...The groups’ extensive involvement in Democrats’ political efforts undercuts common media characterizations of the Democracy Alliance, which generally present the array of groups it supports as less involved in electioneering than those of similar collaborative donor networks on the right.
Such reports frequently downplay the scale of the Democracy Alliance network, commonly reported as consisting of fewer than two dozen organizations.
While DA’s 21 “aligned network” and “dynamic investment” groups form the core of its collaborative fundraising efforts, the Alliance in fact backs a far larger array of liberal political and policy groups.
As Democracy Alliance president Gara LaMarche told attendees of its April 2014 conference in Chicago, DA now encourages its donors to support groups on its “Progressive Infrastructure Map,” which, LaMarche said has “now grown to 180 organizations,” in addition to its 21 primary beneficiaries....
Some of the most prominent recipients of DA support—aligned network groups such as ProgressNow and progressive infrastructure map groups like the 350.org Action Fund—are 501(c)(4) nonprofits, which are not required to disclose their donors or most of their spending on political advocacy.
Some of those groups have been active in federal elections. Others, such as Organizing for Action, President Barack Obama’s revamped reelection campaign and a DA “dynamic investment,” spend millions promoting the Democratic positions on issues that were central to the campaigns of many federal candidates.
Politico reported in June that the Democracy Alliance’s 21 core organizations planned to spend $374 million this cycle....
Among those groups, Democracy Alliance spending dwarfs that of the Koch Network, which primarily finances nonprofits such as Americans for Prosperity that are not as explicitly partisan.
◼ MORE YUMMY, HIGH-FAT ELECTION SCHADENFREUDE - Stephen Hayward/Powerline
The last two paragraphs of the New York Times story today on how Tom Steyer’s campaign spending was a bust are worth savoring with a nice glass of single-malt, or whatever is your favorite beverage to restore the tissues:
Just as liberal groups run ads linking candidates to Charles G. and David H. Koch, the billionaire brothers, and the their opposition to climate change policy, conservative groups have now started to run ads targeting candidates’ ties to Mr. Steyer and his money. By politicizing the issue of climate change, some strategists say, Mr. Steyer may have raised his own profile and also made it more difficult for lawmakers to reach bipartisan consensus on the issue.◼ She Wore Pink Sneakers - Clarice Feldman/American Thinker
“The most important thing is to normalize this issue with Republicans,” said Mark Mellman, a Democratic strategist. “Anything that makes it more partisan makes it less likely that there will be legislation, until such time as Democrats take over the world. Which according to my watch, will not be happening anytime soon.”
This is a great week for moving-van operators in D.C. Hundreds of Democrat solons and their considerable staffs are going to find out if you really can go home again as they desperately, and probably futilely, scramble to find slots in lobbying firms and in what is ridiculously dubbed “public interest” outfits to stay here.
The AFL-CIO and Dem moneybags Tom Steyer collectively blew almost 100 million dollars trying to retain power for their pals .One wonders how much more they will feed into the maw of these losers. The tills of the countless Democratic tax-exempt front groups must be running low....
