Under tight security in the depths of the W Hotel in Washington, DC a top-secret meeting took place last fall. The invite-only, closed-press confab brought together rich donors, dedicated activists, political operatives, and some of the biggest names in the current political scene.
The donors were pitched on two “dark money” groups, who hide
behind supposedly ambiguous language in the tax code to shield their donors and
use anonymous cash to attack their political enemies under the guise of “social
welfare.”
But don’t expect a front page Washington
Post expose on how the
meeting further exacerbated the already insurmountable problem of the corrosive
effects of big (and often “dark”) money on American politics.
The Washington meeting consisted of rich liberals, the activists
were pushing campaign finance reform, and speakers included House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
The two “sister organizations” receiving pledges toward their
stated goal of $40 million were Fund for the Republic, 501(c)(3)
organization and Action for the Republic, a
501(c)(4) organization. The groups’ tax status enables them to shield their
donors (although a representative said the groups will voluntarily disclose donations received after this past January).
The mission of these organizations is to pour
money into all types of political advocacy: grassroots, lobbying, litigation,
and electioneering all with the singular purpose of reducing the effect of
money in politics.
If the thought of strengthening American democracy by raising gobs
of heretofore-dark money from the rich in clandestine meetings seems a little
strange, the participants agree—at least somewhat.
Jonathan Soros, scion of famed liberal funder George Soros, and
participant at the meeting previously acknowledged the “irony”
of the meeting’s mission. And noted campaign finance crusader Larry Lessig blessed the venture while recognizing the
disconnect, “If big donors give big money to support removing the power of big
donors to affect politics in the future, that’s not self-serving. That’s trying
to change the democracy in a good way.” Got it?
But the bigger irony maybe who originally created and backed the
two nonprofits. Democracy Alliance is an exclusive group of big money
liberal donors who come together biannually with activists and Democrat
politicians to decide which causes deserve their support. Described by Mother
Jones as the “liberal answer
to the Koch donor network,” the group has doled out over half a billion dollars
since its inception in 2005.
Democracy Alliance membership is not a guilty pleasure for the
99%. It requires a minimum $200,000 yearly contribution along
with an annual $30,000 membership fee; marquee ‘Alliance’ participants include the elder Soros and Facebook
co-founder Chris Hughes. Membership is top secret but also seems to include
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, and Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
The group’s clandestine meetings receive little
press attention but attract
pitches from numerous liberal causes including Organizing
for Action, President Obama’s campaign-turned-social welfare organization.
Needless to say, the group has had little issue over the past
near-decade using its wealth to influence their preferred political and policy
choices; its funders are also heavily involved in Super PACs.
No word yet on whether the ‘Alliance’ would disband if their
campaign finance push is successful.
By Paul Jossey
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