Center for American Progress

Center for American Progress
Motto Progressive ideas for a strong, just, and free America.
Founded 2003
Founder John Podesta
Type Public policy think tank
Location
Coordinates 38°54′01″N 77°01′52″W / 38.900373°N 77.031047°W / 38.900373; -77.031047Coordinates: 38°54′01″N 77°01′52″W / 38.900373°N 77.031047°W / 38.900373; -77.031047
Key people
 Neera Tanden (President)
Tom Daschle (Chairman)
Revenue
$45,156,090 (2014)[1]
Expenses $42,425,026 (2014)
Website americanprogress.org

The Center for American Progress (CAP) is a progressive public policy research and advocacy organization. According to CAP, the center is "dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through progressive ideas and action." The Center presents a liberal[2] viewpoint on economic issues. It has its headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The president and chief executive officer of CAP is Neera Tanden, who worked for the Obama and Clinton administrations and for Hillary Clinton’s campaigns.[3] The first president and CEO was John Podesta, who served as chief of staff to then U.S. President Bill Clinton, and is currently serving as Hillary Clinton's 2016 Campaign Director. Podesta remained with the organization as chairman of the board until he joined the Obama White House staff in December 2013. Tom Daschle is the current chairman.

The Center for American Progress runs a campus outreach group, Generation Progress, and a sister advocacy organization, the Center for American Progress Action Fund. Citing Podesta's influence in the formation of the Obama Administration, a November 2008 article in Time stated that "not since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan's transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway".[4]

History and mission

The Center for American Progress was created in 2003 as a left-leaning alternative to think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute.[5]

Since its inception, the center has assembled a group of high-profile senior fellows, including Lawrence Korb, Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan; Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council under Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; Ruy Teixeira, political scientist and author of The Emerging Democratic Majority; and, most recently, former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and Elizabeth Edwards, late wife of former presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator from North Carolina John Edwards. Sarah Rosen Wartell, a co-founder and executive vice-president of the center, has been named President of the Urban Institute[6]

The center was often featured prominently on the Al Franken Show on the now defunct Air America Radio network, where Christy Harvey and Al Franken criticized the Bush administration at length, accusing it of dishonesty and incompetence.

The center helped Congressman John Murtha (D-PA) develop "strategic redeployment",[7] a comprehensive plan for the Iraq War that included a timetable and troop withdrawals.

Activities

Gov. Martin O'Malley speaking at CAP

ThinkProgress

Main article: ThinkProgress

ThinkProgress is a blog edited by Judd Legum that "provide[s] a forum that advances progressive ideas and policies."[8] It is an outlet of the Center for American Progress.

ThinkProgress includes a climate-focused section titled Climate Progress.[9] Edited by Joseph J. Romm, the blog discusses climate science, climate and energy technology solutions and political news related to climate change. Climate Progress is a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund. In 2008, Time magazine named Climate Progress one of the "Top 15 Green Websites", writing that it "counters bad science and inane rhetoric with original analysis delivered sharply...Romm occupies the intersection of climate science, economics and policy....On his blog and in his most recent book, Hell and High Water, you can find some of the most cogent, memorable, and deployable arguments for immediate and overwhelming action to confront global warming".[10]

In 2009, Thomas L. Friedman called ClimateProgress "indispensable",[11] and Rolling Stone magazine named Romm to its list of "100 People Who Are Changing America".[12] Time magazine named Romm one of its "Heroes of the Environment (2009)", calling him "The Web's most influential climate-change blogger"[13] and, in 2010, it included Climate Progress in a list of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010"[14] Romm's 2010 book, Straight Up, is a compilation of some of his best blog entries from Climate Progress, with introductions and analysis by Romm.

Generation Progress

Main article: Generation Progress

Generation Progress was launched in February 2005 and is CAP's youth outreach arm. Generation Progress is active on over 500 U.S. campuses and in communities across the United States.

Center for American Progress Action Fund

Formerly known simply as the American Progress Action Fund, the Center for American Progress Action Fund is a "sister advocacy organization" and is organizationally and financially separate from CAP, although they share many staff and a physical address. Politico wrote in April 2011 that it "openly runs political advocacy campaigns, and plays a central role in the Democratic Party’s infrastructure, and the new reporting staff down the hall isn’t exactly walled off from that message machine, nor does it necessarily keep its distance from liberal groups organizing advocacy campaigns targeting conservatives”.[15] Whereas CAP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the fund is a 501(c)(4), allowing it to devote more funds to lobbying.[16] In 2003, George Soros promised to financially support the organization by donating up to $3 million.[17] The action fund is headed by Jennifer Palmieri.[15]

Science Progress

Science Progress was an internet publication about progressive science and technology policy. Science Progress was a project of the Center for American Progress. Its mission was "to improve the understanding of science among policymakers and other thought leaders and to develop exciting, progressive ideas about innovation in science and technology for the United States in the 21st Century."[18] It began publication on 4 October 2007, the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1. Content on the web site included news, in-depth essays, and text- and audio-based interviews. The Science Progress staff included Editor-In-Chief Jonathan D. Moreno.

Criticism

Some open government groups, such as the Sunlight Foundation and the Campaign Legal Center, criticize the Center's failure to disclose its contributors, particularly since it is so influential in appointments to the Obama administration.[19][20]

In March 2008, ThinkProgress, CAP's blog outlet, posted that John McCain had plagiarized from a 1996 speech by Rear Admiral Timothy Ziemer. However, it was revealed that McCain had used similar lines in a speech during 1995 and ThinkProgress retracted the error the next day.[21][22][23]

In October 2010, ThinkProgress posted that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was bypassing campaign finance laws by using foreign money to fund campaign attack ads.[24] FactCheck.org called it "a claim with little basis in fact",[25] while the New York Times wrote, "[T]here is little evidence that what the chamber does in collecting overseas dues is improper or even unusual, according to both liberal and conservative election-law lawyers and campaign finance documents".[26]

CAP was criticized by several Jewish organizations after some employees "publicly used language that could be construed as anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic".[27] Bloggers associated with CAP published several posts using phrases such as "apartheid" and "Israel-firsters", causing NGO Monitor, the American Jewish Committee, and the Anti-Defamation League to label them anti-Israel and call on CAP to disassociate themselves from these statements.[28] Officials at CAP said the “inappropriate” language came only in personal tweets—not on CAP’s website or its ThinkProgress blog. The Tweets were deleted, and the authors apologized.[27]

Other writers, however, criticized CAP for what they saw as censorship of reasonable comments critical of Israeli settlements and other policies. Based on leaked emails, columnist Glenn Greenwald, for example, wrote that CAP had deleted references to Israeli settlement policies in reports by their staffers.[29][30][31][32]

Greenwald and others also criticized CAP for hosting a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Netanyahu was hostile to the Obama Administration. Greenwald described CAP's positions as "servitude to AIPAC and pandering to Netanyahu." [29]

Funding

The Center for American Progress is a 501(c)(3) organization under U.S. Internal Revenue Code. In 2013, CAP received $42 million from a variety of sources, including individuals, foundations, labor unions, and corporations.[33] From 2003 to 2007, CAP received about $15 million in grants from 58 foundations. Major individual donors include George Soros, Peter Lewis, Steve Bing, and Herb and Marion Sandler. The Center receives undisclosed sums from corporate donors.[34] CAP has emerged as perhaps the most influential of all think tanks during the Obama era, and there’s been a rapidly revolving door between it and the administration. CAP is also among the most secretive of all think tanks concerning its donors. Most major think tanks prepare an annual report containing at least some financial and donor information and make it available on their websites. According to CAP spokeswoman Andrea Purse, the center doesn’t even publish one.[35] In December 2013, the organization released a list of its corporate donors, which include Walmart, CitiGroup, Wells Fargo, defense contractor Northrup Grumman, America's Health Insurance Plans, and Eli Lilly and Company.[36]

In 2015, CAP released a partial list of its donors, which included 28 anonymous donors accounting for at least $5 million in contributions. Named donors included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, which each gave between $500,000 and $999,999. CAP’s top donors include Walmart and Citigroup, each of which have given between $100,000 and $499,000.[37][38]

2015 Donors (excluding anonymous)[39] Level
Ford Foundation $1,000,000+
The Hutchins Family Foundation $1,000,000+
Sandler Foundation $1,000,000+
TomKat Charitable Trust $1,000,000+
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation $500,000 to $999,999
Joyce Foundation $500,000 to $999,999
Not On Our Watch $500,000 to $999,999
Open Square Charitable Gift Fund $500,000 to $999,999
Embassy of United Arab Emirates $500,000 to $999,999
Walton Family Foundation $500,000 to $999,999
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $500,000 to $999,999

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Center for American Progress". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  2. ↑ E.g.,
  3. ↑ Horowitz, Jason (November 3, 2011). "Think-tank post puts spotlight on veteran Democratic operative Neera Tanden". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-01-19.
  4. ↑ Scherer, Michael (November 21, 2008). "Inside Obama's Idea Factory in Washington", Time. Retrieved 2009-12-02.
  5. ↑ Robert Dreyfuss, "An Idea Factory for the Democrats", The Nation March 1, 2004
  6. ↑ Sarah Rosen Wartell, Think Tank Executive and Housing Finance Expert, to be the Urban Institute's Third President
  7. ↑ CAP article, strategic redeployment. Retrieved November 15, 2006.
  8. ↑ Somanader, Tanya. "ThinkProgress blog". Thinkprogress.org. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  9. ↑ "Climate Progress - ThinkProgress". ClimateProgress.org. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  10. ↑ Roston, Eric (April 17, 2008). "feature on 'Top 15 Green Websites'". Time. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  11. ↑ Friedman, Thomas L., "The Inflection Is Near?", The New York Times, March 7, 2009.
  12. ↑ "The 100 People Who Are Changing America", Rolling Stone magazine, March 18, 2009
  13. ↑ "Heroes of the Environment 2009". Time magazine feature, September 2009, linking to full article: Walsh, Bryan. "Heroes of the Environment 2009 – Activists: Joe Romm", Time magazine, September 2009.
  14. ↑ "Best Blogs of 2010". Time magazine, June 28, 2010.
  15. 1 2 "Center for American Progress news team takes aim at GOP". Politico.
  16. ↑ "Add to the Collective Genius." Retrieved December 27, 2006.
  17. ↑ "Soros' Deep Pockets vs. Bush". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  18. ↑ Science Progress about page
  19. ↑ Ben Smith and Chris Frates (December 9, 2008). "Where's transparency of Podesta group?". Politico.com. Retrieved 2011-07-07.
  20. ↑ Krugman, Paul (January 28, 2010). "March of the Peacocks". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  21. ↑ Terkel, Amanda. "McCain's Foreign Affairs Speech". ThinkProgress. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  22. ↑ Klein, Ezra. "McCain the Plagiarist". American Prospect. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  23. ↑ Calderone, Michael. "ThinkProgress retracts McCain plagiarism charge". Politico. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  24. ↑ Frates, Chris. "Chamber of Commerce under fire for foreign cash". Politico. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  25. ↑ Jackson, Brooks. "Foreign Money? Really?". FactCheck.org. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  26. ↑ Lichtblau, Eric (October 8, 2010). "Topic of Foreign Money in U.S. Races Hits Hustings". New York Times. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  27. 1 2 Wallsten, Peter (January 20, 2012). "Center for American Progress, group tied to Obama, under fire from Israel advocates". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  28. ↑ Weinthal, Benjamin. "NGOs slam ‘anti-Semitic’ US think tank comments". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 2012.
  29. 1 2 Leaked Emails From Pro-Clinton Group Reveal Censorship of Staff on Israel, AIPAC Pandering, Warped Militarism, Glenn Greenwald, The Intercept, Nov. 5, 2015
  30. ↑ Why Is the Center for American Progress Hosting Benjamin Netanyahu? The Israeli prime minister has spent the last few years trying to sabotage the Obama administration’s foreign policy. So what’s with the invite? By Ali Gharib, The Nation, October 28, 2015
  31. ↑ Center for American Progress Hosts Netanyahu as Leaked Emails Show Group Censored Staff on Israel, By Nermeen Shaikh, Democracy Now, November 12, 2015
  32. ↑ Has the Israel Lobby Gone Too Far? Will a recent attack on progressive journalists help spark a sea-change in the debate over Middle East policy? By Joshua Holland, AlterNet, December 16, 2011.
  33. ↑ Yeager, Holly (December 13, 2013). "Center for American Progress releases donor list". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  34. ↑ Savage, Charlie (November 7, 2008). "John Podesta, Shepherd of a Government in Exile". New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
  35. ↑ Silverstein, Ken (May 22, 2013). "The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks". The Nation. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  36. ↑ "Our Supporters". Center for American Progress. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  37. ↑ Berman, Dan (January 21, 2015). "Liberal Group Claims Transparency but Keeps Some Donors' Names Secret". National Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  38. ↑ Sargent, Greg (January 21, 2015). "Center for American Progress, poised to wield influence over 2016, reveals its top donors". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  39. ↑ "Our Supporters" (PDF). Center for American Progress. Retrieved 2015-04-14.

External links

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