There are two pieces of fiction found in the name of the Democratic Leadership Council.
- They’re only nominally Democratic.
- Not only does it lack leadership, but it’s responsible for our fall from leadership.
See, it turned out that despite what the bad toupee consortium said, America actually DID want a Democratic Party that was distinguishable from the Republican Party. Rather than leadership, the DLC encouraged complete and abject capitulation. Under its guidance, Democrats spoke only the language of surrender— Not to “terr’rists” as the Republicans claimed, but to the Republicans themselves.
America spoke loudly and told us to go to hell. And they were right to do so. How could they expect us to protect them from foreign enemies when we couldn’t find the testicular fortitude to protect them from the domestic ones?
A new day dawned, as it often does in American politics. In the 2006 campaign cycle, the DLC was worse than a non-factor. It became an albatross (That’s a Samuel Taylor Coleridge reference for all those of you that complain about intellectualism) around the neck of the party. The only DLC candidate in a contested 2006 campaign was their current chairman, Harold Ford Jr. And despite being a media darling with a Newsweek cover story the week before the election and campaign appearances by Bill Clinton himself, he couldn’t find a way to win against the Keystone Cops of the Corker campaign.
So it was a bit bizarre for me to go to Crackerville (Via Kleinheider, via Chris Jackson) and see the vast number of elected officials that will grace the DLC with their presence, many of which have as little common ground with the DLC ideologically as I have with Stacey Campfield (Who frankly would fit in better with the DLC than others on the guest list).
I don’t think anyone is terribly surprised with Senator Kurita showing up there. She’s precisely the kind of official that the DLC was made for. And Henri Brooks— I voted for Novella so we could actually get someone reasonably liberal into that seat on the county commission.
But Senator Beverly Marrero? Commissioner Mulroy? Commissioner Malone? It simply does not compute.
If you must go, enjoy. Have your picture taken with Bill Clinton. Enjoy good food and drinks. Then come home and please forget everything you’ve heard from those guys. Getting electoral advice from the DLC is like having Lindsey Lohan as your sobriety coach.
[...] Rick Maynard is quite upset with some of the Democratic politicians who lent their name to the DLC’s National Conversation. To Maynard, the DLC is Republican accommodations at its worst: If you must go, enjoy. Have your picture taken with Bill Clinton. Enjoy good food and drinks. Then come home and please forget everything you’ve heard from those guys. Getting electoral advice from the DLC is like having Lindsey Lohan as your sobriety coach. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
So I am taking it that I won’t see you at the convention this weekend? Just kidding, lol!
Anyway, I respectfully disagree with your outlook on the DLC. While I don’t agree with everything the DLC supports, I agree with a large majority of it. What I like about the organization is their insistence on putting ideas and solutions ahead of ideology and partisan politics. If you look back over the past 20 years or so, some of this nation’s most effective policy has came from the DLC.
The truth is, most Americans don’t care about labels–Democrat or Republican; liberal or conservative; etc. They care about results. And that is what the DLC’s main focus is on.
I think it is refreshing to have a group that concentrates on progressive policy that will move our country forward, rather than always focusing on how to raise more money in the next election. Yes, raising money is important, but having good ideas that will appeal to the majority of Americans is the key. And more importantly having sound policy that will make America stronger is the main objective.
Chances are that if you and I, or any member of the DLC sat down and talked, we would have much more in common than we would disagree on. That I why I don’t like to see all this DLC bashing. Instead of all the time focusing on our differences, lets unite as Democrats and as Americans and focus on our common ground.
I can assure you, the DLC is not the bogeyman. I can also assure you that it is not a Republican-lite group. If you take the time to read their policy proposals on their site, you will see that they are very thoughtful and yes, very progressive.
Like I said, we disagree on some issues. But we agree on a lot more. Let’s concentrate on that and start to build common ground to win the ’08 election and then govern to make America stronger.
Chris
Commish, you need to come down this way for a thursday night gathering of Drinking Liberally, we would enjoy having you there…….
I still agree with Brother Rick here, though.
So I am taking it that I won’t see you at the convention this weekend? Just kidding, lol!
LOL!!! Probably not… But I will be eagerly awaiting your wrapup, Chris.
What I like about the organization is their insistence on putting ideas and solutions ahead of ideology and partisan politics.
When it comes to governing, yes— Build a consensus. A campaign isn’t the time for doing that. The DLC philosophy is to build a 50% + 1 consensus by tring to encourage crossover vote that their record since 1994 proves is not there. In that time, they allowed a base-building muscles to atrophy into nonexistence, which I happen to believe is part of the absolute disconnect among young voters.
The DLC philisophy leaves us scrambling every two years to fight for a nonexistent 10% swing vote. And cycle after cycle, that proved to be a loswer for us. We’re holding Senate seats in states that the DLC told us were not worth fighting for— Too red to sink money into.
The truth is, most Americans don’t care about labels–Democrat or Republican; liberal or conservative; etc. They care about results. And that is what the DLC’s main focus is on.
Sorry, but I don’t buy that. The swing voter in the middle has proven to be nonexistent over the last few cycles, and moreso every time around. People are identity voters. The Republican Party understands that. We were slower to come around to it.
I think it is refreshing to have a group that concentrates on progressive policy that will move our country forward, rather than always focusing on how to raise more money in the next election.
That’s not the DLC, though. The right leaning votes pay off for them at fundraising time. HRC is easily the most identifiably DLC candidate in the race right now, and she’s got a huge fundraising lead. It’s no surprise that the health care industry gave more to Rick Santorum in the last cycle than anyone else on the Hill. It’s also no surprise that HRC was in second place, even though she didn’t really have all that hotly contested a race to run.
Chances are that if you and I, or any member of the DLC sat down and talked, we would have much more in common than we would disagree on.
That’s probably true— When sitting down and talking. But voting it is a different story, and that’s where I absolutely lack faith in the DLC. I would rather have a candidate voting based on principles instead of triangulation.
I can assure you, the DLC is not the bogeyman. I can also assure you that it is not a Republican-lite group. If you take the time to read their policy proposals on their site, you will see that they are very thoughtful and yes, very progressive.
The DLC is Republican Lite. I say this at the risk of angering you because I know you have a connection to him— But nowhere is this more true than Harold Ford Jr. The Fox News staff did not have to bash Democrats as heavily in the ’06 cycle— All they had to do was have him on, and he did it for them. “My party doesn’t like me because I talk about Jesus.” WHAT? Whether it was social issues or national defense, there was no area where he ouldn’t get in front of the cameras and undermine us. If he could resist that urge, he might be in Washington DC right now instead of arranging catering for a convention. But he tore the legs out from under every Democrat that actually voted like a Democrat every chance he got. So with all due respect— It’s just not true. The DLC constantly runs interference for the GOP. “Democrats are crazy,” the right wingers say. And they point to a Harold Ford Jr or a HRC and say “See? Even they agree with us.”
Like I said, we disagree on some issues. But we agree on a lot more. Let’s concentrate on that and start to build common ground to win the ‘08 election and then govern to make America stronger.
I would like that, Chris. Good talking to you. I hope to rub shoulders with you at your congressional fundraiser in the next few years.
Chris, I second that invitation. We’d love to have you around.
Good talking with you too Rick. I might have to make the trek down there sometime. Sounds like a good time indeed!
Come on down anytime. The great Newscoma will be joining us tonight.
If Chris Jackson comes to Memphis, drinks are on me.
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Auto, be careful whne you say that, I could bankrupt you by myself!
LOL, I love it! You guys are something else. I seriously am gonna have to make back to the big city again. Haven’t been since the night the election came to and end last year.
Man, Auto’s writing like he ain’t seen me drink. I could put most people making that promise into a third mortgage.
Seriously, Chris. Stop in anytime.