Dec 13, 2023 06:37 PM
Cynic's Corner: Note the usual narrow use of "liberal" applied to Democrats. Anyone who believes in free speech, basic rights (in contrast to entitlements/privileges), and is not anti-capitalist can be subsumed by the category of "liberal" in a classic context.
Desiring to shut down the free speech of opponents (cancel culture, etc) is not liberalism -- but a form of militant illiberalism or (authoritarian) generic post-liberalism. Regardless of specific instances where either Woke on one side or the alt-Right on the other is engaging in it.
So both (non-far-left) progressives and (non-far-right) conservatives are liberals. Progressives are capitalists who merely appropriate Left ideology for political utility; and conservatives are traditionalists who oppose both the unmitigated Left and the hybrid aspects of it in progressivism.
The gist being that it would be more accurate for conservative outlets to be decrying "leftists" rather than liberals. While bearing in mind that (legit) progressives added to the label are not social democrats (socialists), Marxists, collectivists, etc -- but just borrowing the latter's systemic oppression template for their own "do-gooder" facade. (Conservatives have their own "old-fashioned" do-gooder window-dressing, also.)
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How tax-exempt nonprofits skirt U.S. law to turn out the Democrat base in elections
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/...97388.html
INTRO: Even as Democrats such as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warn of “right-wing dark-money network seeking to undermine the future of democratic elections in the United States,” progressives have far outstripped Republicans in harnessing the power of putatively non-partisan, nonprofit organizations that push the boundaries to win elections.
More than 150 progressive nonprofits spent $1.35 billion on political activities in 2021 and 2022, according to data compiled by Restoration of America, a conservative political action committee. Although there are no readily available estimates of comparable conservative efforts, observers say they are overmatched.
“The liberal nonprofit sector is much bigger than the conservative nonprofit in the political arena,” said Bradley Smith, a former commissioner with the Federal Election Commission and founder of the conservative Institute for Free Speech.
The progressive nonprofits include faith-based groups, ethnic activist operatives, and colleges and universities, which have taken on an outsized part of the Democratic party’s election strategy.
The groups work around legal restrictions on nonprofits that accept tax-deductible donations by selectively engaging in nonpartisan efforts including boosting voter education and participation.
But, like the estimated $332 million that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan donated to public elections offices to help run the 2020 elections, much of it winds up in the hands of groups that operate in liberal strongholds and work with reliably Democratic constituencies.
This is in part how two influential groups, the Voter Participation Center and its partner group, the Center for Voter Information, increase Democratic turnout.
Both have the stated mission of encouraging people in specified demographics – “young people, people of color and unmarried women” – to vote. All three groups are part of the Democratic Party’s base. Voters in these groups are up to two-and-a-half times more likely to vote when engaged by a nonprofit, according to research from Nonprofit Vote, an advocacy group for tax-exempt activist groups.... (MORE - details)
Desiring to shut down the free speech of opponents (cancel culture, etc) is not liberalism -- but a form of militant illiberalism or (authoritarian) generic post-liberalism. Regardless of specific instances where either Woke on one side or the alt-Right on the other is engaging in it.
So both (non-far-left) progressives and (non-far-right) conservatives are liberals. Progressives are capitalists who merely appropriate Left ideology for political utility; and conservatives are traditionalists who oppose both the unmitigated Left and the hybrid aspects of it in progressivism.
The gist being that it would be more accurate for conservative outlets to be decrying "leftists" rather than liberals. While bearing in mind that (legit) progressives added to the label are not social democrats (socialists), Marxists, collectivists, etc -- but just borrowing the latter's systemic oppression template for their own "do-gooder" facade. (Conservatives have their own "old-fashioned" do-gooder window-dressing, also.)
- - - - - - - - - -
How tax-exempt nonprofits skirt U.S. law to turn out the Democrat base in elections
https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/...97388.html
INTRO: Even as Democrats such as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse warn of “right-wing dark-money network seeking to undermine the future of democratic elections in the United States,” progressives have far outstripped Republicans in harnessing the power of putatively non-partisan, nonprofit organizations that push the boundaries to win elections.
More than 150 progressive nonprofits spent $1.35 billion on political activities in 2021 and 2022, according to data compiled by Restoration of America, a conservative political action committee. Although there are no readily available estimates of comparable conservative efforts, observers say they are overmatched.
“The liberal nonprofit sector is much bigger than the conservative nonprofit in the political arena,” said Bradley Smith, a former commissioner with the Federal Election Commission and founder of the conservative Institute for Free Speech.
The progressive nonprofits include faith-based groups, ethnic activist operatives, and colleges and universities, which have taken on an outsized part of the Democratic party’s election strategy.
The groups work around legal restrictions on nonprofits that accept tax-deductible donations by selectively engaging in nonpartisan efforts including boosting voter education and participation.
But, like the estimated $332 million that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan donated to public elections offices to help run the 2020 elections, much of it winds up in the hands of groups that operate in liberal strongholds and work with reliably Democratic constituencies.
This is in part how two influential groups, the Voter Participation Center and its partner group, the Center for Voter Information, increase Democratic turnout.
Both have the stated mission of encouraging people in specified demographics – “young people, people of color and unmarried women” – to vote. All three groups are part of the Democratic Party’s base. Voters in these groups are up to two-and-a-half times more likely to vote when engaged by a nonprofit, according to research from Nonprofit Vote, an advocacy group for tax-exempt activist groups.... (MORE - details)