June 28, 2008 01:31 AM UTC

Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy: Colorado HQ?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Check out this flowchart from the Center for Investigative Journalism detailing the long reach of local liberal activist group Progress Now. Did you know they were this big-time? Soros and Moveon.org, oh my!

And as NPR reports:

The 2008 presidential campaign began with predictions that outside groups would play influential roles. So far, though, none has thrown a roundhouse punch like the one Swift Boat Veterans for Truth delivered when it attacked Democrat John Kerry’s war record four years ago. But nonprofit organizations are quietly mobilizing, especially on the left.

One network of liberal activist groups, Progress Now and its eight affiliates, is trying to shape the debate with a streamlined operation of small staff, low budgets and the Internet.

Michael Huttner, Progress Now’s director, says the Colorado-based group is taking advantage of old media and new technologies to gin up interest for an issue.

“We’ll put out a press release for the mainstream media, and then literally hours later, we’ll send out an e-mail on the same topic to tens of thousands of people,” Huttner says. “The press actually get those e-mails sent to them. And then the press decides to write a story. And then when people read the story, then they go to the Web site and even take further action.”

Officially, the Progress groups aren’t considered political organizations. They operate as nonprofits under section 501(c) of the tax code. That means they have to talk in terms of issues, not candidates.

Still, there’s no mistaking where their hearts lie…

Article goes on to describe Progress Now’s operations in several states.

The Left has never had anything like this – a place in cyberspace for groups to coordinate and deliver their messages to activists. And there’s nothing like it on the Right.

The Progress Now network began forming in 2006. Initial financing came from a coalition of big-dollar donors called the Democracy Alliance, which wants to build a long-lasting progressive infrastructure.

The groups’ high-tech, low-cost approach seems to be working, says Progress Ohio director Brian Rothenberg…

But what about the Barack Obama campaigns moves to restrict the activities of third-party message groups?

Huttner says there’s also little evidence that the Progress groups are suffering financially – despite the fact that Democratic candidate Barack Obama told his donors last month not to give money to independent groups.

Apparently, they’re finding ways to reach donors just fine on their own.

Which makes sense, since Progress Now’s focus has always been local issues that fall well outside the stuff Obama is trying to control.

Bottom line: we understand why people would want to export Progress Now groups to other states. They’ve been very effective here in Colorado at hammering Republicans in the press for a comparatively tiny investment to traditional 527s. We end up linking to them more than most liberal groups in the state because 3 times out of 4, they’re the first ones to respond on hot Colorado issues. They’re on point going after Republicans more often than the Democratic Party itself it seems, though that may be more a reflection of Colorado’s Amendment 27-weakened parties than anything else.

Either way, it’s interesting to see them spreading out into other strategic states like Ohio and Florida. If enough of them flip (or stay) blue in the coming election, it looks like our hometown liberal gadflies will have earned some of the credit.