Third Way President: The evidence is in, populism has tanked with the middle class

[portlander23]

Sweet: William Daley warns Hillary Clinton to lean back to the center
LYNN SWEET
Chicago Sun Times

The worry of the centrists: “Left-wing economic populism,” said Jon Cowan, the president of the Third Way, a Democratic public policy organization, at a briefing where the group laid out a manifesto — a menu of ideas for Democrats to consider — including a regional minimum wage boost, not the national increase embraced by President Barack Obama on down.

“The evidence is in, populism has tanked with the middle class,” Cowan said. While Sanders supporters would argue that point, what is true is this: As Obama is wrapping up a second term, his ability to win has not translated to Democratic gains in governorships, in statehouses and in Congress.

Without referring to Sanders by name, Daley continued, “suddenly they are Democrats and therefore the Democratic party has to be more reflective of them as opposed to what the Democratic Party has been over the years.”

“Economic populism,” Daley said, dwells too much on “either to blame, make somebody a victim, blame somebody who’s been successful or blame business, or blame the government.”

There should be more things for Democrats to rally around than just be against the 1 percent. It’s a piece of but not the whole political/governmental puzzle that anyone who has to govern needs to solve.

New Democrat Movement Founder Elaine Kamarck, the godmother of Democratic centrism, also at the briefing noted, “Lets face it. The people we purport to be for don’t particularly like us. And we need to ask the question why . . . The traditional populist or left-wing responses of what to do about the economy, people know in their heart of hearts, they just don’t work.”

Related:

Third Way Democrats warn of 'economic populism' and Bernie Sanders

Third Way Predicted Sanders as liberal "candidate TBD" to challenge Clinton in 2014

Third Way Founder: Clinton has done a good job straddling the two wings of the party

Third Way in struggle for the Democratic Party’s soul

Let's talk Third Way. Some links about its founding and the founders.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. :puke:. nt

[Thinkingabout]

2. Free advice?

[madfloridian]

3. Just like with Dean, they are saying we are not part of the party as they want it to be.

There will more and more lectures.

[Armstead]

4. Same snakeoil they were peddling in the 90's

Sure, let's do the same shit that got us into our present mess.

[portlander23]

5. You know in your heart that your wacky commie ideas won't work

[Armstead]

9. You mean my once boring and mainsream liberal ideas?

[madfloridian]

6. This....

Without referring to Sanders by name, Daley continued, “suddenly they are Democrats and therefore the Democratic party has to be more reflective of them as opposed to what the Democratic Party has been over the years.”

[angrychair]

7. Welcome

To the presidency of HRC! *queue hail to the chief*

* Queue flushing noise as the remaining middle class circles the bowl*

[Dem2]

8. F*** the Third Way

Never even heard of these people until I started posting here.

[portlander23]

10. Apparently Third Way is peddling expanding nuclear power too

What Killed America’s Climate-Saving Nuclear Renaissance?
Boomberg Businessweek

“The only way we significantly reduce carbon in the short run is if projects like Vogtle come online,” says Josh Freed, vice president for clean energy at Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank in Washington. Yet, he adds, “just when we need to preserve and expand nuclear in order to meet the president’s ambitious climate goals, we’re actually in danger of losing a substantial percentage of carbon-free generation.”

“We tend to view the new rules as potentially the first bit of good news for the struggling nuclear industry,” Julien Dumoulin-Smith, an analyst for UBS, wrote in a research note after Obama announced the Clean Power Plan in August. But two weeks later, the pro-nuclear Third Way think tank produced a white paper warning that plant closures in Illinois, New Jersey, and Ohio could eclipse the new output in the South. “If America’s nuclear plants begin retiring in droves, achieving the Clean Power Plan emissions reductions could be impossible,” Third Way said in the paper, titled When Nuclear Ends.

[Mnpaul]

11. The evidence is in

Neo-liberalism and Third Way policies have crushed the middle class.

Almost all their policies have been failures for most Americans.

[Samantha]

12. In the immortal words of George W. Bush*

"Who cares what you think?"

Sam

[ibegurpard]

13. wait

Aren't we being told on this very board that the third-way is a conspiracy theory boogeyman?