is there a Heritage Foundation for the left? . . .

[OneBlueSky]

I happened to stumble across the Heritage Foundation's website, and I couldn't help but be impressed . . . not by the content, mind you, but by the way they've assembled a vast array of articles and essays by conservative "thinkers" that support (and, in some cases, lead) the right-wing agenda . . .

http://www.heritage.org/

is there anything comparable on the left? . . . a place that assembles the best of progressive and populist thinking from people like Bill Moyers, Paul Krugman, Gary Hart, etc.? . . . if there isn't, there should be . . . maybe this is the kind of project that someone like George Soros could support . . .

[yankeedem]

1. a few

Brookings Institute is good, they are leading the anti-privatization of SS,

Center for American Progress is good too.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. I always thought Brookings Institute was more moderate than

left. It just looks left, compared to all the others out there.

[MissMarple]

5. Brookings is centrist. Here are a couple of progressive ones.

The Century Foundation at www.tcf.org

New America Foundation at www.newamerica.net

Also here is an article that lists a few think tanks and their perceived orientation.

://www.fair.org/extra/9605/tank.html

There are more.

Simon Rosenberg's New Democrat Network at www.newdem.org

And article about "Wiring the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy" http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/25/magazine/25DEMOCRATS.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=13ada638bbe542f0&ex=1248494400&partner=rssnyt

[RaleighNCDUer]

9. Thanks. I've bookmarked all your links. nt

[davidinalameda]

2. you're exactly right

there needs to be something for progressives

if the big bucks people won't do it, it's time for the average person to start throwing their money where their beliefs are

[Warpy]

4. I've been yelling for YEARS that somebody like Soros

needs to do what Scaife did for the right, endow small left wing think tanks and hope some develop into stables of experts that can be shopped around to the media.

This is one of the things we have to do to get it back, and we can't do it without endowments.

[dpbrown]

6. Rockridge Institute and Center for American Progress

http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/
http://www.americanprogress.org

[izzie]

7. What is the one with the lighthouse? Independent ?

What is Hudson? These names ring a bell with me but I am not sure. I do go to Rand and Pew.

[Cleita]

8. Well, there's nothing money can't buy.

We working type shleps on the left can't get the same resources together to have nice websites. My problem with the Heritage Foundation, The Carlyle Group and other right wing think tanks is that they are using a lot of laundered tax-payer's money for their slick sites. If we had the same playing field, I imagine that we too could have slick websites with lots of well-organized information.

I think DU does an admirable job though.

[ThorsHammer]

10. IIRC, one is getting started

Soros, Lewis (the Progressive insurance guy), and Sanders (CA couple) are planning to spend big bucks to create a progressive infrastructure. I don't know the details, but am pretty sure they have all agreed to commit serious money (they are all billionaires) to it. There was a brief discussion on it last month here.....you might be able to find more if you have the search function.

[Doctor_J]

11. The Nation had something a few years ago

about how the $ poured into "Conservative Think Tanks" (an oxymoron for the ages) outnumbers that in leftist ones by 100-1 or something.

[lostnfound]

12. If you are curious about this, read 'Republican Noise Machine'

David Brock discusses exactly this fact; how the more centrist think tanks differ from Heritage and AEI. The centrist ones stay away from partisan politics; are under threat from the right & from the government if they get too partisan; hire some republicans for balance; etc.

The rightwing ones don't speak or publish ANYTHING that is not in line with their specific ideological goals.