http://www.businessweek.com/print/innovate/content/apr2007/id20070413_466303.htm
I've come across the "New Progressive Coalition" several times, most notably at the eleemosynary blogs where I sometimes hang out. It's very much a business, as the proprietary ROI tool suggests, and the pitch they use on their website is semantically hollow. The basic premise is that political donors just don't know where to put their money to get maximum bang for the buck. It's like MoveOn on steroids, with the same origin -- Silocon Valley. I doubt they'll do very well. MoveOn is set up to harvest the discontent of people like the Kosniki, who have a few hundreds at most to give. That market is tapped out. The major donors already know where to go to buy their indulgences.
In the past, I've listed organizations that progressives could support without worrying about being "too radical". They're all fairly well known and might be able to do quite a bit of good if they weren't starved for cash and personnel. It's simply shocking to me that the ACLU, for example, only has about three hundred thousand donor/members. It's a stalwart of American liberalism. Some of the hundreds of the millions frittered away by beautiful loser Democrats would do more in their hands, assuming the goal is anything remotely progressive.
I think what the New Progressive Coalition at least nominally intends to do is elect more Democrats -- the trickle down theory of progressivism, with the fatuous metrics of campaign consultants.
Comments (4)
scruggs:
" trickle down theory of progressivism.."
better they trickle down on us
then....
tinkle down eh ????
tinkle down ....
did i write.... tinkle down ???
shit
since we the weebles
"gave" em the congress
its been
yellow streamin' fire house
from beer nite hell time
Posted by op | April 14, 2007 4:13 PM
Posted on April 14, 2007 16:13
At the Gift Hub, a PR rep from the New Progressive Coalition pasted in a press release comment when some legitimate concerns were raised about the goals and tactics of the organization. One of the eleemosynary bloggers went to the trouble of responding with some detailed questions -- apposite, civil, answerable, if one should choose to do that. They never got a response. From the rake-off model business perspective, when you don't know what you're doing, or you're pulling a fast one, it's better to stick to the script and hope for less perspicuous questions from less critical customers. From a political perspective, as long as there's civil engagement, there's a chance things can be pushed forward.
The most mainstream of all criticisms raised about progressives is the inefficacy and actual harm done by the proliferation of consultants. They have no constituency of their own to bring so they're stuck with pandering and trying to pitch magical solutions. The vulgar ROI model of political participation only works for the most vulgar investors, who do want to see an ROI on something that will benefit them. There's a real shortage of enlightened yet clueless millionaires wandering in the wilderness, praying for a little guidance. Given the high profile of so many perfectly respectable liberal outfits, which you don't need a middleman to find, I'd call the NPC a novelty rake-off operation, with a veneer of techno-liberalism to give it that progressive look and feel.
Posted by Scruggs | April 14, 2007 5:17 PM
Posted on April 14, 2007 17:17
"From a political perspective, as long as there's civil engagement, there's a chance things can be pushed forward"
exactly be polite and you can be ignored
up shot
lots of folks won't notice
the con going down at all
some one's got to yell
"your a fuckin fake a thief and prolly a baby killer"
at least put up the risks
involved in scalawaggery
fill all this under
why making really rude waves work bestand why for that precise reason u won't
be allowed to get away with it
exhibit A :
"creating a hostile work environment"
Posted by op | April 14, 2007 5:55 PM
Posted on April 14, 2007 17:55
Heh, well I'm talking about the politics of selling a proposal to consumers. As long they're not blasting away, the con has a chance to be sold.
Posted by Scruggs | April 14, 2007 6:16 PM
Posted on April 14, 2007 18:16