The founder of the Democracy Alliance, who died last week, tried to copy the Right's infrastructure-building but wealthy Democratic donors had other, less successful, ideas.
My god. Isn’t this the whole damn ball of wax? And hasn’t that been the case for decades? Since Pablo Eisenberg and the Center for Responsive Philanthropy? Since ALEC, ferchrissakes? Why don’t the Dems ever, ever learn??? Not even after Georgia, Arizona, Michigan? I’d consider answering my own question by quoting my friend who always says, “the Republicans are ruthless and the Democrats are feckless,” or by quoting my friend who says the Dems don’t pursue a patient, long-term strategy to shift the country to the left because they aren’t actually on the left and so it’s not in their interest to do so. And I know full well that so-called progressive funders are fickle and mercurial and random and insecure and always want to fund the brand new thing they can point to as theirs, rather than fund the same thing over and over again for years on end, which is what the Right, smartly, does. But fuck. All of those answers leaves us, once again, or still, having to figure out how to do what needs to be done — grassroots organizing — without the big money behind us. And maybe that’s true. But that’s going to take so long! And I don’t know that we have the time.
thank you Micah for this important history lesson! This is the most honest and helpful history I've read of the DA. Are there other places this history has been written up you can recommend for me to read? I'm particularly interested in the context for when it was founded and why unions/labor was given a seat at the table. that is so unique in the world of philanthropy/donor networks.
My god. Isn’t this the whole damn ball of wax? And hasn’t that been the case for decades? Since Pablo Eisenberg and the Center for Responsive Philanthropy? Since ALEC, ferchrissakes? Why don’t the Dems ever, ever learn??? Not even after Georgia, Arizona, Michigan? I’d consider answering my own question by quoting my friend who always says, “the Republicans are ruthless and the Democrats are feckless,” or by quoting my friend who says the Dems don’t pursue a patient, long-term strategy to shift the country to the left because they aren’t actually on the left and so it’s not in their interest to do so. And I know full well that so-called progressive funders are fickle and mercurial and random and insecure and always want to fund the brand new thing they can point to as theirs, rather than fund the same thing over and over again for years on end, which is what the Right, smartly, does. But fuck. All of those answers leaves us, once again, or still, having to figure out how to do what needs to be done — grassroots organizing — without the big money behind us. And maybe that’s true. But that’s going to take so long! And I don’t know that we have the time.
it's a continual process of learning from our mistakes!
Hopefully they’re reading your stuff!
thank you Micah for this important history lesson! This is the most honest and helpful history I've read of the DA. Are there other places this history has been written up you can recommend for me to read? I'm particularly interested in the context for when it was founded and why unions/labor was given a seat at the table. that is so unique in the world of philanthropy/donor networks.
ok. maybe i just answered my own question. looks like i should read the Matt Bai book. Anything else?
Maybe also Ari Berman's book Herding Donkeys?
and do you have a copy of stein's power point? does anyone you know?
I recently came into possession of a 2003 version -- email me at msifry at gmail.
Grateful to you for your steely-eyed assessments, Micah, and your ability to keep looking forward in spite of what you know!