The idea is to make fat-cat funders think twice before underwriting attack ads against Democratic candidates and causes.
But whether a new group’s promise to go after such benefactors with legal action and potentially embarrassing publicity will discourage them from signing the big checks remains to be seen.
“We want to stop the Swift Boating before it gets off the ground,” said Tom Matzzie, a liberal political operative who formed Accountable America earlier this month.
The idea of the new nonprofit is to warn donors to conservative groups that they will face legal and even personal consequences, in the form of ads identifying their handiwork if they support such campaigns, and thereby create a chilling effect that will dry up contributions.
Matzzie, who has been involved with numerous progressive causes, from Moveon.com to the Campaign for America’s Future, said his group has already sent out a warning letter to 10,000 of the biggest donors to conservative causes and candidates.
“We aim to educate the public about the connections between these donors, many with unsavory business and personal stories, and lawmakers in Washington,” the group’s website declares.
First up on its program is billionaire Texas developer Harold Simmons, who supports John McCain’s candidacy and who has financed ads attacking Barack Obama for his ties to former anti-war activist Bill Ayers, through a new group called the American Issues Project.
Accountable America describes Simmons as having “a long history of corruption and scandal,” citing among other things, a Washington Post story about how he earned his fortune through hostile takeovers, and how his companies have been charged with raiding their workers pension funds to finance such takeover deals.
It also notes that at least one of Simmons’ daughters, Serena Connolly, has donated the maximum allowable amount to both Sens. Hillary Clinton and Obama. Another daughter, Lisa Epstein, has donated to Democrats in the past.
Besides Simmons, Accountable America lists five “persons of interest,” including casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, developer George Argyros, financier Carl Lindner, real-estate mogul Richard Farmer and Florida developer and former ambassador Mel Sembler.
Conservative activists said they expect the group to have no impact.
Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist who helped organize the Swift Boat effort, told the New York Times that Matzzie’s group was likely to fire up potential donors, rather than discourage them.
“They’re not going to be intimidated by some pipsqueak on the kooky left,” LaCivita said.