Desperately in search of ways to start warding off the evil eye of Karl Rove, fat cat Dem donors and Andrew Stern's SEIU are finding a new think tank. The Hill reports: [emphasis added]

Silicon Valley progressives, a major labor union and a centrist Democratic organization have joined forces to fund a startup think tank that focuses on politics, not policy.

The New Politics Institute (NPI), unlike conventional think tanks that churn out white papers and policy briefs, will work to counter '[White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl] Rove and [RNC Chairman Ken] Mehlman on the other side,' said Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, formerly the New Democrat Network but now known just by its initials.

'We still have a long way to go in battling them in the way they are battling us,' said Rosenberg, who unsuccessfully ran to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year.

So whatever ju—ju Rove is doing and the Democrats aren't (could it be the very act of thinking?), pretty soon now the Democrats will start—up, thanks to this investment. Scott Ott, of Scrappleface brilliantly satirizes this:

In a novel approach for the Democrat party, a group of left—leaning investors said it has raised $80 million in pledges to fund thinking, in hopes that thought and actual policies might be the secret to victory in coming elections....

"People need something to believe in," said one unnamed investor in the new Democracy Alliance. "We Democrats have always believed, but now we're looking for that 'something' —— you know, a concept or principle or idea...whatever that means."....

However, a spokesman for the Democrat National Committee expressed concern that "this new so—called thinking strategy might divide the party, and reduce the amount of money available for our TV ads which make people feel bad about Republicans."

"People always run after the latest new thing," said the unnamed DNC spokesman. "But when they find out how difficult thinking really is, we're confident that they'll come back to the DNC."

Hat tip: Ed Lasky    8 07 05