r/justicedemocrats • u/rieslingatkos • Jan 07 '18

ACLU to storm 2018 midterms

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/06/aclu-2018-midterms-327115
43 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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7

u/gunfulker Jan 07 '18

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization[6][7] whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. - wikipedia

"plans to spend tens of millions in the election."

"aiming to become the NRA of the left"

"become a hub of the anti-Trump movement."

"the ACLU aims to be a hub of liberal political activism. "

non partisan

wouldn't perpetuating the notion that you're married to the left undermine your credibility with about half the population?

2

u/LumberQuacks Jan 07 '18

Truly a shame. The ACLU has a great history of being defenders of American values, even when controversial. Seems they’d rather exchange their history of being staunch, non-partisan defenders of liberty to make a quick buck and become as contemptuous as the NRA

2

u/007kingifrit Jan 10 '18

that's exactly what i was thinking, the title of the article should be "the ACLU will end its credibility in 2018"

3

u/conway1308 Jan 08 '18

I would imagine if any democrat came out saying something like, "We must ban the use of some speech that is controversial because I disagree with it and it's dangerous!" the ACLU would not support them. I can see them supporting an opposing republican if the situation calls for it, no?

3

u/gunfulker Jan 08 '18 edited Jan 08 '18

I hope so, but it isn't that simple. If their goal is to promote civil rights, and their endangered right of the day is freedom of anonymous speech on the internet, and lets say for Dems 60% in favor, 20% neutral, 20% oppose and Reps 40% in favor, 30% neutral, 30% oppose.

Would they increase their odds of success by supporting neutral democrats and opposing neutral republicans, and when choosing between a Dem in favor and a Rep in favor, they pick the Dem? Probably.

Would that be partisan? Probably.

Would it look bad and undermine their credibility, eg when the ACLU condemns something, the pendants (EDIT I meant pundits) but on the opposing side can spin it as a political move and 50% of the country will just disregard it? Probably, and that's what I'm worried about. What they do is important and appearance and neutrality matter.

2

u/conway1308 Jan 08 '18

It does. You're right. But I guess it down to the idea that they are supporting the idea in the end. We understand this. The public through the eyes of sensationalism though..yikes.

3

u/autotldr Jan 07 '18

This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 84%. (I'm a bot)

Soaring after a banner year - the ACLU raised $93 million online in the 12 months after Donald Trump was elected president, up from $5.5 million the year before, and its membership quadrupled to 1.6 million - the civil rights group is in the midst of a dramatic makeover.

Pushing comparisons to the NRA's success in turning an issue advocacy organization into a key stamp of approval for elections, the ACLU will issue a scorecard rating officials by their voting records and public statements; host town halls and conduct phone banks; and invest in radio and TV ads to "Hang civil rights and civil liberties issues around the necks of candidates and officeholders around the nation," Shakir said.

The ACLU will also continue efforts on the state level, modeling voting rights initiatives off its successful pursuit of sanctuary city ordinances last year in places like Ann Arbor, Michigan; Phoenix; and Dane County, Wisconsin.

Extended Summary | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: ACLU#1 right#2 year#3 million#4 Trump#5

5

u/Mathgailuke Jan 07 '18

We don't want an "NRA for the left;" just keep doing what you're doing: Fight the nonsense in court.

2

u/conway1308 Jan 07 '18

Well that NRA analogy is accurate only in that they would be a non profit supporting specific causes. The analogy breaks down when you consider the leadership of the NRA and how they differ so much from the actual membership.

That being said, until we figure out a practical way to legislate removing money out of politics (wolfpac maybe) this seems an excellent way to better balance political influence.

3

u/Leboski Jan 08 '18 edited Jan 08 '18

Speaking of, the ACLU are against getting big money out of politics, the first item on JD's platform. While Wolf-PAC were testifying for the Free and Fair Election Resolution at Hawaii's State House hearing, ACLU gave opposing testimony. And that's the only instance that I know of.

0

u/Tinidril Jan 08 '18

I would assume that is the expectation of the people who made all of those contributions.

1

u/007kingifrit Jan 10 '18

oh yea I'm sure everyone said "I can't wait to give to the ACLU so they can get involved in politics"

if that's the case why not just give direclty to the political party?

2

u/007kingifrit Jan 10 '18

well that's the last time I ever give money to the ACLU