THE NEW PROGRESSIVE COALITION... VC METHOD FOR PROGRESSIVES?

Okay. I have to reluctantly plug for my friend Deborah. She joined another Deborah's new thing that supports progressive political groups. Whatever. They need all the help that they can get. Dems definitely lack creativity, ideas, and infrastructure. Here's a clip from the MercuryNews:

When Deborah Rappaport woke up last November to news that George W. Bush had kept his job, despite the nearly $5 million she and her venture capitalist husband Andy had spent to help unseat him, the Woodside political activist didn't go into hibernation.

Instead, she hatched another million-dollar plan. Today Rappaport, 47, is launching the New Progressive Coalition, a fundraising initiative to support progressive political groups using venture capital methods. Donors are called ``investors.'' Political activists are running ``start-ups.'' The goal is to get the money to the brightest ideas. And, just like eBay and its well-honed feedback system, the members will rate ideas and organizations on the coalition's Web site. Top rating: five stars.

It's only natural. Her husband, Andy Rappaport, is a general partner at August Capital in Menlo Park. The Woodside mother of three has long been active in local philanthropic and educational activities. The couple gave $1 million to the San Jose Museum of Art in 2000, and Deborah now serves as president of the board. She also sits on the Portola Valley School District board.

As Democrats, the Rappaports have long supported the party's candidates, but now the couple believe what they've learned from business can help build a national network of support for progressive groups.

Say you have a few extra bucks lying around and want to support a progressive cause. Give her Redwood City-based NPC $100, go on the group's Web site, www.newprogressivecoalition.com, and start perusing who is looking for your money. You'll find a wide selection. (full article)

Anyway, here's my friend, Deborah's plug, so if you're from the left and want to help them out just go to their website:

The New Progressive Coalition is a new political venture whose purpose is to build a powerful network for long-term progressive change.

Most progressives agree that our greatest shortcoming is that we don't have a strong and cohesive network of organizations, activists and investors – a shortcoming that the right wing does not share.

In fact, the right wing has spent billions of dollars over decades to develop their think tanks, grassroots, media and advocacy groups… while progressives have simply ignored building the infrastructure of our own movement.

NPC's goal is to change that.

The idea behind NPC is this conviction: progressives have the talent, the will, the resources and the imagination to succeed.

And, in order to counter the right-wing’s ascendancy, we need to focus on wiring all of our talent and leadership together and building a progressive political machine for the long term.

Now that we’ve just launched our new beta website, NPC is up and running and ready to wire progressive politics by:

* Creating a marketplace of ideas, resources and services for political entrepreneurs and investors of all sizes

* Connecting political innovators (those who wish to start progressive organizations) with political investors (those who wish to provide financial support to progressive organizations)

* Hosting events and online forums to help the progressive community succeed by exchanging winning strategies that can be replicated across the country

There’s much more to come, too, but the simple concept behind the New Progressive Coalition is this: connect the most innovative ideas with the resources needed to turn them into political reality and create a powerful community of action.

So, if you’re concerned about the direction this country is heading in (who isn’t?) and interested in helping to counter the $300 million right wing machine, I invite you to check out NPC’s website and learn more about us.