[Marxism] [Soros] State of the American 'left'

[davidquarter@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

 From Rick Rozoff:

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c0e45a86-6408-11d9-b0ed-00000e2511c8.html


[Note: Currently lead headline on Common Dreams:
http://www.commondreams.org]


Financial Times
January 12, 2005



Soros group raises stakes in battle with US neo-cons
By James Harding in Washington



A group of billionaire philanthropists are to donate
tens of millions more dollars to develop progressive
political ideas in the US in an effort to counter the
conservative ascendancy.

George Soros, who made his fortune in the hedge fund
industry; Herb and Marion Sandler, the California
couple who own a multi-billion-dollar savings and loan
business; and Peter Lewis, the chairman of an Ohio
insurance company, donated more than $63m (£34m) in
the 2004 election cycle to organisations seeking to
defeat George W. Bush.

At a meeting in San Francisco last month, the
left-leaning billionaires agreed to commit an even
larger sum over a longer period to building
institutions to foster progressive ideas and people.

Far from being disillusioned by the defeat of John
Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, the
billionaires have resolved to invest further in the
intellectual future of the left, one person involved
said.

Their commitment to provide new money comes amid
criticism of the efforts of high-profile donors such
as the Hungarian-born Mr Soros to sway US politics as
well as doubts about the effectiveness of record
funding in helping the Democratic cause in 2004.

The details of the San Francisco meeting are closely
held. Mr Soros and his son Jonathan, the Sandlers and
Mr Lewis asked aides to leave the room as they
discussed the planned financial commitment.

But the still-evolving plan, according to one person
involved, is ?joint investment to build intellectual
infrastructure?.

The intention is to provide the left with
organisations in Washington that can match the heft of
the rightwing think-tanks such as Heritage Foundation
and the American Enterprise Institute. At a state
level, the aim is to build what one person called a
?deeper progressive bench?.

The sums involved are the subject of speculation: one
person said he had heard a commitment to spend more
than $100m over 15 years, another said at least $25m
over five years. Several people said their
understanding was that the billionaires had decided to
spend more, rather than less, than they did in 2004.

Mr Soros donated $27m, the Sandlers $13m and Mr Lewis
$23m to so-called 527 groups privately-funded
political organisations during the 2004 campaign,
according to PoliticalMoneyLine, the campaign finance
tracking service.

Stephen Bing, a film producer and heir to a real
estate fortune who donated $13m, is also expected to
be involved in the investment in progressive
infrastructure.

Andrew Stern, who is president of the Service
Employees International Union, has been working to
include organised labour in the initiative.

Leftwing policy experts have already got wind of the
new funds. One former aide to Mr Kerry said there had
been talks with the Center for American Progress about
making permanent the network of foreign policy experts
established by Democrats in the 2004 campaign. He said
he had been told: ?Money is not a problem.?






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