Liberal 527 ‘Cavalry’ Coming to Rescue Obama?

[tekisui]

http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/5017

It appears that 527s, the voter mobilization groups, are poised for a big comeback.

Marc Ambinder of the Atlantic reports that

There’s been a spurt of 527 activity on behalf of Sen. John McCain, but Barack Obama campaign has suddenly gone silent on the subject.

That’s because, after a year of telling donors not to contribute to 527 groups, of encouraging strategists not to form them and of suggesting that outside messaging efforts would not be welcome in Obama’s Democratic Party, Obama’s strategists have changed their approach.

An Obama adviser privy to the campaign’s internal thinking on the matter says that, with less than two months before the election and with the realization that Republicans have achieved financial parity with Democrats, they hope that Democratic allies — what another campaign aide termed “the cavalry” — will come to Obama’s aid.

(snip)

As of September 2, in the 2008 cycle, all 527s had raised $308,875,318, which is well below the $384,848,245 and $599,202,432 raised in the 2006 and 2004 cycles respectively.

The top two 527s are the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and America Votes and they’re both on the political left. SEIU donates to other 527s and America Votes plans to spend big on what it calls the “largest grassroots voter mobilization” in history. In the current cycle, SEIU has taken in $18,090,802 compared to the America Votes figure of $15,610,750.

The fourth 527 on the list, The Fund for America, was created last November by Democracy Alliance chairman Rob McKay and his lieutenants, SEIU’s Anna Burger and the Center for American Progress’s John Podesta (President Bill Clinton’s White House chief of staff). The new entity has raised $12,141,946 but last fall Roll Call reported that it could pump “perhaps $100 million or more into media buys and voter outreach in the run-up to the 2008 elections.”

The fifth-largest pot of money, $9,110,151 has gone to EMILY’s List, the 527 group that supports pro-abortion rights female Democratic candidates.

In the top five, only Newt Gingrich’s American Solutions for Winning the Future is on the political right. The 527 has taken in $14,723,084.

Liberal names top the list of top individual and organizational donors to 527s.

Hollywood mogul Steven Bing is number one, having given $4,850,000. Second is George Soros at $4,650,000. Fourth is philanthropist John R. Hunting at $1,243,000.

The third and fifth names belong to conservatives. They are Sheldon Adelson ($3,597,632) and Fred Godley ($1,100,000).

Of the top five organizations to give money to 527s, the top four are liberal.

They are SEIU ($24,014,524), Soros Fund Management ($4,900,000), Steven Bing’s Shangri-La Entertainment ($4,850,000), and The Fund for America ($3,770,000).

The fifth is conservative Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($3,597,632).

[alcibiades_mystery]

1. It's good that they're coming now, but it's not a rescue

As will become increasingly clear, the decision to hold off on attacks until McCain had expended his was deliberate, and probably planned in early June.

This is clearly part of a longer term strategy.

Jittery Dems are the worst allies.

[tekisui]

2. I know. I was bothered

by a story I read this morning about some Dem Senators and Governors being critical of Obama's campaign.

[cliffordu]

5. "Jittery Dems are the worst allies."

That's exactly right.

[depakid]

6. Well it was a plan

then it has to be one of the STUPIDEST most ill conceived plans I've seen since 1988.

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. See you November 5

[phrigndumass]

3. SEIU is doing wonders this year :)

Payback is a motherfucker!

:hi:

[Mabus]

4. A good friend of mine works for SEIU as an organizer

K&R for unions.