrepreneur, Tim Gill is an active philanthropist who cares passionately about many issues. Through both his philanthropy and socially conscious business practices, Tim is setting a powerful example by valuing all people for their unique talents, backgrounds and skills. Tim founded the Gill Foundation in 1994 with the mission of securing equal opportunity for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression. Through the Gill Foundation, Tim provides millions of dollars annually to gay and lesbian and HIV/AIDS organizations along with other charitable causes.
Tim has always been an advocate for civil rights. In addition to funding the gay and lesbian movement for equal rights by supporting hundreds of national and state-wide organizations, he is also a strong supporter of social justice organizations and educational institutions. Tim was one of the first major contributors to the Colorado AIDS Project and has long supported local public radio and television through program underwriting.
Through the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, established by the Gill Foundation, Tim has provided financial support to numerous organizations which serve the general public, such as $100,000 to the American Red Cross for flood relief in Fort Collins, Colorado, more than $200,000 to the Colorado Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and nearly $1 million to the American Red Cross for Hurrican Katrina disaster relief.
As founder and former Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Quark, Inc., a desktop and internet software company, Tim was recognized as an innovative business leader. Tim founded Quark, Inc. in 1981 with a $2,000 loan from his parents, and worked to build Quark into a leading developer of page layout software for the graphics market.
Tim is an avid snowboarder, parasailer and hiker, recently reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Tim and his partner Scott Miller live in Denver, Colorado.
http://www.gillfoundation.org/who/who_show.htm?doc_id=329161
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