"they turned their back on their core constituencies" Dean and Al From.

[madfloridian]

Dean: "They turned their back on their core constituencies, in some cases under the guise of being "New Democrats." In fact, they relabeled their "core constituences" as "special interest groups," whose influence, they tried to tell the public, had to be avoided like the plague."

He refers to this quote from Time Magazine in 1995 in which Al From told Time that "a long-term majority will never be created around the interests represented by Jesse (Jackson) and the labor unions".

Dean further states that "the real problem, of course, is that Jesse Jackson and the labor unions form the core of the people who traditionally have elected Democrats. It is not an accident that members of labor unions and African-American voters became less interested in the Democratic Party as we crept to the right......we began to lose elections up and down the ballot with increasing regularity." END SNIP

From You Have the Power, pp. 63, 64.

[Zensea]

1. This is so obvious

it's a real shame that it even has to be said & that Dean is considered a troublemaker for saying things like this.

[madfloridian]

2. And that I am considered a troublemaker for quoting the truth.

Yes, it is so obvious. You are right.

[janx]

3. MF, do you have the book? Are you typing from the book?

?

[madfloridian]

4. Yes, I am.

There is a lot of good stuff in it. He just tells it like it is. He never gets ugly, just very frank.

[janx]

5. Thank you! I don't have the book yet. Can you show us what

exactly he said about the phone call he had with Gore--when he was down and about to leave the party?

I want to know what happened. I think this was in connection with the pre-Iowa primary, when all hell broke loose.

[madfloridian]

6. Let me look it up.

.

[janx]

7. Thanks so much!

I've wondered about this for a very long time.

[madfloridian]

8. Sent it to your inbox.

I did not want to post as it might be called reliving the primaries. It was hard to read that part.

[Cheswick2.0]

9. can you send it to me too Mad?

I can't afford to buy they book yet.

[madfloridian]

12. On its way.

I only summarized a portion....very powerful reading.

[janx]

17. PM again! A couple of them!

I really have to get back to my grading...

[janx]

10. Thank you so much, mf!

:hug:

[janx]

11. I just read it. Words fail me.

And I respect Gore more than ever, if that's possible.

[madfloridian]

13. I just have to mention this part though.

Which one of the candidates paid for the confederate flag rallies in NH? That part hurt me so much, that someone would do that. Dean was always open in his criticism of the party....he said it right out loud at debates or wherever.

I think this part got me madder than most anything.

[janx]

14. Well, that certainly got him into trouble. Some people didn't

want us making waves, as they say... ;-) There is a positive side to this, and that's that the more people read this book, the fewer people will remain ignorant about the ugly underpinnings of current American politics. And they just might want to do something about it.

[DFLforever]

15. Hard to tell

My first thought would be Edwards...but it could have been any of them including Clinton.

[janx]

16. Clinton gets blamed for a lot.

I don't think it was Clinton. Now the people who take all of the CREDIT for Clinton, however...

Hmmm. Dean said it was a candidate. Who could it be? I really hope I get that book for X-mas.

[DFLforever]

20. I pick on Clinton here because he was the power behind Clark's

candidacy.

on edit: Dean zeroes in on Cinton as well per the civil unions
issue. And the way I think, if Clinton was drumming up support for Clark against Dean using the civil unions issue, what else might he be willing to do or encourage.

But it could have been any of them, really. I don't think any of the Dems were above that sort of tactic.

[Cheswick2.0]

21. I feel the same way

remember how outraged everyone got because Gore endorsed Dean (as if politicians don't endorse others all the time)and how obvious it was that they would have been thrilled if it was their candidate?

Well the party stopped him all right and now look where we are.

[mandyky]

18. Can I get a copy too?

Do you care if I post it to another DU forum? I won't if you do not want me to! I had not heard about this incident. Dean was going to leave the party? Oy vey!

[madfloridian]

19. Will put it in your inbox.

However, if you post it elsewhere they will tell you that you are reliving the primaries. I can not tell you not to, as it was partly in some of the reviews of Dean's book at papers.

However, when I posted it I got blasted, though every word was true. I can not tell you not to, but be prepared.

[janx]

22. I'm wondering if we couldn't have an all-purpose thread

to discuss the book. We could use this one, of course.

I'm thinking about sending copies to my brothers for X-mas since they admire the whole DFA effort.