Posted on 06/23/2014 6:17:31 AM PDT by kristinn
Picture this: millionaires and billionaires gathering under tight security in fancy hotels with powerful politicians and operatives to plot how their network of secret-money groups can engineer a permanent realignment of American politics.
Only, it’s not the Koch brothers. It’s the liberal Democracy Alliance.
The 21 groups at the core of the Democracy Alliance’s portfolio intend to spend $374 million during the midterm election cycle — including nearly $200 million this year — to boost liberal candidates and causes in 2014 and beyond, according to internal documents obtained by POLITICO.
While growing sums of that cash are being spent vilifying the billionaire conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch over their own network’s political spending, the documents reveal the extent to which the Democracy Alliance network mirrors the Kochs’ — and is obsessed with it.
Conservatives, particularly the Koch Brothers, are playing for keeps with an even more pronounced financial advantages than in recent election cycles,” reads the introduction to a 62-page briefing book provided to donors ahead of April’s annual spring meeting of the DA, as the club is known, at Chicago’s tony Ritz-Carlton hotel.
The briefing book reveals a sort of DA-funded extra-party political machine that includes sophisticated voter databases and plans to mobilize pivotal Democratic voting blocs, air ads boosting Democratic candidates, while also — perhaps ironically — working to reduce the influence of money in politics.
Democracy Alliance officials did not dispute the authenticity of the document but declined to comment on it.
It makes public for the first time details of the complete organizational flowchart of the big-money left, including up-to-date budget figures and forecasts, program goals and performance assessments for the 21 core DA groups, including the Center for American Progress, Media Matters, America Votes and the Obama-linked Organizing for Action.
It also includes a “Progressive Infrastructure Map,” with 172 other groups to which the DA recommends that its rich liberal members — including billionaire financier George Soros and Houston trial lawyers Amber and Steve Mostyn — donate.
Private political networks like those backed by the DA and the Koch operation have become increasingly prominent in American politics. Over the past seven years, federal court decisions including the Supreme Court’s seminal 2010 Citizens United ruling have expanded megacheck spending in elections. Money and control have increasingly migrated from political parties and candidates’ campaigns, which still must abide by contribution limits and disclosure requirements, to outside groups like those in the DA that can accept unlimited — and mostly anonymous — contributions.
That heightened influence has brought increased criticism of donors, particularly directed at the Kochs by liberals — including multiple groups on the Democracy Alliance’s map. But the prospect of such scrutiny being directed back at the DA was enough of a concern that the group distributed a memo to board members ahead of its Chicago meeting including suggested responses to questions about the club’s secretive rules and closed-press policy, as well as photos of reporters who it was feared might crash the Ritz shindig.
“The truth is political strategists and funders frequently gather to discuss their plans without inviting reporters to listen in,” said DA spokeswoman Stephanie Mueller. “The Democracy Alliance was organized to provide a forum for people with a shared set of principles to coordinate their resources more efficiently and effectively to achieve their common goals – it doesn’t represent a single industry or family, and doesn’t give money directly to organizations.”
But when it comes to sheer volume of cash, the DA isn’t in the same league as the Koch network. While the DA takes credit for steering more than $500 million in donations to recommended groups since its creation in 2005, the Koch network spent more than $400 million in 2012 alone.
SNIP
Democracy Alliance included an enemies list with photos of reporters to be on the lookout for in Chicago.
Out of 20 reporters on the list, more than half, eleven, were on the list.
Politico placed second with four reporters. Three Chicago reporters were also listed. One Huffington Post and one Wake Up America reporter made the list. Notable also is who is not on the list--just about every main stream media outlet.
PDF file of reporters enemies list here
Congrats to the Free Beacon--banned by Clintonistas and feared by leftists.
Is there a list of the democratic alliance in PDF or any format?
The “Cantor Cleaner” in VA proved that shoe leather can beat money.
Yep, and it will happen again SOON.
Mississippi is next.
I hope so.
Isn’t it amazing how republicans will stoop to the lows of the worst democrats when it come to running in a primary against a conservative?
The 2014 and 2016 elections cycles are going to get ugly.
PROGRESSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE MAP - SPRING 2014
350.org
Advancement Project
The Agenda Project
Alliance for Justice
AlterNet
America Votes
American Bridge 21st Century
American Constitution Society
American Independent News Network
American Sustainable Business Coucil
Americans for Responsible Solutions
Americans United For Change
Analyst Institute
The Atlas Project
Auburn Seminary
Ballot initiative Strategy Center
Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice
Black Civic Engagement Fund
BlueGreen Alliance
Brave New Films
Brennan Center for Justice
The Bus Federation
Campaign for America’s Future
Catalist
Catholics United
Center for American Progress
Center for Community Change
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Media and Democracy
Center for Political Accountability
The Center for Popular Democracy
Center for Responsible Lending
Center for Social Inclusion
Center for Story-based Strategy
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Citizen Engagement Laboratory
Climate Reality Project
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
Code for Progress
ColorofChange.org
Common Cause
Common Purpose Project
Constitutional Accountability Center
Corporate Action Network
CREW
Democracy for America
Democracy Initiative
Democracy Now
Democracy: A Journal of Ideas
Demos
Drug Policy Alliance
Economic Innovation Institute
Economic Policy Institute
Emerge America
EMILY’s List
Energy Action Coalition
Enroll America
Environment America
Fair Elections Legal Network
Fair Share Alliance
Faith in Public Life
The Foundation for the Future
Free Press
Free Speech for People
Free Speech TV
Freedom to Marry
Friends of Democracy
Fund for the Republic
Gamaliel Foundation
Gamechanger Networks
Generational Alliance
GetEQUAL
Green Corps
Green For All
Head Count Inc.
Hip Hop Caucus
House Majority PAC
Human Rights Campaign
I Vote
Institute for Research & Education on Human Rights
Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy Street
J Street
Justice at Stake
Know Your Care
Latino Engagement Fund
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Leadership Center for the Common Good
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
League of Conservation Voters
League of Young Voters
Main Street Alliance
Majority PAC
The Management Center
MapLight
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
The Media Consortium
Media Matters for America
Mi Familia Vota
Midwest Academy
MomsRising
Mother Jones
Movement Advancement Project
NAACP
NARAL Pro-Choice America
The Nation
National Council of La Raza
National Democratic Redistricting Trust
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Employment Law Project
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Immigration Forum
National People’s Action
National Popular Vote
National Security Network
New America Media
New American Leaders Project
New Leaders Council
New Media Ventures
New Organizing Institute
NextGen Climate Action
NRDC
The Opportunity Agenda
Organizing for Action
People for the American Way
PICO National Network
Planned Parenthood
Priorities USA
Progressive Campaign Change Committee
Progressive Congress
Progressive Majority
Progressive States Network
ProressNow
Project New America
Project Vote
Public Campaign
Public Citizen
Race Forward
Rainforest Action Network
Rebuild the Dream
ROC United
Rock the Vote
The Roosevelt Institute
Scholars Strategy Network
Sierra Club
Small Business Majority
Sojourners
Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Progress Fund
State Engagement Initiative
State Voices
Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups)
Sunlight Foundation
The Texas Future Project
Third Way
Truman National Security Project
UltraViolet
United for a Fair Economy
United Republic
US PIRGS
USAction
Voices for Progress
Voter Participation Center
VoteVets.org
Voto Latino
Washington Monthly
Wellstone Action
Women’s Equality Center
Working America
Young Democrats of America
Young Invincibles
Youth Engagement Fund
YP4 and YEO Network
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