Behind an Antiwar Ad, a Powerful Liberal Group

[rodeodance]

Source: wpost

September 15, 2007
Behind an Antiwar Ad, a Powerful Liberal Group
By MICHAEL LUO and JEFF ZELENY

There is no mistaking the influence of MoveOn.org, with its 3.2 million members and powerful fund-raising apparatus, within the Democratic Party.

This liberal activist group has come to occupy a prominent seat at the table among the party elite, so much so that Republicans leaped at a chance to hold Democrats and their presidential candidates responsible for MoveOn’s positions after it ran an advertisement attacking the credibility of Gen. David H. Petraeus.

MoveOn, which has raised tens of millions of dollars for Democratic candidates since its inception in 1998, clearly enjoys friendly relations with Democratic Party officials. Its leaders have met several times over the year with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, to discuss policy and strategy on ending the Iraq war.

MoveOn representatives also take part, as co-founders of a coalition of antiwar groups together under the umbrella Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, in a daily conference call with the Democratic leadership staff on Capitol Hill to coordinate efforts.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/washington/15moveon.h...

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

1. MoveOn ROCKS!!!!

Thank god for Moveon. WHere the hell would we be without them?

[rodeodance]

2. “We felt it was important for Reid and Pelosi to understand, if they were unable to come through to

.......“I think Democrats understand that when we can join forces and work together, it’s very powerful,” said Eli Pariser, executive director of MoveOn Political Action. “And then when we can’t, it’s not fun.”

This month, MoveOn sent an e-mail message to members asking whether it should start organizing potential primary challenges against Democrats who were not tough enough on the war, a move that upset Democratic leaders. The group plans to announce the results of its survey on Monday.

The group also sent a strongly worded warning in the spring to Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill not to capitulate to the White House as they struggled to come up with a strategy after President Bush’s veto of the $124 billion Iraq spending bill that tied the money to a troop withdrawal timetable.

“We felt it was important for Reid and Pelosi to understand, if they were unable to come through to a conclusion that was seen as bold, they were going to lose the faith of a lot of people,” Mr. Pariser said.

[depakid]

8. "a move that upset Democratic leaders."

Leaders?

Seems to me (and many others) that it's far past time we actually had some leaders. People who have the guts to stand up for traditional Democratic values once again.

[StClone]

14. In Real LIberal Fashion, the way it's supposed to be

We are the leaders! Not some mucky-muck S.O.B. fat cat Billionaire (their multi-millions and billions often come from something other than fair business). I am sold on MODO.

[ohio2007]

15. who funds moveon ?

Are they not supposed to reveal their books to the public ?
just wondering whop the top five doners are.
ANybody got a link ?

[Justitia]

18. We do. MoveOn is made up of ordinary CITIZENS. Avg donation = $45

Here's a link to the history, the regular CITIZENS who are mbrs and it's different roles - very interesting:

http://www.moveon.org/about.html

I'm proud to say I've been a mbr since the beginning. They were a sane voice in the wilderness during the impeachment insanity.

It's come a long way since 4 folks and a couple of computers decided enough was enough.

[clixtox]

21. I hope that MODO has 32...

Million members/supporters by the election next year so the results in January 2008 reflect the hopes and wishes of the majority of the people, not the majority of the corporate overlords who have become used to customarily controlling the message, and the winners.

Of course the traditional Democratic Party hacks are uncomfortable and their shrill sniveling and squirming is way overdue.

I am thrilled, absolutely overjoyed, to be a small part of their concern and hopefully and figuratively, their demise, thanks to moveon.org!

[HowHasItComeToThis]

3. I JUST DONATED FOR THE ANTI-BUSH ADS COMING OUT

HA HA HA

[deacon]

4. Someone has to tell the truth- it may as well be them. n/t

[Eric J in MN]

5. I'm a member of MoveOn.org.

I made Get-Out-the-Vote phone calls in 2006 around the country via MoveOn.

[Hekate]

6. Zowie. I remember them when! Kickety-kick.

Hekate

[Pachamama]

12. And my family and I helped "Bake back the White House" ....

We raised almost $3000 by selling baked goods and sent it in to MoveOn....It was wonderful to see the response by people who wanted so desperately to get Bush out of office in 2004....

Move On has done great things to help bring people together for the cause of democracy....

[Hekate]

17. Censure and Move On was my first foray into online politics. It was wonderful to have SOMEONE...

...actually taking action against the RW takeover in Congress and the asinine displays of bloviating hypocrisy.

I have watched their progress with pleasure, especially the occasional mentions in the LA Times, which to me still represents an acknowledgement of existing in the real world, if you know what I mean.

Congratulations on your own on-the-ground fundraising for MoveOn! All I ever gave them was just my own little bit from time-to-time, in addition to the letter writing and such.


Hekate

[Pachamama]

20. That's why a station wagon driving stay at home Mom like me joined Move On

and it also was my first foray into "online politics". I was so thrilled to see anyone taking action against the Rightwing and Bush Administration.

I actually think that the fact that MoveOn gets attacked by the right, even mentioned in the middle of congressional hearings calling for actions and denouncements of them by the right wing, tells me that they are worrying some people.

Hekate

[chill_wind]

7. A legitimate, powerful force Republicans love to hate. K&R

[bigassbelle]

9. oh boo hoo hoo

john kerry and the rest of these spineless democrats whine "this gives the republicans a new talking to point to criticize us." what a bunch of babies. have they always been such jellyfish? i liked the ad and thought it appropriate. petraeus has betrayed us. the emperor has no clothes. thanks moveon.org.

[bigassbelle]

11. by the way . . .

have "our people" come out expressing outrage over those Ari Fleischer commercial spots using injured Iraqi vets to promote the war? talk about "over the top."

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/22/fleischer-rieckhoff /

[rainy]

16. Especially John Kerry. Did the swiftboaters get denounced by the repubs?

No, they just got more and more air time.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Welcome to DU bigassbelle!

[Omaha Steve]

10. 5th R!

[gratuitous]

13. Yeah, powerful because of millions of donors and the truth

Whereas the Swift Boat Veterans, largely funded by one man, based on the spurious testimony of one other man, was given an open field to peddle its lies, and yet neither the Post nor the Times (nor other popular media outlets) could quite penetrate the transparent shroud of secrecy that folks on the internet could see through clearly. So we were treated to week after week of "the military said, the Swift Boaters lied," "John Kerry said, the Swift Boaters lied," "John Kerry's comrades who were actually there said, the Swift Boaters lied" coverage which treated factual statements and partisan lies as somehow co-equal statements that couldn't possibly be judged against one another.

But when it comes to liberal partisanship, oh, the popular media can parse sentences, strain out meanings, and decide that liberals are fudging things with the best of them.

[Demeter]

22. Now I Understand the Hue and Cry Over MoveOn

The DLC ox is getting gored. Well, Good!

It's about time these lazy, whining, useless boat anchors got some kind of impetus to either move on stopping BushCo and its war, or move out of power.

If it takes MoveOn to do the job, then that's what we've got to do. The DLC have no one but themselves to blame if they end up sitting on the curb, with the rest of the refuse. I refuse to lose the greatest experiment Man has ever constructed to the GOP thugs and their DINO enablers. And that goes for Hillary, especially.