Must read: Battle for the Soul of the Democratic Party

[duvinnie]

from DailyKos.

The division in the party over Dean is less about ideology than about power. Three years after Bill Clinton left office, he and Hillary still control what remains of a Democratic establishment.
...
Andy Stern, the leader of seiu, is to the labor movement what Dean is to the Democratic Party--an anti-establishment reformer.
...
As the party's split into Deaniacs and anti-Dean Clintonites unfolds, one of the most intriguing subplots concerns the machinations of Gore.

If you care about the future of the party, this is a must=read..
http://www.dailykos.com/

scroll down a bit to read.

[sangh0]

1. Ridiculously biased

Since when are Sharpton supporters "anti-Dean Clintonites"?

[duvinnie]

10. the point is

there is a power struggle going on within the party. not all dem candidates
are cleanly on one side or other of this divide, but the article clearly frames
this struggle as being bigger than just this election. Sharpton imho is not
a major factor defining the party split, either way.

[el_gato]

2. the clintons have helped destroy this party

along with the DLC scum fest

[lastliberalintexas]

18. Hopefully not intentionally

But yes, the Clintons and their groups have done more damage to our party than the 1968 convention did. Hopefully their impact won't last quite so long.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

29. Right... and that's why Clinton won two elections in a row....

n/t

[ulysses]

34. define "Pyrrhic"

n/t

[Scott Lee]

3. Actually the message is on target

And basically in that article the message was "fail to embrace this overhaul of old party structure at your own peril". I would agree with that. I'm not going to cherry pick over minutae like Sharpton supporters being "Clintonites" etc.

The fact is, whether Dean wins or loses, the Democratic party has a chance to throw out the dusty old top-down dictum of the old school DLCers. If it fails to, it's looking at a defanged party that will completely whither as a valid opposition.

[sangh0]

4. The "minutae" shows bias

just as the idea that "Dean is the ONLY one who can overhaul the party which is NECESSARY" is also biased. So is the idea that it was the DLC who brought us "dusty old top-down dictums". I guess you never heard of Tammany Hall.

[Scott Lee]

11. Stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime?

I'm not at all shocked. Attack Howard Dean at all costs.

Dean Dean Dean Dean Dean. Drives 'em NUTS!

[MissMarple]

14. I'm not loud.

:evilgrin:

[sangh0]

15. More "Attack the critic, ignore the issue"

which is the ridiculous claim that only HO-ho can reform the DLC.

[SahaleArm]

17. Cogent arguments went out the window a long time ago.

The Greens, including KOS, have seen the light, er Dean. Remember 'You have the Power!':eyes:

[Scott Lee]

27. Show us how Statist John Kerry will reform the DLC, please.

Hold on, let me get some popcorn and soda...this is gonna be good.

[blm]

31. Kerry maintained solid liberal credentials closest to Wellstone

even while a member of the DLC. Dean was a DLCer pulling the party to the right throughout his time there.

[qwlauren35]

6. I agree. It's Outsiders vs. Establishment

Yes, there is bias in the article, in suggesting that Dean is the only contestant who is an outsider. However, I think the article has a lot more truth than bias. There is a clear Democratic Party Establishment that does not want Dean to win for some very unmentionable reasons; essentially because their own power would be diminished. I don't see that level of animosity being aimed at any other candidates, including Clark. This tends to suggest that Clark and Kerry are BOTH *acceptable* to the party elite. And Dean is not. However, Dean is organizing a tremendous grass-roots organization that the party should not ignore.

The question remains, are the party administrators more interested in winning the election? Or in keeping their jobs no matter what?

[sangh0]

7. Sharpton's not an outsider?

I don't see that level of animosity being aimed at any other candidates, including Clark.

Yeah, right. I love the way the DNC and the DLC have supported Sharpton.

[SahaleArm]

19. New memo.

Sharpton is a DLC stalking horse. :wtf:

[denverbill]

5. The article is dead on.

If the Democratic party is going to be an organization funded by sucking up to corporations, just like the Republican party, then it's time to go Green. Grassroots needs to fix this party.

I hope the article is correct in it's conclusion that if Dean gets the nomination, McAuliffe is out and Trippi is in.

[sangh0]

8. Breaking News

Unless Bush* wins, McAuliffe is out. A newly elected President gets to pick the party's chair.

[duvinnie]

16. yup

and grassroots also need to remind Dean that their support is conditional on
how well he listens to the rank and file. last thing we need is another corporate
takeover under cover of populism.

[blm]

9. The SOUL of the party should be about EXPOSING Bush and the BFEE.

Amazing how few can see the BIGGER picture in their quest for a movement that plays into the media storyline of the "The Angry Democrats."

*John Kerry assembled a team to confront Bush on the issues Rove wants to take to the American people in 2004. National security and the fear of terrorism. No doubt, the last thing Rove needs are experts in those areas speaking out during the general election against Bush and for the Democratic opponent.

*Gary Hart, knows more about national security and antiterrorism measures than any national figure. He is the author of the Hart-Rudman report which was delivered to Bush in Jan. 2001 after a 2 1/2 year study commissioned by Clinton. The report wasn't dealt with at all prior to 9-11.

*Rand Beers, former National Security Official, knows the inner workings of the Bush team's post 9-11 efforts, of which he observed mostly inertia and incompetence.

*Max Cleland, 9-11 commission, knows the Bush team is trying to pull a fast one on the American people by covering up crucial information of dealings that led to 9-11. Has been speaking out to groups across the country, and swinging the AWOLSTICK as a bonus.

*Gen. William Perry, Clinton's expert on nuclear arms proliferation and N. Korea, knows Bush's failures on the serious Korea issue and his incompetence in dealing with its threat.

*Joe Wilson, the man who knows TOO much. Exposed Cheney's office as the source for cooked intelligence reports on Iraq. Also alerted public to treasonous acts by White House in exposing his wife, an undercover CIA agent. Many in intel community aligning with Wilson and his wife against the WH.

The media is loathe to give these men the airtime at this point because they are too damaging to Bush on his perceived strengths. They can afford to ignore them and the substance of their case against Bush because they are selling the American people the "process" of the primary horserace as entertainment. If Kerry were the nominee, the media would have no choice but to feature his spokespeople on the various issues.

Kerry assembled a team to TAKE BUSH DOWN, while some others assembled a team to take Kerry down. Democrats need to take this into consideration. BushInc. NEEDS these men and their message muted.

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blm]

22. You just refuse to acknowledge the FACTS about the media and

who most of them are working for.

YOU want these men silenced, too?

btw...Care to share with us which part of that post is a lie which you find so "incredible"?

[Scott Lee]

28. Part of which post?

A message removal has interrupted conversation here....what did the post say that had a "lie" in it?

[lastliberalintexas]

20. Nope

That's an important goal of our party, but it shouldn't be seen as the soul of it, as our raison d'etre. The soul of the Dem party should be about helping America, and in so doing, helping our party grow and expand.

If you become fixated on one man/family, you've lost the real focus.

[blm]

21. Bush Inc. IS an entire power network not just one man.

And it never has been one man.

If that is your perception, then I would say the media has done a great job distracting this country.

[lastliberalintexas]

23. One enterprise, then

But good Gawd, our focus should NOT be just or primarily on exposing the BFEE. I said it was important, didn't I? I just said it should not be our primary reason for being. We have to be more than anti-Shrub/BFEE- we have to stand FOR something ourselves. Or has that anti-Dean meme been cancelled? :eyes:

[blm]

30. The BFEE stands in the way of democracy itself. It's the voting machines

and its the corporations, and its every covert operation around the world that has as its goal the privatization of all the world's resources, like water, oil, electricity.

If the BFEE isn't taken down in this next election, they will reach their goals within a few years.

[PVnRT]

32. His spokespeole, at least

until they quit or he fires them.

[blm]

33. They're not the campaign strategy team.

You do know the difference don't you?

[JanMichael]

13. Fair Trade v. Free Trade?

"Stern and seiu, with their emphasis on health care instead of globalization, are the future of the labor movement in the United States, while the industrial unions, which back Dick Gephardt and have been bleeding members for years as they fight an uphill battle against free trade, are the past. seiu's backing of Dean isn't a nod from the establishment--it's a protest against it."

Hmm. It'd be nice if Mr. Stern could multi-task, and focus on more than just Healthcare...

[redqueen]

24. Someone should tell those demonstrators in Miami to go home

forget it... you're all 'the past'.

Free trade is a fait accompli. We should all just get used to slowly sinking to third world status, and be grateful!

[Redleg]

25. That's right- now get back to work, all of you!

Or you will be terminated and replaced by a 10-year old child from Guatemala! (Sarcasm)

[MissMarple]

26. Well it's a start, Stern can't really take on globalization.

The important thing is how his position and goals have resonated with his people. The old union model is falling apart. They can't deliver the votes if they can't identify the important issues. And that's part of what has happened to the Democratic party. The issues are changing, and they need new ways of addressing them. But they are stuck in the early 20th century way of doing things.

And it will be interesting to watch the Republicans when their cobbled together base begins to realize they've been hoodwinked. Their internal inconstistencies are mind boggling.

[mmonk]

35. Times

events, economies, etc. change. We no longer live in the industrial revolution and we must keep all ideas coming in. We need to quit these divisions long enough to take an effective fight to the republicans. We cannot let these policies (republican) stand or become mainstream thought. So we need to quit trying to marginalize each other's positions and work through the differences.

[Lexingtonian]

36. a foolish halftruth

And halftruths are far more insidious than falsehoods or inconvenient truths.

Yes, some, maybe even most, of the old establishment has to go. But there is evident throwing out of the baby with the bathwater to this crude anti-establishment view. In choosing between the Clinton people, the Dean people, and the DLC as the least principled and most power-greedy faction, it's a neck-to-neck for me between the Dean and the DLC crowds. The Clinton people can easily be tarred with the brush because- unlike the others- they've actually had both real power and real Democratic support, but that during a time in which they governed with an electoral plurality, forcing them to compromise, rather than a majority. (True, they probably aren't up to speed yet that Democrats are now within reach of proving to have a true majority, and they will disappoint until they understand that.) The Dean faction has the shortest record, that's why it's easy to believe that they're least corrupted by a conviction of righteous dominion. A hard look at the evidence is not that kind.

As for Kos and other bloggers such as Jerome Armstrong, it's beens sad to watch their clarity and insight slip as their antagonism of the candidates competing with Dean has grown. It bugs me that their convictions and desires outrun their rationales and the totality of the evidence. And the desire of TNR to instigate selfinflicted destruction of the Democratic Party (look, they champion Lieberman as nominee) isn't exactly hidden either.