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Dragonfli

(10,622 posts)
39. New Democrats, The DLC and the Third Way
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:27 PM
Mar 2016

[font size ="1"]President Bill Clinton with Al From, president of the Democratic Leadership Council, at a conference in 2000.[/font size]

New Democrats, in the politics of the United States, are an ideologically centrist faction within the Democratic Party that emerged after the victory of Republican George H. W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election. They are identified with centrist social/cultural/pluralist positions and neoliberal fiscal values. They are represented by organizations such as the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the New Democrat Network, and the Senate and House New Democrat Coalitions

After the landslide electoral losses to Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, a group of prominent Democrats began to believe their party was in need of a radical shift in economic policy and ideas of governance. The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was founded in 1985 by Al From and a group of like-minded politicians and strategists. They advocated a political "Third Way" as a method to achieve the electoral successes of Reaganism by adopting similar economic policies (Reagan Democrats and Moderate Republicans would provide burgeoning new constituencies after adding these new economic policies and politicians to our tent they contended) While hoping to retain, woman, minorities and other social issues allies with long ties to the party. Such would be their new Democratic coalition forged between fiscal right and social left under the "New" Democratic banner. The DLC disbanded in 2011 during an apparent re-branding of the New Democrat movement when money ties to the Koch bros. and Koch representatives placed on the DLC's board embarrassingly became common knowledge among the Democratic left. The DLC is survived by the Third Way, The New Democrat Coalition, and Al From's Progressive Policy Institute among other corporate funded groups that continue to sell their Economic-Right/Social-Left brand of "Centrism" to America.



The term Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies.

Third Way was created as a serious re-evaluation of political policies within various center-right progressive movements in response to international doubt regarding the economic viability of the state; economic interventionist policies that had previously been popularized by Keynesianism and contrasted with the corresponding rise of popularity for neo liberalism and the New Right. In a sense, 80s Moderate Republicans are almost identical to "Third Way" Democrats.

I strongly believe it's time for a serious re-evaluation of political policies within various center-left progressive movements in response to international doubt regarding the economic viability of the neoliberal corporate policies previously popularized by Reagan and Thatcher! For thirty years we have all but abandoned liberal solutions to economic problems, chasing instead the snake oil of supply side economics, austerity and neoliberal trade policy. These right wing policies have failed miserably, and rather than learn from the New Democrats failed experiments, the center-right faction of the democratic party has chosen instead to double down on failure with more free trade and austerity measures (to include cuts to Social Security).

In the face of a new gilded age of extreme wealth contrasted by an exponentially growing rate of poverty,  a rapidly shrinking middle class and the emergence of an elite class of  bankers, politicians and other predatory behemoths that are held firmly above the law and enabled to steal the remaining crumbs of wealth held by the masses without repercussion, it is not only time to return to Democratic principles of old that created the strongest most prosperous middle class in our history, it is time to reverse the damage done by the right thinking "New" Democrats and their failed policies with a new populism based on the needs of the people over the elite.

We do not need a "Fourth Way" to accomplish this, all we need is a return to the fundamentals of Keynesianism, a strong commitment to labor, increased spending on social programs (rather than cuts), progressive taxation, and an end to the cancer of privatization that would reduce the commons and the basic needs of the populace (such as health care and drinking water etc.) into the cash cows of profiteers of human suffering

Time to dump the "Third Way" for the unquestionably effective "Democratic way" made successful by the New Deal, The Great Society, and civil liberties. Our party can not serve two masters, the choice is clear, they must serve the financial elite, or the economically struggling populace

My choice has already been made.
Excellent question for discussion! yourpaljoey Mar 2016 #1
They are here. SamKnause Mar 2016 #19
Neoliberalism - its a global thing- a global attack on the public-see the two videos I just posted Baobab Mar 2016 #44
Thank you. I was hoping someone would post a serious answer. Rhiannon12866 Mar 2016 #55
It's a straw man redstateblues Mar 2016 #2
please elaborate? nt TheDormouse Mar 2016 #3
ThirdWay.org exists. The DLC & Third Way corporate shilling goes way back..... think Mar 2016 #4
Oh do tell. SamKnause Mar 2016 #16
Not acording to the Third Way website FreakinDJ Mar 2016 #29
^THIS silvershadow Mar 2016 #58
Any Hillary supporter, It's progress for very few, the same amount making the decisions ,a Political orpupilofnature57 Mar 2016 #5
Well said. SamKnause Mar 2016 #15
Exactly. SamKnause Mar 2016 #18
.+1 840high Mar 2016 #37
It's the Boogeyman. hrmjustin Mar 2016 #6
It has certainly had frightening consequences in this country SamKnause Mar 2016 #17
It's how Democrats "compromise" with Republicans The Velveteen Ocelot Mar 2016 #7
... SamKnause Mar 2016 #11
^^^^THIS^^^^ LiberalElite Mar 2016 #20
What you said farleftlib Mar 2016 #33
Think the Clintons, blue dogs, collaborators. Tierra_y_Libertad Mar 2016 #8
Basically the corporate cash friendly portion of the Democratic party Fumesucker Mar 2016 #9
Anyone who supports Hillary supports the Third Way. SamKnause Mar 2016 #10
Third Way is Republican economic and foreign policies... HooptieWagon Mar 2016 #12
Excellent description. SamKnause Mar 2016 #14
But not very accurate. DLC and Third Way adopt already popular and fully advocated social positions Bluenorthwest Mar 2016 #25
I like both descriptions. SamKnause Mar 2016 #32
True-- they don't actually work to *advance* the social issues they use as Marr Mar 2016 #42
I've lived in different states justiceischeap Mar 2016 #48
They had political unrest in germany that gave way to a third reich... dubyadiprecession Mar 2016 #13
It seems there are no Third Way supporters in this discussion ... nt TheDormouse Mar 2016 #21
Hillary supporters want to own her, but not admit she’s a third-way, corporatized centrist. earthshine Mar 2016 #22
Here on DU it means broadly the policies followed by Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Nye Bevan Mar 2016 #23
thank you nt TheDormouse Mar 2016 #24
Thank you noretreatnosurrender Mar 2016 #26
This message was self-deleted by its author LiberalArkie Mar 2016 #35
Whoa !!!!!!!! SamKnause Mar 2016 #36
Thick-skinned soul you are, indeed. Can I ask you a question ? steve2470 Mar 2016 #56
Because right now Social Security is perceived as "fair" even by very high earners. Nye Bevan Mar 2016 #57
Republicans who infiltrated the Democratic party Autumn Colors Mar 2016 #27
You should at least check out their own website (currently featuring War on Terror!!!) and let them Bluenorthwest Mar 2016 #28
I skimmed the website. Where do u find public officials listed there? nt TheDormouse Mar 2016 #31
If you want to see some elected officials who are advised by the Third Way, check out the membership djean111 Mar 2016 #34
Third Way Dems’ new war on Elizabeth Warren progressives: think Mar 2016 #30
This is BS, just a cover story for their neoliberalism Baobab Mar 2016 #49
Third Way is a wing of the Democratic Party which opposes all of FDRs policies and programs. They Dont call me Shirley Mar 2016 #38
New Democrats, The DLC and the Third Way Dragonfli Mar 2016 #39
Some more information from DUer Madfloridian Dragonfli Mar 2016 #40
Strangely, the people who says there's no such thing... Marr Mar 2016 #41
Around here most of the supporters are found in Camp Bansalot. hobbit709 Mar 2016 #43
The third way nadinbrzezinski Mar 2016 #45
Yes TubbersUK Mar 2016 #52
I know that nadinbrzezinski Mar 2016 #53
It has lost its original meaning and become an all-purpose insult at DU ... Hekate Mar 2016 #46
It's a movement of people that believe that good policy comes from collaboration and compromise Algernon Moncrieff Mar 2016 #47
Well there are the many versions of it on DU and then there is the official version. Rex Mar 2016 #50
I made my own independent decision to support Hillary. Imagine that. Trust Buster Mar 2016 #51
So is a middle manager making good money working for GM redstateblues Mar 2016 #54
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