Deep Inside the World of Political Donors with David Callahan

Pro Politics with Zac McCrary

David Callahan is a prolific creator and thinker within Democratic politics. He helped start the progressive think tank Demos in the late 90s, founded the media outlet Inside Philanthropy as a Consumer Reports of sorts into the world of charitable giving, and more recently created Blue Tent - an advisory group to help progressive donors get the most bang for their buck. In this conversation, David talks his early days in politics focused on foreign policy, his next stint as a think-tanker trying to pull the Democratic Party left, and why he's more recently been focused on the world of political giving. David is one of the most informed people on the planet on all facets of the political donor world and provides a tour de force on both the current state of play and future trends to better understand how our politics are funded.

IN THIS EPISODE

Growing up in New York as the child of academics...

An early experience that showed David he was not cut out to be an activist...

A formative year spent at the liberal magazine, The American Prospect...

David talks getting his PhD and his recommendations for those considering academia...

David helps found the progressive think tank Demos and talks the role of think tanks in American politics...

What led David to start Inside Philanthropy, a media outlet dedicated to understanding political fundraising...

The disturbing trend in political giving that led David to start Blue Tent, a resource for progressive donors...

How David and Blue Tent determine where donors will get the most bang for their buck...

Why David is an advocate of giving to organizations instead of candidates...
David on the phenomenon of "rage giving"...

Are donors pulling Democratic candidates to the left?

Has Democratic giving fallen off this cycle?

David's concern about too many advocacy groups and donor fragmentation on the left compared to more unanimity on the right...

David de-mystifies the world of big "donor advisors"...

David on the Soros factor on the left...

The rough balance of spending from the right vs. spending from the left...

The types of operatives who succeed in the donor advising space...

The political novel David wrote in the late 90s that eerily predicted elements of both the 9/11 attacks and the rise of a Donald Trump-like politician...

AND AOC, Stacey Abrams, Miriam Adelson, The American Enterprise Institute, The American Liberties Project, The American Prospect Magazine, Arabella Advisors, Joe Biden, bioethics, Michael Bloomberg, bureaucratic machinations, the Cato Institute, the Center for Voter Information, Bill Clinton, The Committee on States, credential firepower, the DLC, The Democracy Alliance, Michael Dukakis, The Economic Policy Institute, effective altruism, Federalist Society, Marcus Flowers, Focus for Democracy, Fredrick Forsyth, Forward Montana, Give Well, giving circles, Al Gore, Lindsey Graham, Stanley Greenberg, Jamie Harrison, Hastings-on-Hudson, the Heritage Foundation, Hezbollah, Indian Point Power Plant, Indivisible, the Koch Brothers, LUCHA, Mitch McConnell, Amy McGrath, Michigan United, Mind the Gap, Dustin Moskovitz, Movement Voter Project, neoliberal mindsets, The New America Foundation, Paul Nitze, NYPIRG, Beto O'Rourke, Open Markets, RCTs, Ronald Reagan, The Roosevelt Institute, Run for Something, saber-rattling, Sandinistas, Adam Schiff, Star Wars, the States Project, Swing Left, Marjorie Taylor Greene, transactional donors, Way to Win, Working America & more!