The genius of movements like #MeToo, #TimesUp, and #BlackLivesMatter is that while each had its creators and drivers, who spark and tend the flame, no one has really been in charge of making it all happen. That makes them messy and unpredictable. But it also gives them their power to change culture.
Tom Steyer may be emerging as a counterforce to the Koch brothers, but billionaire influence in politics is just one more threat to our democracy.
Despite the president’s promise to “totally destroy” it, the provision prohibiting partisan political activity by 501c3 nonprofits is no longer a target in the latest version of the bill.
Yesterday, the House Ways and Means Committee inserted language into the tax bill that would repeal the Johnson Amendment for all nonprofits, inviting trouble that we do not need or want.
This call to action from Tim Delaney, the CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, is an alert for this sector to loudly remind this administration and the people of this country that most nonprofits do not wish to be dragged into the partisan political arena. We have other important work to do that requires independence from that sphere.
A cautionary tale: Nonprofits need to stay as far away from partisan politics as possible. But you already knew that, right?
The alliance between Republican political financier and Nevada gambling magnate Sheldon Adelson and Democratic donor and Hollywood power broker Haim Saban to support nonprofits opposing Israeli divestment campaigns seems to have come to an end.
While some foundation leaders complain about public sector pensions like those in Detroit, they seem noticeably quieter when it comes to the salaries and pensions of their peers, like the $8.5m “additional benefit” given to Yale University’s president Richard Levin upon his retirement.
The question now before the IRS: Did Liberty University break the law as a tax-exempt entity hosting Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign announcement.
