Liberal Donors Meeting to Strategize Fundraising Tactics for 2012

AP

A group of more than 100 major liberal donors will meet at Washington's Mandarin Oriental Hotel this week to discuss the future of Democratic fundraising efforts and to take on the potentially divisive topic of how to offset or exceed GOP fundraising in 2012.

The meeting comes in the form of a conference for donors to Democracy Alliance, an organization that was created in 2005 to help build a progressive infrastructure. It is expected to include discussions among wealthy liberals about what went wrong in November's midterm elections and how to proceed in the future. (Among the members of Democracy Alliance are progressive billionaires George Soros and Peter B. Lewis, both of whom have contributed millions of dollars to promote liberal causes.)

The meeting comes at a time when many Democrats are divided about how to approach fundraising in the future. The Obama administration repeatedly slammed Republicans for accepting money from outside donors in the months leading up to November's midterm elections. Apparently anticipating massive GOP donations from such groups in 2012, however, White House adviser David Axelrod recently signaled a possible change of heart.

Democrats are hoping to counter the political spending by conservative groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Karl Rove-affiliated American Crossroads, both of which spent tens of millions of dollars in the 2010 elections, sometimes from anonymous donors. It is not clear, however, whether or not using Republicans' fundraising tactics would actually work for Democrats.

David Brock, who runs the left-leaning nonprofit media watchdog group Media Matters, recently announced his decision to start a so-called super-PAC, an independent organization that can collect unlimited contributions from individuals and corporations, as well as lobby positively and negatively for specific political candidates, as long as their contributions are disclosed. Brock stressed that his group will disclose its donors, unlike many GOP outside groups organized under Section 501(c) of the U.S. tax code.

"The Republican independent groups versus the Democratic independent groups in this cycle; they spent about 100 million dollars more than the Democratic independent groups. I think what people are missing in this, though, is if you look back, you know, progressive donors have stepped up when asked to advance our values, our American values through politics," Brock told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann in an interview last week.

"One of the lessons we learned this year is we have to start now," he continued.

Though the White House has signaled that it may be open to pumping up the fundraising efforts among outside groups, the Obama administration is calling for full disclosure.

"Our strong preference is for a campaign finance system that is transparent and open and in which the American people can see what's going on," Axelrod said in an interview with Politico last week. "But I am sure the physics of this is that there will be people offended by this and they will be inspired to get involved."

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Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com. You can read more of her posts here. Follow Hotsheet on Facebook and Twitter.

[PapaGracio]

Dig Deep! That would be sound advice. If you thought campaign spending was up in this round of elections, imagine 2012! Im sure telivision stations, and advertising companies are dreaming of it every night.

[inketolstoy]

Where all those "average joes" who donated five so bucks to the President's campaign invited? Or is this just for Soros and his buddies who coined the term Republicorp for the oppostion while hypocriticaly dominating the Democratic party?

[forsanity1]

I think the average joes are probably more interested in their own situations right now. If people are unemployed, they are looking for jobs and if they are employed they are working hard to keep jobs, and also maybe calling the bank a lot to try and get their homes out from under the water. Most of us don't play "election" for two years, just when one is about to happen. That's just normal.

[msmsucks]

GE made 156 Billion last year while laying off over 18,000 Americans They received stimulus grants, not loans, grants and now they are going to buy 25,00 GM Volts but here is the kicker. They will get a 2,000 dollar subsidy per GE Wattstation (the device that will be used nationwide to charge the cars) of your tax money.

What the hell is going on here?

One more thing that just came to mind, and I have searched but cannot find an answer. Where are these Wattstations made? If we (the tax payers) have to kick in 2000 bucks each, I sure hope they are made here in the USA, I have searched the internet and no hits, which tells me they are not.
Source:

The Obama administration gave corporate giant General Electric $24.9 million in grants from the $787-billion economic "stimulus" law President Barack Obama signed in February 2009, according to records posted by the administration at Recovery.gov,? reports CNS News. Despite getting $24.9 million from U.S. taxpayers, GE decreased its U.S.-based employees by 18,000 in 2009. According to Standard & Poors, GE took in $156 billion in revenue in 2009.?

The Detroit News reports this week that ?General Electric will convert half its 30,000 worldwide fleet of vehicles to electrics, including purchasing 12,000 cars from GM beginning with the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. In all, the Fairfield, Conn.?based company, which makes charging stations, will purchase 25,000 plug-in electric cars by 2015.?

Yes, those charging stations ? GE makes the GE Wattstation ? are also subsidized by up to $2,000 of your tax money.



http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/253165/ge-buys-volts-taxpayers-get-charged-henry-payne

[forsanity1]

Good for GE and GM. American capitalism at work. I bet the auto workers and ancillary service workers that still have jobs and/or were called back to plants across the country don't give a flying foo about whether the US loaned or granted AMERICAN companies short term financial help.

I bet you don't follow the wise principle of "don't be a [ladies cleansing liquid]" huh?

[forsanity1]

PS:

I just signed up here today and I had to agree to Terms. I am sure you did as well. One of them is to stay on topic and another is not to SPAM the comment boards with the same post over and over. I have seen this copy and pasted post of yours on several articles, most like this one being completely off topic.

If you have postings deleted, it is because you refuse to abide by the terms you agreed to, not because of censorship (which someone named as you are, will likely try to call it).

Please speak your mind, but please do so as the website you post on requires. Fair play is an American attribute. Thank you.

[msmsucks]

(Among the members of Democracy Alliance are progressive billionaires George Soros and Peter B. Lewis, both of whom have contributed millions of dollars to promote liberal causes.)

That about sums it up.

[thanksgreed]

kinda like the Koch brothers and the TP...

[forsanity1]

Really. Why can millionaire business people contribute to conservative causes and its a-ok, but they can't contribute to liberal causes?

In my opinion all of them are corrupt and love money and power more than shared humanity. But parrots of one [read: "my" ]ideology being so clean and pure and the other sucks, like msmsucks (oh damn, do you really think that, wow how original - NOT) are worse.

[guyfrompa46]

A meeting of the mindless and clueless