Center for American Progress

Readers of the New York Times had a shock this morning: A full-page ad on page A9 from the Emergency Committee for Israel documenting the anti-Israel views of the Center for American Progress and Media Matters--and then asking why various Jewish communal philanthropies and business groups are funding those organizations. It should cause quite a stir.

Here's the ad:

With the Center for American Progress’s Think Progress blog under scrutiny for publishing what some would consider borderline anti-Semitic content, it would seem likely that bloggers over there might be careful about the content. (Even Think Progress’s editor Faiz Shakir admitted that some of the language used by employees of the liberal institution is anti-Semitic, according to an email obtained by the Jerusalem Post.) At least, one would think, the higher ups are presumably now being more careful, considering they backed away from the controversial content last week, as the Washington Post reported at the time.

In Haaretz, James Kirchick writes about the mainstream left's disturbing rhetoric:

Ben Smith has an important piece in Politico today about the anti-Israel left:

The Center for American Progress, the party’s key hub of ideas and strategy, and Media Matters, a central messaging organization, have emerged as vocal critics of their party’s staunchly pro-Israel congressional leadership and have been at odds, at times, with Barack Obama’s White House, which has acted as a reluctant ally to Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government.

Rick Perry:  "My Tax and Spending Reform Plan"

Byron York: "Cain: Rove deliberately talking down my campaign"

Robert Costa: "Newt’s Resurrection?"

Here’s how bad it’s gotten for President Obama:

At 9:20 p.m., the White House press office sent out a statement of support for the president’s proposal from ... the Center for American Progress (see below). That’s newsworthy!

"Strauss-Kahn Case Seen as in Jeopardy"

Sure, why not? "Rep. McCotter to launch presidential bid on July 2"

Mike Murphy: "How Michele Bachmann’s Surge Reshuffles the GOP Presidential Race"

Think Progress reporter Lee Fang has a long history of being spectacularly wrong. However, there's a seemingly unending thirst for his breathless demonization of the Koch brothers and other rants about corporate greed among the low IQ end of the liberal spectrum.

Yuval Levin highlighted this yesterday, and it's one of the most revealing things I've seen recently, not just about Obamacare, but how the left generally views the exercise of power.

First, a refresher: Buried deep within the Obamacare bill is the Democrats' plan for lowering Medicare costs -- something called the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Here's how it works:

The name Lee Fang is far from a household name. However, from his perch at the Soros-funded think tank Center for American Progress, Fang has the dubious distinction of promulgating questionable Koch Industries political conspiracies perhaps more than any other person.

In today's Examiner, Mark Tapscott discusses William F. Buckley's banishment of John Birchers to the fringe of the conservative movement decades ago and how it relates to today's conspiracy mongering on the left. In particular, the bleatings about the influence of Koch Industries have run comepletely off the rails and it's discrediting to the left:

Who’s pulling the strings on Wisconsin governor Scott Walker? Well it’s got to be someone – since obviously no Republican would act out of principle.