Discover the Networks

[Posted 4:13 PM by Roger Kimball]

David Horowitz has done it again. The man is a walking public-service organization--if, that is, you are interested in exposing the intricacies and mendacities of the intellectual and political Left in our culture. If you happen to be on the Left, however, he is one of your worst nightmares.

Readers of Armavirumque are doubtless familiar with Horowitiz’s FrontPageMagazine.com, a crucial source of commentary and reflection on current events. His newest initiative is a website called Discover the Networks, a self-described �guide to the political Left.� The site

identifies the individuals and organizations that make up the left and also the institutions that fund and sustain it; it maps the paths through which the left exerts its influence on the larger body politic; it defines the left�s (often hidden) programmatic agendas and it provides an understanding of its history and ideas.
Ever wonder about Jesse Jackson, his history, his influence, the sources of his funding? Its all here, along with a series of articles about �Rev. Shakedown.� How about �Radical Women,� a group that describes itself as (among other things) a �trailblazing socialist feminist organization [that] is the revolutionary wing of the women’s movement�? Horowtiz is on the case here. Likewise with figures like Cornell West, Howard Zinn, Eric Foner, Katie Couric, and, of course, Ward Churchill. Horowitz has also gathered material on various causes and issues--from �affirmative action� and anti-Americanism to environmentalism, racial and ethnic profiling, and the war on terror. Horowitz doesn’t just leave it there, however. He and his team have looked into the institutional infrastructure that nurtures and supports these individuals and causes and have revealed much that is publicly available about the extent and sources of their funding. An immense amount of legwork went into Discover the Networks: it has instantly established itself as an indispensable (if also depressing) resource. Hillary Clinton was fond of warning about a �vast right-wing conspiracy.� In sheer vastness, not to mention political activism, the right is like a village bake-sale compared to the Left. Fortunately, the American public seems increasingly skeptical about efforts to revolutionize the moral fabric of American society. Discover the Networks will do a great deal to feed that skepticism.

[Upadate] And don�t neglect to check out the visual maps! They provide a striking graphic display that traces �direct affiliations between groups, funders, and individuals.� Very nifty graphics--and very educational to boot.

A Message from the Editors

Your donation sustains our efforts to inspire joyous rediscoveries.