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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
April 27, 2005
/ 18 Nisan , 5765
The vast left-wing conspiracy... 10 minutes with veteran Washington reporter Byron York
By
Bill Steigerwald
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
During the 2004 presidential election, veteran Washington reporter Byron York realized the Democrats had formed a vast conspiracy of party operatives, "nonpartisan" 527 fund-raising groups, liberal media stars such as Al Franken, and billionaire donors like George Soros to defeat George W. Bush.
It was no secret. In fact, Democrats were proud of it. And as York says in "The Vast Left-Wing Conspiracy," (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.) the well-organized political movement that the Democrats created to outfox tough new campaign finance laws and bring them back to national power is going to give Republicans fits in future elections.
I talked to the National Review's White House correspondent by telephone from Washington:
Q: What's the book-flap synopsis of what you've discovered?
A: It's the story of MoveOn.org, 527 organizations, George Soros, Michael Moore, Air America Radio and Al Franken, and John Podesta's think-tank, the Center for American Progress. It's how these people, often working together, created the biggest, richest, best-organized political movement in generations.
Q: Was it just hatred of President Bush that got this conspiracy going?
A: I really distinguish two wings of this movement. One is the emotional wing, which is MoveOn and Michael Moore. They are given to emotional outbursts, and they were very angry in the aftermath of the Clinton impeachment and in the aftermath of the Florida recount in 2000. Basically, they were angered by everything that George Bush did, including the look on his face. The professional wing is a very different group. They are the group that created America Coming Together, which was the largest of the Democrat 527 groups people like Ellen Malcolm of Emily's List, Steve Rosenthal, who used to be with the AFL-CIO, and John Podesta, who created the Center for American Progress. These were people who were more affected by two completely different things: One was the beginning of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law after the 2002 election and the other was the actual results of the 2002 election, in which they had to face the reality that Democrats controlled absolutely nothing in Washington. That's when they realized that they needed to build a new political organization.
Q: This conspiracy didn't discover a new set of ideas or new ideological positions is it more about donations and money from George Soros and Internet donors?
A: It's about communications. If you listen to any of them, from either the emotional or the professional wing, you will hear the belief that we meaning the liberals we are the true American majority. Their unshakable belief is that the real majority of Americans agrees with their positions on the issues. So if you believe that, the problem really becomes one of communications: Our ideas are right. People agree with our ideas. People just haven't heard them. We just haven't communicated those ideas well enough. So the essence of the "vast left-wing conspiracy" is really communications. It's creating a message machine to inject their ideas into the public discussion 24/7.
Q: How will this conspiracy transform the way political campaigns are run?
A: It has already to some degree. McCain-Feingold took away the unlimited contributions that had been the life's blood of the Democratic Party. A new way had to be found to conduct campaigns. McCain-Feingold exposed the dirty little secret of the Democrats' finances, which is that they were far more dependent on millionaires for their funding than Republicans were. In February 2003, just a couple months after McCain-Feingold took effect, the Democrats' three biggest committees collected about $4 million in contributions small, limited, McCain-Feingold contributions. The three Republican committees collected about $19 million. The Republicans had a lot more small donors than the Democrats. The Democrats realized that they had to find a way to get their big donors back in action.... So the 527s were born. That is a way in which power shifted away from the Democratic Party to outside groups. It also empowered people like George Soros, who were the enormous funders of these groups and who had a lot of say.
Q: Is there anything particularly evil or sleazy about what this conspiracy is up to?
A: There were a couple of incidents in the book in which I think ethical boundaries were crossed. Mostly it's a conspiracy in the sense in which liberals refer to a right-wing conspiracy, which is they wanted to create a powerful, well-oiled machine that could get its message out, could attack its enemies, and could spur political action at any time.
Q: Will conservatives or Republicans learn anything from the Democrats' new ways?
A: I think they should. I think the instinct of some conservatives has been to dismiss some of these people. For example, to think of MoveOn as crazy hippies, or to think of Michael Moore as a kook, or to think of George Soros as an eccentric billionaire. But these people created something pretty powerful, and they have a long-term plan.
And they are in part basing it on what they believe conservatives did 40 years ago after the defeat of Barry Goldwater. Republicans and conservatives would make a really big mistake by either ignoring or minimizing these people.
Q: Will this conspiracy put Hillary Clinton back in the White House?
A: Well, it easily could. But what it's going to do is put an incredibly powerful new and creative machine behind whoever runs for president as a Democrat in 2008.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Bill Steigerwald is an associate editor and columnist at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Comment by clicking here.
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