The Shadow Party – The Third Sister

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Continuing my series on the excellent book written by David Horowitz and Richard Poe entitled "The Shadow Party: How George Soros, Hillary Clinton, and Sixties Radicals Seized Control of the Democratic Party" in which I excerpt key portions to highlight the danger America faces from the new left. 

In the first post I posted about the overview the authors gave of The Shadow Party, the second post was about the first of Seven Sisters comprising the Shadow Party, MoveOn.org and then onto Hillary’s thinktank the Center for American Progress in the third addition.  Now I present the third sister, America Votes:

America Votes is an umbrella group encompassing a national coalition of grassroots get out the vote organizations.  It was formed on 15 July 2003, as the Democratic primaries got into high gear to help coordinate the activities of the growing number of non-profit groups that now constitute the Shadow Party.  During the 2004 election cycle, its website claimed that America Votes commanded the political loyalty of "more than 20 million Americans in every state in the country" through its 33 member organizations.

The McCain-Feingold soft-money ban took effect on 6 November 2002.  Shortly thereafter, Democrat operative Gina Glantz called a meeting at the Washington restaurant BeDuCi’s.  Glantz was then an official of the left-wing government union SEIU.  She subsequently became a key strategist for the Howard Dean campaign.  Attendees at Glantz’s meeting included Clinton operative Harold Ickes, SEIU president Andrew Stern, Steven Rosenthal, Ellen Malcolm and Carl Pope.  Glantz argued that the proliferating Democrat 527 committees needed a central command structure – an "umbrella group" – to avoid duplicating efforts and wasting money.  Everyone liked her idea, but no donors stepped forward.  Glantz’s idea for an umbrella group languished for the next eight months.

In describing the genesis of America Votes, the Texas Monthly listed a cast of characters similar to those who attended Glantz’s meeting – but with one noteworthy addition: Jim Jordan.  When the Shadow Party launched America Votes, Jordan was still John Kerry’s campaign manager.  He was not fired from that job until 9 November – nearly four months later.  If indeed Jordan helped launch America Votes while working as Kerry’s campaign manager, he violated FEC regulations, which bar coordination between campaign officials and independent political committees.

The Texas Monthly further reported that the group decided to appoint Cecile Richards – then deputy chief of staff for House minority leader Nancy Pelosi – to head America Votes.  "We wanted to find a way to bring progressive groups together for the election….it was a monster coalition, and we universally agreed that Cecile was the best person to coordinate it," said Ellen Malcolm.  Richards’ primary jon would be to keep the organization’s thousands of activists from duplicating efforts.  "With America Votes, we really have a way now to settle who is in which neighborhoods, who is taking which precincts," Richards explained.  "And the role of our state directors is to hold those folks accountable for what they said they’d do."  Member organizations of the America Votes coalition during the 2004 election cycle are listed below:

  1. ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now)
  2. ACT (America Coming Together)
  3. AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations)
  4. AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees)
  5. AFT (American Federation of Teachers)
  6. ATLA (Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
  7. Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
  8. Clean Water Action
  9. Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
  10. Democracy for America
  11. EMILY’s List
  12. Environment 2004
  13. The Human Rights Campaign
  14. League of Conservation Voters
  15. The Media Fund
  16. The Million Mom March
  17. MoveOn.org Voter Fund
  18. Moving America Forward
  19. Music for America
  20. NAACP – National Voter Fund
  21. NARAL Pro-Choice America
  22. National Education Association
  23. National Jewish Democratic Council
  24. National Treasury Employees Union
  25. Partnership for America’s Families
  26. People for the American Way (PFAW)
  27. Planned Parenthood Action Fund
  28. Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
  29. Sierra Club
  30. USAction
  31. Voices for Working Families
  32. Young Voter Alliance
  33. 21st  Century Democrats

Cecile Richards had a personal as well as an ideological ax to grind against President George W. Bush.  She is the daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards, whom Bush soundly defeated in 1994, ending her political career.

Like many of Bush’s harshest critics, Cecile Richards harbors a deep antipathy toward the so-called "Christian Right."  After her mother’s 1994 defeat, Richards founded the Texas Freedom Network, a grassroots organization aimed at countering the political influence of conservative Christians, especially on school boards.  Richards subsequently moved to Washington DC, where she served as organizing director of AFL-CIO, then as a pro-abortion activist for the Turner Foundation and Planned Parenthood, and finally as deputy chief of staff for Democrat minority whip Nancy Pelosi, soon to become minority leader.  Richards held that post for eighteen months, before joining America Votes.

George Soros’ son, Jonathan, has donated $250,000 to America Votes.  Several of the organization’s top donors, such as Rob McKay and Robert Glaser, are also close Soros associates.

One more sister in this Shadow Party. 

Soros helped to get McCain-Feingold pushed through Congress which cut off the Democrats soft money supply but by forming this Shadow Party he offered the Democrats an alternative source of funds…..one in which he personally controlled.

And some are surprised how far left the Democrat party has turned…..the how and why can be found by looking at the Shadow Party and George Soros.

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Absolutely fascinating.

The same thing is going on with the “Far Right” with Richard Viguerie, William Green, Right March, with some connection to Alan Keyes.

I have a feeling this incestuous spider-web of connecting organizations is designed to make constituencies look more powerful and numerous than they actually are.

Look at all the different ways these organizations, all basically one huge family entity, can funnel money into campaigns — large amounts of it, do it legally, and have the candidate look ‘orthodox’ to additional fund-rising special interest groups that are not actually connected in these mazes.

I don’t know about you, but to me it is ‘cheating’. It goes on with the “Right” just as much as the “Left”. I think that is what steams me so much.

SJ Reidhead
The Pink Flamingo

Your joking right?

While it does go on in the right somewhat there is no billionaire conservatives who have set up their own shadow party of activist groups that “get out the vote”, instead they are trying their best to counter the leftist propaganda machine and failing miserably since competing against the MSM is a tough task.

EXCEPT talk radio, that is where we are excelling and the reason why they are pushing the Fairness Doctrine so hard.

I cannot agree with you that it happens just as much on the right as the left but I do absolutely agree with you that it doesn’t matter which party is doing it, it needs to stop. But with McCain-Feingold we’re screwed.

Sorta reminds me of the list we had to sign in 1973 when I enlisted in the Navy. It was of organizations considered subversive. Just a thought from an old seadog.

I wish I were kidding.

Soros is a terrible problem. But – we have the same mind-set on the “right”. To ignore it is a serious problem. When I first discovered this web of alliances I was shocked. I’ve now reached the point where nothing shocks me anymore along this line.

Until we are able to accept the fact that not all ‘liberals’ are bad, and not all ‘conservatives’ are good I don’t think we can progress. Don’t ever think I am giving Soros a pass. I think the man is positively evil. He reminds me of a cartoon character Bond bad-guy, only he is real. But – on the right we have people who, while not wealthy, are just as capable of creating problems.

SJ Reidhead

Oh, I agree SJ. There is bad on both sides, those who only want their side to win no matter what. But when it comes to this Shadow Party issue I have to disagree with you.

Prior to McCain-Feingold Republicans had a 2-1 advantage in hard money contributions while Democrats bread and butter was the soft money, a large chunk of that from the HUGE AFL-CIO, SEIU and other union organizations…..but now that McCain-Feingold came to be unions couldn’t give that money to Democrats directly anymore so you would think the Democrats would have been against MF. But they weren’t. Many of those who eventually created the Shadow Party understood that using 527 committees could actually put more money into their coffers and could actually steer the party the way these few people wanted it steered. Republicans were WAY behind on those committees….and still are, by a huge amount.

To this day Republicans have never even come close to building the type of network of independent, non-profit fundraising groups that the Democrats have.

So while I agree with your sentiment especially this part:

But – on the right we have people who, while not wealthy, are just as capable of creating problems.

I can’t agree with your argument about Shadow Parties.

A better question is what is Soros’ motive(s)?

He’s not funding politics b/c he enjoys it. The man is a hard-edged capitalist.

What is his angle — where is his ROI?

For example, go look at his involvement in Ukranian and other regional FSU politics. Then look where large oil pipelines are being built.

When are the cable networks going to connect the shadow party to Obama? It seems pretty clear to me that after Soros sucked Hillary dry of her ideas and schemes, he dropped her for a newer model in Obama! How do we get Fox to air this information for the masses? We are running out of time? We must cinch it now! The average Joe DOES NOT have this information!!!! RE-EXPOSE THE SHADOW PARTY!!