Phoenix Group

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The Phoenix Group is an investment group dedicated to funding a new era of progressive think tanks with an eye towards revitalizing the image of the Democratic Party in the eyes of the American public. It was founded by those attending a political strategy meeting attended by independent financiers George Soros and Peter Lewis [1] in Scottsdale, Arizona. Those attending included invited successful businesspeople, with sufficient resources to donate large amounts of money to liberal causes.

Rob Stein, a Democratic Party supporting investment banker and former Clinton Chief of staff invited seventy millionaires and billionaires to the weekend seminar in April 2005, drawn mainly from the technology industry. His spokesperson explained that the meeting was "a very preliminary meeting of committed donors interested in building a community to support progressive infrastructure."

He planned the weekend to discuss the financing of think tanks, media and leadership training to compete against what they see as conservative organizations with superior financing such as the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute and the Leadership Insitute. It has been speculated by some that beneficiaries of this funding will be John Podesta’s Center for American Progress and David Brock’s Media Matters for America.