From the "good news if it's true" department

[Warpy]

Going Nowhere: The DLC Sputters to a Halt

After dominating the party in the 1990s, the DLC is struggling to maintain its identity and influence in a party beset by losses and determined to oppose George W. Bush. Prominent New Democrats no longer refer to themselves as such. The New Democratic movement of pro-free market moderates, which helped catapult Bill Clinton into the White House in 1992, has splintered, transformed by a reinvigoration of grassroots energy. A host of new donors, groups and tactics has forged a new direction for Democrats inside and outside the party, bringing together vital parts of the old centrist establishment and the traditional Democratic base. The ideological independence of the DLC, which pushed the party to the right, has come to be viewed as a threat rather than a virtue, forcing the DLC to adapt accordingly. Corporate fundraisers and DC connections--the lifeblood of the DLC--matter less and less: Witness the ascent of MoveOn.org and Howard Dean's election as chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). "It's not that the DLC changed," says Kenneth Baer, who wrote a history of the organization. "It's that the world changed around the DLC."
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No candidate embodied the New Democrat ethos better than Lieberman, whose moral purity, hawkish views and name recognition earned him early Beltway supporters. Thus, when Howard Dean came into view, the DLC was quick to underestimate Dean's potential resonance with Democratic voters, misjudge the transformative nature of his campaign and mischaracterize the ideological bent of many of his supporters. After supporting a losing candidate in Lieberman, the unpopular war in Iraq and an outdated platform, attacking Dean was the only way the DLC could shift the Democratic debate.

"What activists like Dean call the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is an aberration; the McGovern-Mondale wing, defined principally by weakness abroad and elitist, interest-group liberalism at home," From and Reed wrote in a fiery memo titled "The Real Soul of the Democratic Party" on May 15, 2003. Four days later, after Dean won the endorsement of the 1.5 million-member public employees union AFSCME, the DLC denounced the union as "fringe activists." But others were having second thoughts--about strategy and the DLC. As Dean surged ahead, DNC chairman and Clinton confidant Terry McAuliffe told From to quiet the attacks. All nine Democratic contenders skipped the DLC's annual convention in Philadelphia.

Huge and convincing article at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050321/berman

[Vanje]

1. DLC= Leiberman Democrats= Republicans pretty much

[eleny]

2. Hopefully, I'll be retiring this virtual button sooner than later...

[Warpy]

5. I really did laugh out loud at that one!

I always called them Disgusting Lickspittles/Lackeys of Corporations.

Yours is less of a mouthful and much more accurate in terms of the party.

May they all be marched back to the fringe where they so richly deserve to be, Al From leading them away from the center of power.

[eleny]

7. I particularly liked the bile background

Thx!

[gateley]

3. K&R! nt

[Elidor]

4. From & Reed calling Dean and the netroots "elitists"

It's stuff like this that makes DLCers resemble republicans so much.

[Truth2Tell]

6. The DLC has become a tainted brand,

but that doesn't mean the forces behind it are not as powerful as ever. Many have morphed and expanded into other organizations with similar or identical agendas. For example:

About the New Democrat Coalition

What Is A New Democrat?

Founded in 1997, The New Democrat Coalition (NDC) provides moderate, pro-growth Members of Congress with the opportunity to advance a common sense policy agenda to move our country in the right direction. New Democrats have built a reputation as the "go-to" group in Congress on the critical issues of economic growth, national security, personal responsibility, and technology development.

Hailing from every region of the country, New Democrats are intent on modernizing both the Democratic Party and the country. New Democrats support policies to expand economic growth and ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to benefit from that growth; a fiscally responsible and efficient government; a secure homefront; and a robust foreign policy that includes trade, constructive U.S. leadership throughout the world, and a modern and strong military.

http://www.house.gov/tauscher/ndc/

[trthnd4jstc]

8. A Reason to be Involved in the Democratic Party is to Widen the Views...

that the People will see that the Members, and supporters of the Democratic Party possess.

I have been a big fan of Howard Dean, and supported him for his bid for the Presidency. He is still working on the 50 state strategy: http://www.democratsforamericasfuture.org/straighttalk.cfm?id=67

Thank you for the link to the 2005 Nation article. Page 2, of the article: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050321/berman

" After Kerry's defeat, the DLC promised to "avoid the circular firing squad" mentality but then quickly broke the promise, reverting to its favorite target: the Democratic base. Instead of labor unions and feminists, the DLC fixated on MoveOn.org and Michael Moore. "We need to be the party of Harry Truman and John Kennedy, not Michael Moore," the DLC wrote on the Wall Street Journal op-ed page, of all places. "What leftist elites smugly imagine is a sophisticated view of their country's flaws strikes much of America as a false and malicious cartoon," the DLC's Will Marshall wrote in Blueprint, the group's magazine, in a rant worthy of The Weekly Standard. "Democrats should have no truck with the rancid anti-Americanism of the conspiracy-mongering left." The DLC continued this vitriol into March"

The fact of the Matter is that argueing against our National policies does not make us "Anti-Americans", it makes us, on the Left, concerned citizens. Some us loyalist to our Nation, on the Left, place matters of social justice, and justice in general near the top of our concerns. Please forgive my not supplying ample evidence, but there are several instances when the DLC has been against the views of us on the Left, and they have brushed us off as Anti-American. Further, "Conspiracy-mongering", we all live in one great conspiracy, and that is the Capitalist Conspiracy. And, this conspiracy, many people actively take part in without any question. Some of us, and interestingly, many University professors, find faults with capitalism. Still, my intent with this Reply, is to provide, one Leftist' view of how the DLC has been pretty difficult for me to deal with.

Here are a couple other problems that I have had with the DLC: 1. Nafta, globalization is not, and should not be the interest of any National Policy. A National Economy, and policies that affect such, are primary, or at least I consider them to be, primary to our Legislatures and Executive, Branches. Globalization does have some positive affects on less developed Nations, yet it has helped destroy nearly half of our Middle Class. Many Members of the DLC are either Rich, or Upper-Middle Class, and not immediately affected by the off shoring of jobs. 2. China in the WTO. The idea that was spoken to me by a member of Move On who was also a supporter of the DLC was that by having China in the WTO, China would have an increase in their Middle Class, and these people will call for changes in the Chinese Governments Policies. First off, once again, the primary concern for our Government should be the people of this Nation, and not some nebulous hope for a change in the Liberalization of the Chinese Govenments' Policies.

We need to be involved to counter the power and wealth of the DLC. I wish to see the Democratic Party to be a bigger tent, than the Republican Party. This will mean, the Left, the Center, and the Right, unlike the Republican Party. Us Leftist pay taxes also. We suffer to protect this Nation also. We are concerned with the Nation Also. I am thankful for the positives of the Clinton Presidency, but the Negatives are affecting us today, i.e. the loss of the Middle Class through off-shoring. I do appreciate the DLC involvement, but I do not like having been marginalized by their rhetoric.