In the Age of Trump, many political candidates are embracing the label "progressive" and proclaiming their willingness to buck the system and break with the White House. But "progressive" isn't just an empty label--it's also a political stance. Philly Power Research is investigating candidates to check if their actions align with their rhetoric. Who are the true progressives? And who are the people saying progressive things while taking money from and working on behalf of the 1%?
Philadelphia 3.0*
Read our full report on Philadelphia 3.0
Was formed by Philly businessmen to reshape the Democratic Party…
The organization was founded by parking magnates Joe and Robert Zuritsky in order to put more-business friendly politicians into city council.
Is built on dark money…
Philly 3.0 utilizes gaps in campaign finance law to funnel dark money from the group’s charity into its’ PAC.
Co-opts anti-Trump politics...
The group launched "Get Mad Then Get Elected," their bid to "take over" the city Democratic Party, as an outlet for anti-Trump rage. Yet major donor Dan DiLella donated to the president’s transition team and the group’s fiscal policies look like Trump tax cuts.
Is funded by anti-union school privatization groups...
The group got $50,000 in funding from anti-union, school-privatization groups Democrats for Education Reform and Education Reform Now!
Was founded by a board member of the Middle East Forum, a conservative think tank that promotes Islamophobia...
The Middle East Forum, where Joseph Zuritsky, is a board member, cited on Breitbart.
Joe Zuritsky sits on the board of the Middle East Forum, a think tank designated as an “anti-Islam hate group” by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and as a central organization in the network fueling Islamophobia in the U.S. by the Center for American Progress.
Continues to be run by and for the Philadelphia business elite...
Joe Zuritsky, the “parking lot king of Philly,” is one of the largest landowners in the city. The group's donors come from the executive class and include the CEO of Equus Capital, the former CEO of Duane Morris and a board member at Comcast, the CEO of PECO and VP at Exelon Energy.
Is driven by a trickle-down “tax reform” agenda...
For years, the Zuritskys have been involved in lobbying the city and state for wage, parking and business receipts tax reform on their own behalf and that of Center City District. Ali Perelman has particular expertise in tax reform. She worked as a tax policy expert for Councilman Bill Green during his 2010-13 campaign with María Quiñonez Sánchez to reform Philadelphia’s tax system. She has repeatedly spoken out against the BIRT tax.
* For full citations for this section, read our complete report here.
What does the Lt. Gov. do anyway?
Nina Ahmad switched from running for Bob Brady's congressional seat to running for Lt. Gov. Why? Who funds her? What are her business dealings? Powermapping is a good way to figure out what motivates people to do the things they do.
We found that she is deeply connected to luxury development in Philadelphia as well as the controversial EB-5 visa program which allows wealthy overseas business people to "buy" a green card by investing in capital projects for a paltry $500,000 minimum. One of her associates, Anthony Rodham (Hillary Clinton's brother) has been investigated for fraud with the EB-5 program.
The new 5th District includes DelCo, MontCo and South Philly.
The PA 5th District was created in February by the Court-ordered congressional re-districting in Pennsylvania. The district is spread between South Philly, Delaware County, and Montgomery County. The population and land area are mostly in Delco. PA-5 is one of the widest fields in the region's congressional primaries—starting in February at 15 candidates. One of the highest profile candidates is Mary Gay Scanlon a Delco lawyer who works for Ballard Spahr and who's husband is chair of the law firm. She is running on what appears to be a very progressive platform; we take a closer look.
