{"id":279390,"date":"2021-03-22T05:15:17","date_gmt":"2021-03-22T09:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=279390"},"modified":"2021-03-22T05:15:20","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T09:15:20","slug":"dark-money-fuels-push-to-ditch-filibuster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dark-money-fuels-push-to-ditch-filibuster\/","title":{"rendered":"Dark Money Fuels Push to Ditch Filibuster"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdark-money-fuels-push-to-ditch-filibuster%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=279390&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-2597.jpeg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The left-wing group leading a campaign to have Senate Democrats eliminate the filibuster is housed at one of the left&#8217;s most powerful dark money networks, business records <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/FixOurSenate.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">show<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fix Our Senate is steering a coalition of 60 progressive groups to pressure moderate Democrats to eliminate the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote supermajority to advance legislation. The group is a project of the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a nonprofit incubator managed by the D.C.-based consulting firm Arabella Advisors. Arabella&#8217;s network of funds is used by the nation&#8217;s wealthiest liberal donors to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">secretly bankroll<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> a host of progressive initiatives.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"posts-content__category-widget md:hidden -ml-4 -mr-4 my-8 px-4 py-6 bg-gray-100\">\n<h4 class=\"mt-0 text-red-600 font-medium font-sans uppercase\">Recent Stories in Democrats<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"list-none p-0 \">\n<li class>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/anti-filibuster-coalition-leader-is-part-of-progressive-dark-money-group\/\"><strong>Dark Money Fuels Push to Ditch Filibuster<\/strong><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/newsom-earned-praise-from-anti-vaccine-extremists\/\"><strong>Newsom Earned Praise from Anti-Vaccine Extremists<\/strong><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/southern-poverty-law-center-maintains-160-million-in-offshore-accounts\/\"><strong>Southern Poverty Law Center Maintains $160 Million in Offshore Accounts<\/strong><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The coalition has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fixoursenate.org\/press\/momentum-grows-to-eliminate-the-filibuster-as-fix-our-senate-campaign-expands-to-nearly-60-groups\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">added<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> dozens of groups in recent days as Democrats increase their calls to eliminate the filibuster.&nbsp;<\/span>President Joe Biden has said he supports filibuster reform and would prefer a return to a &#8220;talking filibuster,&#8221; but White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the president remains &#8220;open to hearing&#8221; other ideas. Removing the filibuster would help Democrats looking to push through a progressive agenda.&nbsp;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has threatened to use procedural moves to grind Senate business to a halt, should Democrats succeed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The coalition led by<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fix Our Senate is<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trying to drum up support by painting the filibuster<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as a racist tool. On Thursday, the coalition launched a nationwide, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">six-figure<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ad buy that &#8220;makes the case that the filibuster, a long favored procedural tool of segregationists, has prevented voting rights and civil rights from passing the U.S. Senate.&#8221; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.)&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has similarly argued that<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the filibuster has &#8220;deep roots in racism.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;We want to make sure voters understand that the filibuster, an abused and outdated \u2018Jim Crow relic,&#8217; is a big part of what is broken about our government and we are encouraging them to make their voices heard and call on their senators to choose progress, not more gridlock,&#8221; Eli Zupnik, spokesman for Fix Our Senate, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fixoursenate.org\/press\/fix-our-senate-launches-nationwide-ad-campaign-as-momentum-grows-to-eliminate-the-filibuster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in a press release.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a subsidiary of the<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sixteen Thirty Fund, Fix Our Senate does not have to register as a standalone nonprofit with the IRS. This allows the group to operate largely in secret.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fix Our Senate does not have to disclose its donors or file tax forms that would shed light on its financial activity, board members, or contractors. The Sixteen Thirty Fund is used by liberal billionaire<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">George Soros and others in the Democracy Alliance, a secretive donor club that financially supports progressive causes. Arabella-managed funds facilitated <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/dem-dark-money-network-rakes-in-715-million-to-bankroll-liberal-causes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$715 million<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of dark money in 2019.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;This coalition of groups is disingenuous, when in reality these are just trade names of the Sixteen Thirty Fund\u2014a branch of the overarching behemoth Arabella Advisors,&#8221; Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Washington Free Beacon<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. &#8220;These groups are trying to imitate local, grassroots groups, but are backed by Arabella to influence public policy.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The progressive coalition&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fixoursenate.org\/press\/momentum-grows-to-eliminate-the-filibuster-as-fix-our-senate-campaign-expands-to-nearly-60-groups\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">includes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> gun control, immigration, and health care groups, among others. One coalition member, Demand Progress, is also housed at the Sixteen Thirty Fund. Demand Justice, also at the Sixteen Thirty Fund, was previously<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/exclusive-new-group-to-focus-on-mcconnell-attacks-5303fa7e-5002-4a27-94ce-3a52efba64be.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">linked<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Fix Our Senate but does not appear in the coalition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The anti-filibuster coalition launched just as Senate Democrats began abandoning their stances on the issue. Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) has used his Twitter feed to highlight how Democrats, including Sens.&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomCottonAR\/status\/1372587535663251458?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ed Markey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (D., Mass.) and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomCottonAR\/status\/1372899514839920641?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Martin Heinrich<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (D., N.M.),&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.collins.senate.gov\/newsroom\/senators-collins-coons-lead-effort-preserve-60-vote-threshold-legislation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">signed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> onto a bipartisan effort to preserve the 60-vote threshold.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Markey now says the &#8220;filibuster was created so that slave owners could hold power over our government,&#8221; he <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SenMarkey\/status\/743266955071791105\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tweeted<\/a> in praise of Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) for his 2016 filibuster, touting Murphy&#8217;s efforts to &#8220;#holdthefloor.&#8221; At the time, Markey called on Americans to &#8220;tune in to @cspan to watch powerful #filibuster on Senate floor.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a statement to the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Free Beacon<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Cotton criticized his colleagues for switching their positions on the issue. &#8220;The same Democrats who hysterically call the filibuster \u2018racist and evil&#8217; filibustered themselves hundreds of times over the past few years.&#8221; Cotton referred to Fix Our Senate&#8217;s goals as &#8220;a coordinated, political attack to ram through a left-wing agenda before the voters kick the Democrats out of power in 2022.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fix Our Senate did not respond to a request for comment. <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"my-8 hide-print\">\n\t\t<!-- \/339474670\/Freebeacon\/InContent --><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1526555381173-4\" class=\"mobile-250 desktop-90\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The left-wing group leading a campaign to have Senate Democrats eliminate the filibuster is housed at one of the left&#8217;s most powerful dark money networks, business records show. Fix Our &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2310896,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-2597.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Dark Money Fuels Push to Ditch Filibuster","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/fb_image-2597.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"Dark Money Fuels Push to Ditch Filibuster","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2310896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}