For more information, see Democracy Alliance (Other Group)

The Colorado Democracy Alliance (CODA) is a left-wing membership and strategy organization created to assist the Democratic Party in turning Colorado into a consistently left-leaning state in elections.¹

The Colorado Democracy Alliance is associated with the national Democracy Alliance, a national strategy organization created in 2005 to incorporate high-level influencers and donors in the Democratic Party in order to create permanent left-wing “infrastructure.”²

Founding

For more information on the “Colorado Model,” see Albert C. Yates

The Colorado Democracy Alliance was founded in 2004 by Democratic donors Tim Gill and Patricia Stryker. It was supported by a group of Democratic donors called the “Gang of Four,” which consisted of Gill, Stryker, Jared Polis, and Rutt Bridges.³

Albert C. Yates, a retired academic, is credited with connecting the Gang of Four and establishing the CODA. He has been described as the creator of a “Colorado Model” for creating left-wing infrastructure in a state.⁴

Members

President

Pamela Shifman is the president of CODA since September 2021. Prior to this, from 2008 to 2020, she served in several positions with the NoVo Foundation including the director of NoVo’s Initiatives for Girls and Women and later on Executive Director of the Foundation. In 2020 she founded philanthropic advocacy group Shake the Table. She serves on the board for several organizations including The Young Women’s Freedom Center, The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, The Ms. Foundation, and Tools and Tiaras. ⁵

Board of Directors

According to an August 2008 panel discussion (available here) during the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Public Interest Network president Doug Phelps was chairman of CODA.⁶ The panel discussion was also attended by Rob Stein, a founder of the national Democracy Alliance (DA), DA executive director Kelly Craighead, CODA executive director Laurie Zeller, and DA member Frank Smith.

A 2006 CODA confidential strategy document (available here) obtained by the now-defunct right-leaning group Face the State listed CODA’s board members as the following individuals:⁷

Operatives

A 2006 CODA confidential strategy document (available here) obtained by the right-leaning group Face the State (now defunct) listed CODA’s “operatives,” including “covert” operatives, as the following individuals:⁸

Controversies

“Educate the Idiots” Campaign

In a 2006 confidential strategy memorandum (available here) obtained by Face the State, CODA outlined “specific tasks for various members of the state’s liberal infrastructure, including a campaign to ‘educate the idiots,'” which was assigned to Carolyn Siegel and the AFL-CIO. According to the document, intended targets of the campaign included “minorities, GED’s [sic], drop-outs…” as part of a minimum wage “wedge issue management.”^{9 10}

1. Kroll, Andy. ” This Machine Turned Colorado Blue. Now It May Be Dems’ Best Hope to Save the Senate.” October 29, 2014. Accessed October 11, 2018. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/colorado-udall-hickenlooper-senate-democracy-alliance/.
2. Edsall, Thomas B. “Opinion: Are Liberals Fundraising Hypocrites?” The New York Times. September 30, 2015. Accessed October 11, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/opinion/are-liberals-fundraising-hypocrites.html?_r=0
3. “Colorado Democracy Alliance” Ballotpedia. Accessed October 11, 2018. https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_Democracy_Alliance
4. Witwer, Rob. “Rocky Ride.” National Review. March 5, 2009. Accessed July 16, 2018. https://www.nationalreview.com/magazine/2009/03/23/rocky-ride/.
5. “Pamela Shifman.” Democracy Alliance – Colorado. Accessed October 25, 2023. https://democracyalliance.org/people/pamela-shifman/
6. Vadum, Matthew; Jones, Josh; Dellinger, James. “Transcript of ‘Democracy Alliance: Colorado as a Model–Donor Cooperation for Social Change’ panel discussion.” August 27, 2008. Accessed October 11, 2018. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2018/10/democracyalliancepaneltranscriptfromdnc2008.pdf.
7. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2018/10/colorado-democracy-alliance-membership-document-2006.pdf
8. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2018/10/colorado-democracy-alliance-membership-document-2006.pdf
9. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2018/10/colorado-democracy-alliance-membership-document-2006.pdf
10. “DEMOCRACY ALLIANCE MEMO DETAILS DEM PLAN TO “EDUCATE THE IDIOTS” AND TARGET MINORITIES.” Face the State (obtained via WayBack Machine). October 1, 2008. Accessed October 10, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20081004033950/http://www2.facethestate.com/articles/democracy-alliance-memo-details-dem-plan-educate-idiots-and-target-minorities.