March 28, 2024

Big money funders of the Progressive agenda are accidently identified

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Democratic Party’s secret political puppeteers were unintentionally revealed this month after an attendee at the uber-liberal Democracy Alliance conference in Chicago left a list of contributing members behind.

The Democracy Alliance, infamous for shielding its big-money contributors, funnels millions from super rich individuals each year to far-left groups like the Center for American Progress, Media Matters for America, and Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA, the Washington Free Beacon reports.

“The group emphasizes secrecy in all of its operations, even as its members and the DA ‘favored organizations’ to which they donate decry the role of ‘dark money’ in American politics,” according to the news site. “DA does not disclose details of any of the transactions it facilitates, and its members and donation recipients are prohibited from speaking publicly about the organization and its operations.”

That’s what makes the recent slip-up so damning, though many of the names on the list come as no big surprise. They include labor big-wigs like Rhonda Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, and Larry Cohen, president of the Communications Workers of America, both of whom apparently joined the DA as “partners” in 2013, according to the document published by the Beacon.

Weingarten’s right hand, Michelle Ringuette, also became a “partner” in 2013, as did CWA senior director George Kohl. “Partners” are required to pay $30,000 in dues and contribute at least $200,000 to DA-supported groups.

“While union higher ups are well compensated – Weingarten and Cohen made $550,000 and $200,000 in 2012, respectively … Ringuette and Kohl each pulled down more than $150,000 – the $100,000 minimum aggregate contribution requirement likely means that AFT and CWA, rather than the individuals listed, are the entities providing DA pass-through funds, with top union officials serving as liaisons,” the Beacon reports.

Big Labor bosses added to DA’s rolls this year included Workers United President Noel Beasley, and Amalgamated Bank head Keith Mestrich. Workers United and Amalgamated Bank are both affiliated with the powerful Service Employees International Union, and the bank helped finance Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.

Many of the others on the list are well-known in political circles for spending and raising massive amounts of money to steer American politics to the left. Amy Goldman, who inherited her father’s billion-dollar real estate empire in 1987, is listed as a new partner with DA this year. Goldman has spent $6 million on liberal political causes and candidates since 1990, according to the Beacon.

“Those donations have included $1 million to Priorities USA in 2012, $500,000 to House Majority PAC the same year, $1.75 million to Planned Parenthood from 2011 to 2013, and $750,000 to Organizing for Action last year,” the news site reports.

Other big money lefties to join DA this year include Philip Munger, son of Berkshire Hathaway vice chairman and billionaire Charles Munger; and Henry van Ameringen, heir to the International Flavors and Fragrance fortune.

Munger has spent over $700,000 on liberal politics, and van Ameringen more than $900,000, since 1990, according to the Beacon.

A total of 10 new DA partners are listed on the discarded internal document for 2014, and it exposes six who joined last year. None of the names are particularly surprising, as all of them are very rich left-wing political power brokers, or leaders of industry.

What makes the list so interesting is the lengths to which these folks go to keep their political contributions in the shadows, only to have their pants pulled down in public by such a simple slip-up.

It’s also the perfect demonstration of why the left’s incessant babble about greedy corporate monsters pouring untold sums into the GOP’s coffers is nothing more than hypocritical garbage.

Authored by Victor Skinner

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