In the latest TIME, you have to read quite a bit about the mysterious ?network of little-known conservative political outfits based in D.C.? that are helping Republicans in the fall campaign before writer Michael Crowley admits:
Democrats may condemn these Republican efforts. But in truth, they would love to match them. Some party operatives have been trying but with little success. “Our donors just haven’t been interested” in big outside-group ventures, laments one Democrat with experience in such groups, “at least not yet.” This strategist points to several factors: Wall Street donors who gave generously to the party in recent years now feel burned by Barack Obama’s condemnations of the big banks; voters who were inspired by the prospect of the first African-American President have disappeared this cycle; and Democratic donors motivated by U.S. support for Israel are frustrated with Obama’s policies toward the Jewish state. Democrats may also be the victims of their own success. The Obama campaign was so eager to neuter aggressive Republican outside groups in 2008 that it discouraged party donors from supporting independent liberal outfits, like a 527 operation run by MoveOn.org, which shut down as a result. Meanwhile, it’s Republicans who can assure their donors of real bang for their buck. “A lot of [liberal] donors are smart business people, and the perception that Democrats are going to lose is chilling them from contributing,” says Tom Matzzie, a former top official with MoveOn.org. “Why throw good money after bad?”
Imagine that. When a Democratic administration pursues policies most people don?t like, Republicans find it easier to raise money.
