I don't get this Third Way Boogeyman stuff

[DemocratSinceBirth]

I take the Political Compass test regularly to see if I'm changing . If somehow Third Way goblins have placed a chip in DemocratSinceBirth's head and turned him into an ersatz version of Heath Shuler but alas I'm still happily ensconced in that bottom left quadrant with Mandela and Gandhi.

Again, I don't get this Third Way Boogeyman stuff..."People worry about all the wrong things."

[shenmue]

1. True

Remember: this vote was a fraction of the populace, and Dems have no actual obligation to jump off a building.

A lot of people spend way too much time on the Internet and scare themselves about things that don't exist.

[pipoman]

2. Dems seem to have more boogeymen than thugs...

Maybe it's because I spend more time with dems...the NRA comes to mind. ..

[True Blue Door]

13. I'm a thug.

At least as far as that term can apply to a complete nerd.

[think]

3. Let's start with their support for the Trans Pacific Partnership

Senator Warren: If TPP Transparency Would Lead To Public Opposition, Then TPP Is Wrong
by Mike Masnick
Thu, Jun 13th 2013 10:37pm

"I have heard the argument that transparency would undermine the Administration's policy to complete the trade agreement because public opposition would be significant. If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States. I believe in transparency and democracy and I think the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) should too."

Read more:

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130613/12035523456/senator-warren-if-tpp-transparency-would-lead-to-public-opposition-then-policy-is-wrong.shtml

And here is Third Way promoting the TPP:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Don’t Forget Canada and Mexico
By Ed Girwin / March 27th 2013

...Second, the TPP’s emphasis on eliminating border barriers and meaningless regulatory differences could make North America’s integrated producers more internationally competitive. It’s estimated, for instance, that inefficiencies at the border currently add an additional $700 to the cost of vehicles co-produced in North America.

Third, global companies are increasingly looking at a wide array of factors in deciding where to locate production. By making North American supply chains more efficient and providing preferred access for North American products in important foreign markets, the TPP could give North American producers additional advantages over competitors in locations like China. This could help reinforce the emerging trend of “re-shoring” manufacturing to America.

Fourth, the TPP talks provide opportunities to modernize NAFTA’s labor and environmental provisions and to re-open NAFTA issues that impede regional trade–including Canada’s restrictive farm programs and Mexico’s intellectual property enforcement.

- See more at: http://perspectives.thirdway.org/?p=2637#sthash.ug1jqnPI.dpuf

And we'll add this:

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Job Loss, Lower Wages and Higher Drug Prices

Have you heard? The TPP is a massive, controversial "free trade" agreement currently being pushed by big corporations and negotiated behind closed doors by officials from the United States and 11 other countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. In one fell swoop, this secretive deal could:

offshore millions of American jobs,

roll back Wall Street reforms,

sneak in SOPA-like threats to Internet freedom,

ban Buy American policies needed to create green jobs,

jack up the cost of medicines,

expose the U.S. to unsafe food and products,
and empower corporations to attack our environmental and health safeguards.



Although it is called a "free trade" agreement, the TPP is not mainly about trade. Of TPP's 29 draft chapters, only five deal with traditional trade issues. One chapter would provide incentives to offshore jobs to low-wage countries. Many would impose limits on government policies that we rely on in our daily lives for safe food, a clean environment, and more. Our domestic federal, state and local policies would be required to comply with TPP rules.

The TPP would even elevate individual foreign firms to equal status with sovereign nations, empowering them to privately enforce new rights and privileges, provided by the pact, by dragging governments to foreign tribunals to challenge public interest policies that they claim frustrate their expectations. The tribunals would be authorized to order taxpayer compensation to the foreign corporations for the "expected future profits" they surmise would be inhibited by the challenged policies.


http://www.citizen.org/TPP

[Bluenorthwest]

4. They are CEOs and Politicians, specific and actual people. Clare McCaskill for example, right

leaning conservative Democrat who from where I sit looks much like a Republican, who spent years opposing my rights. I don't care for many of the members of Third Way. Most of them, most, were rabidly anti equality, raging hard for the 'middle ground compromise' of civil unions for those they don't like while reserving marriage for 'real people'. 'Be Pragmatic, give up, it will be generations before there is equality!!!! Give UP NOW and do what the Republicans want!!!!!!!!
When the issue became useful to them, one by one they adopted equality and put it on their website as if they had never opposed it.

Claire McCaskill, in May 2012, in response to President Obama’s stated support for gay marriage, said that while she supported civil unions, same-sex marriage issues should be left to the states to decide.

March 2013, Claire sings a new song: “I have come to the conclusion that our government should not limit the right to marry based on who you love. While churches should never be required to conduct marriages outside of their religious beliefs, neither should the government tell people who they have a right to marry.”


And that is the Third Way in a hypocritical, ethically situational nutshell.

[truebluegreen]

5. ??? I don't think anti-3rd Wayers think those views will change yours (or mine),

I think they think the 3-Way sucks, as I do. I'm against giving them a pass.

BTW, you have looked at where 3-way falls on the Political Compass, right? Interestingly, every single person I have sent to that website has ended up in the lower left quadrant, including my Republican brother-in-law. The only exception was a racist bigoted misogynist RWNJ Christianist from Alabama named Bubba who ended up right in the crosshairs in the middle. And yet where are ALL of our so-called leaders to be found? Upper right, and not all that close to the middle.

Too bad our politicians don't actually reflect our views.

[dawg]

6. Conservatives are the boogeymen (and, I guess, boogeywomen?)

Some of them have a D beside their names. Most don't.

[hfojvt]

7. it's like this

some people want to take the party back from "Rubin and his allies"

and others seem to want to support "Rubin and his allies"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022085948

[Dragonfli]

8. I know right? It's just like that climate change boogyman that progressives keep going on about

I mean, it's not like either is a real threat to the health safety and survival of the masses. They are imaginary creatures.


Those silly progressives and their imaginary friends.

[Orsino]

14. +1 n/t

[RiverLover]

16. Sarcasm? I hope? If not, you better tell that to the United Nations

& then go turn off Fox.


Climate change threatens irreversible and dangerous impacts, but options exist to limit its effects

http://www.un.org/climatechange/blog/2014/11/climate-change-threatens-irreversible-dangerous-impacts-options-exist-limit-effects/

[Dragonfli]

23. Who needs fox when you have Democrats on this board denying reality and complaining

that some do not?

Why, don't you know that the third way think tank does not exist and is just a scary story and fraking can'y hurt the environment but will save us all? (nor can clean coal which I hear is white and burns without smoke). The OP knows all about it as do all the other NEW Democrats (totally not third way as that is just a myth).

[randome]

9. It's easier to blame an amorphous 'enemy' than to work like a dog to change things.

I wonder if someone can define 'Third Way' for us.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.[/center][/font][hr]

[think]

17. People can go to ThirdWay.org. It's not like they don't exist...... /nt

[Rex]

20. Shhhhh...don't tell them, it is more interesting watching them pretend they don't know.

Funny watching people carry water for an organization they don't even know exists.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. So Third Way=Trimmer

Can you point to one president who never trimmed or compromised?

[Bobbie Jo]

11. For me, I don't get the need

to project that label onto DU'ers.

I'm just a liberal, rank and file Democrat. Always have been....

What's with all the divisive, passive-aggressive bullshit??

[LordGlenconner]

12. Third way is the buzzword du jour

Next year it'll be something else.

[HereSince1628]

19. As a buzzword attracting vitriole it is WAY older than today, last month or last year

It's associated with IMPOSSIBLE reconciliations. Being a social liberal democrat and a fiscal conservative


You can't be a social democrat, if you don't FUND social programs
You can't be a neo-liberal procorporate democrat, if you require corporations to contribute to FUNDING of social programs

I give you the case of failed WI Gubenatorial candidate Mary Burke.

Her ONLY experience in politics is as a school board member.

Among the last few acts she committed as a school board member are

1) Vote FOR salary increases to school district employees.
2) Vote AGAINST a school district budget that would require tax increases that would make the salary increases possible

[DemocratSinceBirth]

15. Duno but from some threads you would think these so called Third Wayer are lice.

I believe it's short hand for trimmers...But all successful politicians are trimmers.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

22. Nothing like the smell of cryptic comments in the morning.(n/t)

[AtomicKitten]

21. Verbal Kint explains it all.