DLC and the Democratic Party

[pberq]

http://blog.progressivevote.org/index.php?p=149#more-149

DLC Stategy for destroying the Democratic Party

<snip>
Recent articles printed in the conservative Democratic Leadership Council’s (DLC) Blueprint Magazine articulate more bluntly then ever before a strategy of moving the Democratic Party even further to the right, or the “center” as they like to call it. According to the DLC, then and only then can Democrats again become a majority party in the United States.

<snip>
Here is what founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council Al From had to say in a recent piece for his organization’spublication:

“We can’t let those hearts be closed to us again. First and foremost, we need to bridge the trust gap on national security by spelling out our own offense against terrorism and clearly rejecting our anti-war wing, so that Republicans can no longer portray us as the anti-war party in the war on terrorism. We must leave no doubt that Michael Moore neither represents nor defines our party. Blueprint Magazine, Dec. 13, 2004”


<snip>
. . .Bush’s appeal was more the perception of him as a solid leader with qualities such as constancy and integrity that appealed most to voters. Kerry’s image as a liberal flip flopper that voted oneway but talked another while running for president (an accurate portrayal in many respects) is what killed him. Had he been a bit more like Dennis Kucinich or Howard Dean and demonstrated a willingness to speak out against the war, admitting in the process had he known then what he knows now he never would have supported the Iraq resolution in the first place, things would probably have turned out quite differently.


Though From and Marshall don’t acknowledge it in their articles, other prominent conservative Democrats like former Congressman, member of the 9/11 Commission, and now candidate for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairmanship Roy Roemer are also arguing we back away from or “tone down” the rhetoric on choice and gayrights. Democrats need to be “more tolerant” of men like Roemer whoare not all that thrilled women have achieved at least a degree of equal rights with men when it comes to control over their bodies. This, along with dismissing the 80% or so of Democrats that don’t support the war will successfully “broaden our appeal” and enable usto win again. It seems these people believe the only way to save the“big tent” of the Democratic Party is to throw most of the people in it out into the cold.

[Warpy]

1. Big Tent = we hope you're stupid enough to vote against yourself

The DLC and Blue Dog Dems are incapable of broadening their appeal. They don't actually want their base back. Those people who aren't getting paid enough to live on don't dress right, don't talk right, and live in tacky houses or trailers.

Don't kid yourself. The DLC bunch is the elitist wing of the Democratic Party, just as elitist as the GOP leadership is, but much less able or willing to disguise it.

[starroute]

4. They're after the upper middle class suburbanites

I was Googling a little on Roemer last night. I didn't note the source, but it quoted one of the DLCers as saying that was their target. Forget the poor. Forget the city folk. Forget the blue collar workers. Just go after the soccer moms and the SUV owners.

Umm. That'll sure work.:eyes:

[JHB]

12. Not even soccer moms...

...more like the "McMansion Set". People who "think rich" even if they're not.

[TomClash]

2. It's Tim Roemer, not Roy nt

[Jim Sagle]

3. The DLC CLEARLY intends to help DESTROY the Democratic Party!

[eg101]

6. actually the Dem party is a creation of the DLC & corporate power

The corporate lobbies and the DLC, et al., molded, evolved, or even created the Democratic party as we know it. This goes way back. There never really was any "Golden Age" of the Democratic party or American politics.

Why would the DLC and corporate power want to destroy their own creation?

[Jim Sagle]

8. Baloney.

[eg101]

5. why no DU forum on how to stop the DLC?

clearly the DLC is the greatest threat to the Democratic party. Why is there no anti-DLC forum here on DU?

[mulethree]

10. anti?

The DLC in some ways reflect a constituency we need to reach to. Perhaps it is best typified by the meppys - those who used to be yuppys but are now middle-aged ex-urban professionals.

I wouldn't so much get rid of them as consider them the imp on your shoulder you see in a cartoon. The other shoulder has some little left wing angel, though maybe a bit more 'hippie' looking than most angels. We listen to both and take their advise when its warranted but in general we end up somewhere in between, or compromising between the two positions.

Fine, so long as they are 'leadership' in name only and are acknowledged correctly as the right fringe of the Dem party representing some 10 or 15%.

They call it center, but they speak relatively. In congress you see a range that goes way, far, far to the right - like torture right, no habeas corpus right, invade without cause right, no international laws right, reverse-regulation right. The left does not even approach the left-most limits of communism or anarchism. A congress-relative center - is quite a bit to the right of an absolute center. I think we need to be aimed at a bit left of absolute center, about mid way between the DLC and the current congressional left.

Someone rated Kerry and Edwards as the 1st and 4th most liberal senators, I'd like to see the senate shift 20 steps to the left so they would rate 21st and 24th.

[eg101]

11. your statements embody what is wrong with the party

you wrote:
The DLC in some ways reflect a constituency we need to reach to.

THat is what is wrong with the party. There is a huge block of people who think American politics is crap and is run for the benefit of less than a majority of the people. Those are the people to whom we should be reaching.

And besides, we don't really want to target a particular demographic. THat is a big part of what is wrong with American politics and the Democratic party in the first place: we should instead create an economic narrative about where this country should be going and what this country is about. THat is what the rightwing propaganda machine has been doing for decades. All that demographic targeting stuff is just political campaign crap. Meaningless. Fluff. Who cares about which party or candidate wins if both candidates and both parties are just targeting demographics?

We need to craft an economic vision for America, and then communicate that vision to the voters. If they like our ideas, then they will vote for us. This vision should be based on leftist ideas. Like they do in the best countries of the world, such as Sweden, France, Denmark. With much less resources than America, these countries consistently provide a higher standard of living for most of their citizens than does America. Why is the Democratic party not ALL OVER THESE IDEAS?

THere is your question for you to answer.....

[reprehensor]

7. bump

[Gyre]

9. They're just as delusional as the neocons are

except THEY'RE THE LOSERS! And they're pretty much guaranteed to stay that way. Leave the party! Join the Greens. A mass exodus is about all that is going to cause them to go away.

Gyre