Nicholas Confessore, in the NYTimes, tries to paste on a veneer of Both Sides! parity, with the help of some “Super PACs blessed by Democratic congressional leaders”. But almost all of his article concerns the Republican One-Tenth-of-One-Percenters who’ve lavished their millions on buying the GOP outright, and who now feel entitled to a better return on their investment:
The Republican donors who have financed the party’s vast outside-spending machine are turning against the consultants and political strategists they once lavished with hundreds of millions of dollars.
In recent months, they have begun holding back checks from Republican “super PACs” like American Crossroads, unsatisfied with the groups’ explanations for their failure to unseat President Obama or win back the Senate. Others, less willing than in the past to defer to the party elders and former congressional staff members who control the biggest groups, are demanding a bigger voice in creating strategy in exchange for their continued support.
Donors like Paul Singer, the billionaire Republican investor, have expanded their in-house political shops, building teams of loyal advisers and researchers to guide and coordinate their giving. And some of the biggest contributors to Republican outside groups in 2012 are now gravitating toward the more donor-centric political and philanthropic network overseen by Charles and David Koch, who have wooed them in part by promising more accountability over how money is spent…
The quiet revolt signals a broader shift in the world of big money. Clubs of elite donors in both parties are taking a more central role in shaping policy and campaigns, displacing party leaders and the outside-spending organizations they helped create after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010. And the sheer scale of their spending is almost certain to rewrite the playbook for political campaigns this year, as candidates reckon with the strongly held views of some of the world’s wealthiest people…
It remains to be seen whether greater donor involvement will make any of the groups more effective at winning elections: Virtually every large right-leaning, outside-spending organization posted a losing record in 2012, regardless of who sat on the board.
Moreover, because many of the recipients are political nonprofits, it is difficult to assess precisely how much different groups are raising and spending. And even Mr. Rove’s rivals expect the Crossroads groups to play a substantial role in the 2014 campaign in the months ahead, especially as television advertising campaigns heat up…
“The Karl Rove thing is out,” said one donor, who asked for anonymity because he did not want to offend Mr. Rove. “The Koch thing is in.”