The DLC collapsed because it had no populist appeal

[bluestateguy]

The DLC is about to go out of business. They have nobody to blame but themselves

Just a collection of politicians, ex-politicians, think tankers, pundits and academics.

They don't have too many, you know, actual people in their little group.

[mod mom]

1. Their true colors have become known so they'll just change their name

and continue to serve their corporate masters.

[Marr]

10. Yep-- this is just a rebranding.

Corporations do it all the time when their name becomes dirty.

[sabrina 1]

2. If that's true, it would be good news. But why would they go out of business

when they are succeeding so well in taking over the Dem. Party?

[tekisui]

4. I see it more as a mission accomplished.

[sabrina 1]

8. Yes, I agree ~

[RufusTFirefly]

11. I agree. We don't say "DLC Democrats" just as we don't say "Electric TV"

The modifier is understood and no longer needs mentioning. :-(

[TorchTheWitch]

19. so do I n/t

[fadedrose]

3. They're going broke?? I did it and I'm glad...

I sent unflattering emails about them to the White House, senators, news channels, and on DU. Had to have some effect.

I even told them a months ago that I hope they go broke, and it came about.

Now I hope that the black former US Rep from Tennesee who must earn his money from DLC, who lost one or two elections ago, is not on any more political programs. I can never think of his name.

[hfojvt]

6. have you derided a Ford lately?

[fadedrose]

7. YOu mean Harold? all the time....eom

[DJ13]

5. I think this is bad news

The conservative pseudo Democrats will scatter and burrow in at various Democratic organizations and try to undermine liberalism from within now.

[jimlup]

9. Good

This group doesn't represent the people. It represents elite interests. That's what the code word "leadership" was all about.

[struggle4progress]

12. Maybe they're a casualty of Citizens United

Money now might just go to shadowy groups with misleading names like "Americans for Motherhood and Apple Pie"

[Atypical Liberal]

13. Link?

Is this for real?

[ElboRuum]

14. The DLC was nothing more than an attempt to emulate Republican election strategy.

However, the DLC could obviously not last because, while their tactics can work in a more general sense, the Republicans have a base that will vote reliably on basis of a few emotionally charged issues, and Democrats do not.

The DLC, proceeding from the idea that centrism, not populism, wins elections, erroneously calculated that continued movement toward a rightward moving "center" would garner the votes necessary to maintain electoral power long enough to wrest long term control of the government away from Republicans, presumably by taking moderate Republicans into the Democratic fold. However, the Republicans strength is the Democrats' weakness, that the base, those in the center-left and farther left, are less motivated by partisanship than by the custodianship of New Deal policy as it remains, restoration where it has been weakened, and advancement where it has fallen short.

Where the DLC really does its damage is in its limited success. Had the DLC failed in its bids to elect Bill Clinton and the blue dogs that followed, its demise may have come more quickly. Instead, it, through the election of its supported candidates, was in a distinctly influential position in regards to policy, which of course, were given in the veil of a more liberal thinking modality, but were essentially just extensions of the same economic voodoo that was once decried then embraced by Bush the Elder. In truth, the DLC was really just about rechanneling electoral funding and the electoral success therefrom to the Democratic party, without actually delivering on much of the liberal lip service paid to the base, what little existed.

I feel that the DLC, even in its success in resurrecting the electoral viability of Democratic candidates in the face of 12 years of Republican inculcation of and propaganda directed toward the electorate, managed to dilute the heritage of the modern Democratic party to the point where no true liberal leadership force exists outside of a few politicians, and specifically no core liberal strategy exists at the national party level.

I will not miss this institution once it is gone.

[derby378]

15. Did I miss something?

I work for a living once again, and the new office don't take kindly to surfing. Is the DLC really going under?

[Disintermedia8]

16. It became a completely useless organization when their members occupied the Obama cabinet.

There's not much to aspire to after that.

[sufrommich]

17. Then why did so many DUers act like it was the monster

that ate the Democratic Party?

[LooseWilly]

18. The "people" seem to have all migrated already anyway...

As per Ben Smith (http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0211/Democratic_Leadership_Council_will_fold.html)

"PPI appears poised to pick up the group's legacy on the center-left; it has ramped up steadily since the two split, and now has 11 paid staff and two fellows, an official at PPI said."

PPI= Progressive Policy Institute... ("The Progressive Policy Institute is a public policy institute shaping the Third Way agenda with progressive legislative solutions for environmental policy ...")

Well, that's "change" alright. Reminding us all of the joke about how politicians (and political think tanks) are like diapers...

[TheKentuckian]

20. Party Borged: Mission Accomplished

They don't need no stinking organization other than the Democratic apparatus that they have full control of.

[bvar22]

21. The DLC never needed or wanted "populist appeal".

The DLC existed to funnel Corporate Money and large Single Source donations to their hand picked "Business Friendly" (Anti-Working Class) candidates and BUY the Democratic Party.
It was very successful.



The DLC New Team
Liberals need not apply

(Screen Capped from the DLC Website)


”I am a New Democrat!”---Barack Obama
http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254931&kaid=85&subid=900184


Even IF the organization called the "DLC" ceases to exist,
their people are occupying the Leadership seats of the Democratic Party,
and their evil work will continue.


"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans."
---Paul Wellstone


"By their works you will know them."

[tavalon]

22. They know we're on to them. We know they are republicans trying

to take over the Democratic party from the inside. Now, they will change their name and they think we won't notice. Sadly, it looks like they've achieved their goal.