But I thought the left insisted that big-money donations from wealthy individuals was a source of corruption to the political process, and that secrecy in government and politics was antithetical to "the public's right to know."

I guess that doesn't apply when the donors and recipients are left-wingers -- but then the Left has never believed it should play by the rules it seeks to impose on its opponents.

An alliance of nearly a hundred of the nation's wealthiest donors is roiling Democratic political circles, directing more than $50 million in the past nine months to liberal think tanks and advocacy groups in what organizers say is the first installment of a long-term campaign to compete more aggressively against conservatives.

A year after its founding, Democracy Alliance has followed up on its pledge to become a major power in the liberal movement. It has lavished millions on groups that have been willing to submit to its extensive screening process and its demands for secrecy.

These include the Center for American Progress, a think tank with an unabashed partisan edge, as well as Media Matters for America, which tracks what it sees as conservative bias in the news media. Several alliance donors are negotiating a major investment in Air America, a liberal talk-radio network.

But the large checks and demanding style wielded by Democracy Alliance organizers in recent months have caused unease among Washington's community of Democratic-linked organizations. The alliance has required organizations that receive its endorsement to sign agreements shielding the identity of donors. Public interest groups said the alliance represents a large source of undisclosed and unaccountable political influence.

And then there is this aspect of the super-secret group.

To become a "partner," as the members are referred to internally, requires a $25,000 entry fee and annual dues of $30,000 to cover alliance operations as well as some of its contributions to start-up liberal groups. Beyond this, partners also agree to spend at least $200,000 annually on organizations that have been endorsed by the alliance. Essentially, the alliance serves as an accreditation agency for political advocacy groups.

This accreditation process is the root of Democracy Alliance's influence. If a group does not receive the alliance's blessing, dozens of the nation's wealthiest political contributors as a practical matter become off-limits for fundraising purposes.

Ideological screening and litmus tests as a condition for receiving donations. Deviation from the ideology is the kiss of death.

Yet somehow, the groups funded claim to be non-partisan, despite the stated objective of the Democracy Alliance to fund groups dedicated to electing Democrats.

Likewise, a Democracy Alliance blessing effectively jump-started Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). It bills itself as a nonpartisan watchdog group committed to targeting "government officials who sacrifice the common good to special interests." Alliance officials see CREW as a possible counterweight to conservative-leaning Judicial Watch, which filed numerous lawsuits against Clinton administration officials in the 1990s. A CREW spokesman declined to comment.

But hold it -- isn't the Democracy Alliance, a consortium of millionaire and billionaire ideologues, a classic example of a special interest group? Why don't you start by investigating yourself?

Let's apply the Left's own standards to these donations -- they are clearly a sign of corrupt bargains with special interests seeking to impose their own extreme ideology to the detriment of the American people. After all, these are coordinated donations to Left-wing organizations by millionaires and billionaires -- and we all know that these super-rich individuals must be evilevilevil, because that is what the Left tells us is the case.

But then again, what Leftist activities and proposals are NOT harmful to America?

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Posted by: Greg at 03:17 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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