MoveOn's clout divides Democrats

[hang a left]

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday August 1, 2006

The clout of the online Democratic activist organization MoveOn.org, visible in the campaign of Ned Lamont to seize the Democratic nomination to the Senate for Connecticut, is provoking conflict with key members of the Democratic leadership, according to a report in today's Wall Street Journal.

A front-page story in the Journal illustrates how MoveOn -- with a budget of millions of dollars and a large membership base -- has advanced itself as a player in Democratic party politics. The article makes the case that the organization's support has been critical to the success so far of the Lamont campaign in launching an insurgency against a major Democratic senator, remarking that MoveOn's endorsement of Lamont "injected cash and volunteers into the antiwar candidate's crusade to unseat one of the staunchest Democratic supporters of the Iraq war."

But other Democrats fear that MoveOn's activities could harm the party as a whole. Party leaders fear that a leftward movement, concentrated heavily on Iraq, "would imperil moderate and conservative Democrats whose appeal in Western and Southern states is critical to winning back Congress. It could also alienate swing voters, who polls suggest are shifting back to the Democrats this year. Says moderate Louisiana Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu, who supports Mr. Lieberman, 'I don't think it's a winning strategy or a smart strategy.'"

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http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/MoveOns_clout_threatens_Democratic_centrists_0801.html

[Norquist Nemesis]

1. No. The "divide" is between the elected Democrats

and the members of the Democratic Party. And it gets bigger with each passing day!

[mom cat]

2. Spot on!

[Warpy]

7. Sadly, that's increasingly true.

That's why this race is so important.

I don't see Lamont as much of a prize. However, getting a major party mover and shaker defeated will certainly shake things up.

[ananda]

3. I'm not divided at all.

If I vote Dem, I simply want representation of my views... not Bush's, not the insurance companies, not the corporations.

[EFerrari]

4. Who's the other Democrat besides Lamont?

:evilgrin:

[Warpy]

5. Democrats are ALWAYS divided!

It's always been that way and it'll always be that way. There is a reason for the complaint that leading the party is like herding cats.

Party conservatives all over the country are watching the Lieberman fiasco very carefully because they're terrified about what it might say about their own vulnerability. Remember, an avowed progressive and economic populist already won the governorship of one of the most solidly GOP states in the west--Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana.

Conservatives hate change and they will never admit they're wrong about anything. If Lieberman gets trounced in the primary, this will rock the party to its foundations, and they know it.

[Nite Owl]

6. Then morenpower to moveon

it's time for the elected officials to come home to the base, that's where their votes are and if they think the so called swing votes is their strategy to win they haven't learned yet from their more than a decade of loses. All they need to do to win is acknowledge the will of the people in what they want and they will sweep the elections Diebold or not.

[nickinSTL]

8. and my answer is...

and where have your "moderate" stances gotten us?

We've been in the minority in Congress for HOW long now?

Time for a change.

[mike_c]

9. Landrieu needs to be another target for replacement, IMO....

The democratic party needs to offer real alternatives to neo-con policies, not just reheated repig positions. I'm particularly eager to see Lieberman ousted because so many argued that opposing the war against Iraq would be political suicide-- I want just the opposite to be the case-- I want the bastards to know that supporting the "war president" puts them at odds with the majority of their voter base, and the THAT is political suicide. Maybe the ones who survive the purge will remember next time that sending Americans to commit war crimes and die for lies is political suicide.

[jaysunb]

10. I couldn't agree more.

She owes her seat to the AA community of NOLA, yet she bitch slaps them every chance she gets....

[iamjoy]

11. A Problem With American Poitics In General

not the Democratic Party.

I mean, sometimes I wonder about this. Groups like Move On, Club For Growth, Christian Coaltion, etc. - do they have disproportionate influence on the political process? Most Americans are Centrists, but quite often, the more polarizing candidates win nominations.

Of course, this is partly the fault of the electorate, who through their inaction allow the elections to be decided by party activists who are either more liberal or more reactionary than the population in general.

[LeFleur1]

12. Move On

MoveOn stood for America when others were tiptoeing around what was going on in the country. For that alone they have my support.

When the country needed somebody to say, "This President is Wrong", MoveOn did it and they took the flack for it. Unless they start sinking money into the campaign of a crazed loony (mostly Republicans), I'm with them.

[LSK]

16. Move On is an organization of the grassroots

It is primarily made up of ordinary citizens who are pissed at the what right wing is doing to our country.

Claims that it is some radicle fringe group are lies coming from the Right Wing Noise Machine.

[iamjoy]

17. I Never Said They Were Fringe

but Move On supporters are more liberal than the population in general, just like that Right Wing Noise Machine is more Conservative.

[OzarkDem]

13. WSJ trying to stir up trouble

MoveOn and other organizations are a huge threat to the GOP and corporate America, that's why we're seeing so many of these idiotic stories.

While I don't always agree w/ the way MoveOn does its work, its accomplishing a great deal and has done more to unify the party.

Enough with these "divided Dem Party" memes. Its a frickin'contested primary in CT - no big deal.

[Bluzmann57]

14. There seems to be a difference of opinion

between the so called "experts" and this article. It seems that many (right wing) pundits think that MoveOn and other organaizations like it have very little influence on the American political scene, but yet this article from the right wing Wall Street Journal says that MoveOn is creating a rift within the Democratic Party. Sounds like convenience reporting to me. Anything to tear the Dems down and make the rw look good. I don't think it's going to work this time though.

[LSK]

15. all Landrieu knows is how to vote with the GOP

She deserves the same treatment that Joementum is getting.