Starting a Replacement for Democratic Leadership Council

[BlueDog22]

A lot of the anchors for the moderate Democratic wing have been cut loose or fallen off the machine last year. The DLC was only one of the many causalities. Many of the policy nonprofits and political action committees have been devastated because of a lack of fundraising. A lot of the PACs and groups that still exist have had their experienced leaders retire.

I have experience in third party politics and I'm trying to rally a lot of the moderates in North Carolina, mostly because North Carolina is now a toss up state and secondly because we lost the democratic majority in North Carolina Legislature for the first time since the late 1800s.

I would like to start a new organization. This 501(c)(4) will be a policy steering committee similar to the DLC, and it will work with both New Democrats and Blue Dogs by focusing on policy they both agree on. If everything works out it will also be a spring board to help organize new Political Action Committees, clubs, college chapters and other political nonprofits.

There will be four main missions for this group:


1. Attempt to stop moderate Democrats from leaving the party

I joined the third party movement originally because I felt like I was left out of the Democratic tent. We really need to reach out to these people and try to figure out how to make it so these people don't feel left out.

2. Recruit and train new moderate Democratic leaders

One of the most important programs within the DLC is DLC Fellow Program which reaches out to rising democratic stars and helps them with what they need to move up. It also holds workshops to train party leaders with the skills they need to lead the party.

Let's be truthful here. We took a beating in the last election and lost a lot of a moderate leadership, and because of that beating a lot of the moderate leaders are going to retire. It's sad, but we have to start rebuilding that wing ASAP.

3. Do research and build policy that most moderates in the democratic party can agree on

One thing the DLC had was a policy institute that did research on and then promoted issues. It was known as the Progressive Policy Institute.

People disagree and we will never get everyone to agree on everything. I think one of the reasons the DLC wasn't as effective as it could have been was that it didn't try to give the moderates issues they could rally around. If we could come up with issues that we can mostly agree on then it would help us find common ground and give us "rally points". This way we have a common bond that can hold us together, instead of having three factions that sometimes agree on a few narrow points (Try to get New Democrats, Blue Dogs and Progressives to agree on anything in the economic policy and see what I mean).

When you have a few things that are common ground you can always go back to those to help compromise.

4. Creating a Spring Board for other Democratic groups

We need political infrastructure in the ways of PACs, Nonprofits, councils and other political entities. We can use all means open to us to help organize new infrastructure. Most of this has to do with organizing and as hard as I look there isn't any sort of organization in either party that helps organize other organizations.

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What I need is money and people with the necessary skills. I would like to get some of the elected democrats in North Carolina on board, we wouldn't be much without them, and then later on move towards stepping out onto the national stage.

Thoughts? Comments? Opinions?

[inademv]

1. The middle

I disagree with your premise that "moderate democrats" are being pushed or left out. The concept of a moderate has shifted quite neatly to where the Republicans and other right wing positions were a short 20 years ago. As a Democrat, I'd prefer you stayed with a third party if the Democratic party is too far to the left for you.

[MineralMan]

2. I guess my question would be whether you have the connections

to get something like that going? Without that, there's little chance of attracting people who can actually do anything.

[MisterP]

3. moderates took a beating because they're morally bankrupt and sacrifice Main St to benefit Wall St

[montanacowboy]

4. No Thanks

nt

[Teaser]

5. If you can create an organization

that fosters moderate Democrats without BASHING progressive Dems, I'd conceivably be on board.

The DLC had this annoying tendency to play both sides against the middle, to equate right wing Repubs and left wing Dems as equally crazy.

This was incredibly harmful to Democratic politics, because the Democratic brand is a progressive band, and having a chorus of individuals pop up who were always ready to bash their own party's positions undercut the entire party.

[meegbear]

6. +1

[northoftheborder]

7. I'm a nobody, so you can discount my opinion, but I'd just as soon all the....

....moderate blue-dog Democrats realized the truth of their position.....which is out of date. Progressives are gaining strength, liberals are taking over the talking points, and it's going to be a new day, probably sooner than you realize.

[BlueDog22]

8. Reply to new organization

"As a Democrat, I'd prefer you stayed with a third party if the Democratic party is too far to the left for you."

One reason I joined some centrist to center left third parties because I could get to a higher position within them faster, and gain a lot more experiences that I could use when I decided to get back into mainstream. I also didn't understand at the time that the Democrats had a moderate wing and that all democrats weren't alike (ignorance mostly) I am fine being a Democrat now, and I am glad to be back with my true political home.



"Do you have the connections"

....I have a few that I can use, and hopefully they will bring their connections to the table. Also hopefully this new organization will also allow me to branch out and form others.



"Moderates took a beating because their morally bankrupt"

No moderates took a beating, because they refused to fight back and stand by their accomplishments. We scattered like bees instead of standing up and fighting hard.



"If you could build a group that doesn't bash progressives"

I would never bash progressives. I see party infighting as nothing more then a obstacle that slows us down in the long term. It's okay to disagree, but I do think the DLC took a few things to far.

[BobbyBoring]

9. I never thought of Blue Dogs as being moderate

Am I missing something?