Digby Weighs In on Obama/Reagan: It sounds an awful lot like DLC boiler plate.

[wyldwolf]

I hate to say it because I'm going to get mercilessly roasted alive, but with all that jargon about government growing and growing without "accountability in terms of how it was operating" and "dynamism" and "entrepreneurship" it sounds an awful lot like DLC boiler plate. They capitulated to the "Reagan Revolution" hype exactly that way in the 1980's...

... The idea was to go to the middle, work with moderate Republicans to "get things done" in new and modern ways --- the third way, actually. The thanks that pragmatic Democrat got was that the Republicans (with the help of the press) mercilessly harassed him, impeached him and then stole the election from his successor...

... I'm not saying that Obama is DLC. But the interpretation of that election as being a reaction against liberalism and big government certainly is...

... I get that Obama is signaling that he sees this election as a game changing election like 1980. And he may very well be right about that. I hope so. But it's disconcerting to hear him casually recount these Republican arguments without a clear disclaimer, as if it's a matter of fact not opinion. People may have believed in 1980 that the "excesses" of the 1960's and the 1970's were the cause of all their problems and that government had "grown and grown but there wasn't much sense of accountability in terms of how it was operating" but that doesn't make it true. Republican propaganda conveniently offered up all kinds of scapegoats for the fact that the US was reeling from Vietnam, Watergate, a terrible oil shock --- and a lousy economy as a result of all those things. An awful lot of the "excesses" Reagan spoke of in carefully coded speech had to do with civil rights and more urgently at the time, integration, specifically busing, which was one of the hot buttons that drove the "Reagan Democrats" outside the south to the Republicans.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/you-sir-are-no-ronald-reagan-by-digby.html

[Clarkansas]

1. This Reagan thing is one of the biggest non-issues ever to earn 1000 threads on du. eom

[SaveElmer]

2. Bigger than the "cackle" or "cleavage"...?

eom

[robbedvoter]

10. The damage control bot reporting for duty....

[ProSense]

3. "DLC boiler plate."?

From left to right: Harold Ford, Jr. is chairman of the DLC. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper is vice chair of the DLC; U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is chair of the DLC's American Dream Initiative; Al From is founder and CEO of the DLC. (Not pictured: Bruce Reed is DLC president; Pennsylvania State Representative Jennifer Mann is chair of the DLC's State Legislative Advisory Board (SLAB); Columbus (OH) Mayor Michael Coleman is chair of the DLC's Local Elected Officials Network(LEON).)

link

[Tellurian]

4. Please tell us what happens if because of Obama's unabashed fervor of Republicanism..

.. "I get that Obama is signaling that he sees this election as a game changing election like 1980. And he may very well be right about that. I hope so. But it's disconcerting to hear him casually recount these Republican arguments without a clear disclaimer, as if it's a matter of fact not opinion."

And as Cheney's cousin, what prevents Obama from straying from our Democratic Principles? When in fact, if elected, he becomes the defacto George W Bush with Cheney (remotely) pulling the puppet strings continuing to perpetuate the Neocon agenda whether we like it or not. What do we do then?

[jackson_dem]

5. Speaking of DLC boiler plate, has anyone read Obama's book?

[zulchzulu]

6. Which one? They're both great!

Have you read either one? Good stuff...

[Tellurian]

19. You mean O'Grimm's FairyTales?

[RuleOfNah]

20. I haven't read Obama but would like to know about any New Deal attacks.

Someone posted a book quote on a DU thread, showing Obama ripping on the New Deal. Is that an accurate assessment?

[jackson_dem]

21. He attacks the "excesses" of the 1960's and 1970's

He also says this:

Pages 156-157

"The conservative revolution Reagan helped usher in gained traction because Reagan's central insight--that the liberal welfare state had grown complacent and overly bureaucratic, with Democratic policy makers more obsessed with slicing the economic pie than with growing he pie--contained a good deal of truth."

He makes the argument the DLC made about the size, role of government. When people talk of expanding the pie rather than slicing it they are using smokescreens for talking about cutting back on social programs.

He doesn't attack the New Deal. He, like Reagan, implicitly attacks the Great Society of LBJ.

[RuleOfNah]

22. Clearing up my statement.

I had read a post that could have been interpreted as anti New Deal. I thank silverweb for helping me understand the context of the quote. An understanding that is a work in progress, but far enough along that I feel the need to retract my question about Obama and the New Deal.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x4102243#4103196

As for the quote from page 156-157, I am not going to disagree that there are some loaded words/phrases but I will not extend that concern into agreeing with assertions about Obama's intent and framing. If I had written that book I would not have used the words insight or truth to describe Republican spin. I am also not going to attack Obama for a sentence that could be interpreted a number of different ways.

I am going to suggest that others do the same, as horizontal (D) unity trumps vertical areas of concern. If Republicans had not made such a mess of the Nation perhaps I could excuse the luxury of a public party knife fight. I don't think the planet can afford it, though I also understand that others will disagree with me (and disagree about any number of other things).

My hope is that Obama has gotten the Reagan sucked message loud and clear. I hope Obama clarifies his economic positions. I hope Obama, and the Democratic party, get votes from Reagan Democrats. I hope DU will focus on bigger problems. I hope that it is obvious that I am trying to improve the signal to noise ratio on DU. I hope it works. :)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

7. Lieberman taught him well

I just scanned through the 100 comments at digby, and get the sense that Obama may have not appreciated the pain directly inflicted on the lower classes by Reagan's policies. It was a bad choice of historical reference to be sure, but he was clearly trying to show his "cross ther aisle" talent through this statement.

[robbedvoter]

8. Digby rocks as usual. Reinforcing memes about radical conservatives - last thing

we need today. Repeat after me: nothing good came from Reagan!

"When a Hollywood performer, lacking distinction even as an actor, can become a leading war hawk candidate for the presidency, only the irrationalities induced by war psychosis can explain such a turn of events." -- Martin Luther King about Ronald Reagan
(I think he refers to reagan's failed bid for presidency in 68)

[redqueen]

9. Interesting that they point out that they hate to say it,

cause they'll get "roasted alive".

I wonder what that's about.

[robbedvoter]

12. Obama became the standard bearer of the anti-Hillary. Anything against him

supposedly - gets the blogosphere - previously united behind Edwards - excommunicating the one that may advance Hillary's case. Digby knows of what she speaks.

[redqueen]

13. What a sad state of affairs for this party. (nt)

[robbedvoter]

15. I fully agree with you here.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

11. Obama is DLC nt

[elixir]

14. Digby nails this one, big time! "Reagan" is a red flag for all democrats who lived under his preside

cy. Whatever Obama's intent was, and I'm sure he was trying to show that he could reach all voters through his positive message of hope and vision, he has alienated many voters like myself who suffered under Reagan's punishment of the middle and lower class. The economy crapped the bed in 1985 and it took the Clinton presidency to bring "morning" back to America. Our economy grew, world diplomacy flourished, we were allowed to dream again.

[Kucinich4America]

16. So it's bad for Obama to be "like" a DLC'er, but not bad for Hillary to be a LEADER of the DLC??

:wtf:

[AtomicKitten]

17. Attempted guilt by association -- Except Hillary IS DLC, Obama not.

next

[beachmom]

18. Well, once in a while Digby gets it wrong. This is one of those times.

Obama wants to create another transformation so that a new progressive movement can realign our politics, something I thought Digby wanted. Once again, look at Obama's record which is quite liberal. He is not DLC. That is what the Clintons are.