Note that they will be pushing a climate change, gay rights, immigration reform agenda. Very different than what the Tea Party and the recent Republican Party has stood for - certainly what the Texas Republican Party stands for.
Grab the popcorn, this will be fun to watch. There are two story lines that stick out to me. One is the impact that these groups are having within the Republican Party - that's the immediate issues - the send is what long term impact they are having on parties as vital components of the governing system.
This is about all I found so far on the American Opportunity Alliance. The story mentions similar groups. It also points out that there is tremendous fighting between the groups - which, having read Federalist #10, we should see as no surprise.
- The Age of the Single-Issue, Mega-Donor Political Party Has Arrived.
A California environmental activist hopes to raise $100 million to elect politicians who will fight climate change. A center-right Republican is forming a PAC of "mega-donors" who will back Republicans that support gay marriage and immigration reform. With spending rules and political norms loosened, wealthy Americans are adding their own circles to America's political Venn diagram.
Environmentalist / billionaire Tom Steyer has already committed $50 million to the 2014 elections and is hoping to raise $50 million more. As The New York Times' Nicholas Confessore reports, his focus is simple: "pressure federal and state officials to enact climate change measures through a hard-edge campaign of attack ads against governors and lawmakers." His PAC, NextGen Climate Action, will target Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who's facing an uphill reelection campaign in a state that will be at the forefront of higher sea levels from climate change. But his PAC will also consider going after Democratic Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, whose support for the fossil fuel industry and tough reelection fight has made her one of the more moderate Democrats in the Senate.
A little bit on the other side of the Democratic-Republican dividing line is a new PAC organized by New York billionaire Paul Singer. According to Politico, he's pulling donors together to try and push the Republican party to the left — by backing candidates who share his views on issues like gay marriage. Unlike NextGen, Singer's group — American Opportunity Alliance — "is more donor-centric, focusing on comparing notes about one another’s political projects and funneling limited hard-money contributions effectively." But the end result is the same: get people elected who adhere to the group's specific party platform.
