More on Chairman Smith’s Bully Pulpit Tactics Against “left leaning” Charities

I blogged a few days ago about Ways and Means Chair Smith’s bully pulpit tactics against the United States Chamber of Commerce.  According to Smith, the Chamber accepted a $12 million donation from the “left-leaning” Tides Foundation.  Smith wanted to know why the Chamber would ever accept a donation from an “anti-business” group bent on destroying baseball, mom and apple pie.  He said he just wanted to make sure the group was operating for an exempt purpose.  An article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy yesterday provides some relevant, if not embarrassing detail:

While the letter appears to be an attempt to demonstrate the sway progressive donors have in American politics, philanthropy historian Benjamin Soskis called it “a form of ideological policing” by congressional leadership.  Smith’s inquiry “might be an appropriate function of an advocacy organization,” said Soskis, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy. “But it’s not proper congressional oversight.”

 It turns out that the Tides $12 million donations is earmarked to support the Hiring Our Heroes program.  That’s a nonprofit that works with business to place veterans in good jobs and in entrepreneurial opportunities.  After doing their bit for the country:

In an email, the Tides Foundation stated that the primary purpose of its grant making to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation was to support the Hiring Our Heroes program, which it described as “an initiative that connects the military community — service members, military spouses, and veterans — with American businesses to create economic opportunity and a strong and diversified work force.”  The email continued: “It is our view that the request for comment is a politically motivated PR tactic during an election year, driven by actors who disagree with the social-justice work of Tides and our partner organizations. Tides is proud to partner with a broad range of organizations, including 60+ corporate partners, to support social impact and grant-making programs.”

I told you a few days ago that these guys need to stop wasting time.

darryll k. jones