This is a story about politics and power in the golden land, and it begins with the money. In early May a luxury resort in Laguna Beach, Calif., hosted a five-day semi-annual meeting of the Democracy Alliance, a secret, invitation-only organization of liberal moneybags that since its formation in 2005 has directed some $500 million in contributions to progressive groups. Never has a wolves’ den been so posh.
The Alliance discloses neither its members nor its beneficiaries, but some of the details of its structure have leaked out over time. The Los Angeles Times, which was granted exclusive access to the Laguna retreat, reports that Chris Hughes, the Facebook millionaire who owns a failing lifestyle magazine, has joined the ranks of the Alliance, which has “roughly 100 members, who pay annual dues of $30,000,” and who “are required to contribute at least $200,000 to organizations in the group’s portfolio.”
Currency speculator George Soros is perhaps the most famous member of the Alliance. Together, he and his friends have sponsored behemoths such as the Center for American Progress and Media Matters for America, as well as small fry such as Organizing for Action (OFA), the advocacy group affiliated with the White House that so far has failed to meet its fundraising goals or secure a single political victory. Jon Carson, the Obama stooge who runs OFA, pitched the likes of Hughes and Soros at the retreat, as did California’s governor and lieutenant governor. Robert Reich was there too.
