tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post112300319496681226..comments2024-03-25T07:29:08.216-04:00Comments on 2 Political Junkies: My Interview with Bill PedutoMariahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10439330154875628083noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-1123201280609929932005-08-04T20:21:00.000-04:002005-08-04T20:21:00.000-04:00On the local level, Peduto is joined by fellow DLC...On the local level, Peduto is joined by fellow DLCer Representative Dan Frankel<BR/><BR/>On the State level by Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz and Representative Jennifer Mann<BR/><BR/>and at the Federal level by DLC executive member Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton<BR/><BR/>hardly a group of "right wing extremists"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-1123149494719447392005-08-04T05:58:00.000-04:002005-08-04T05:58:00.000-04:00By the way, the guy who's on this beat the most is...By the way, the guy who's on this beat the most is David Sirota. Here's an excerpt:<BR/><BR/>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/david-sirota/the-democrats-2008-choice_4729.html<BR/><BR/>Let's just look at the cold, hard facts about the DLC and its record. The DLC has pushed, among other things, the war in Iraq and "free" trade policies, using bags of corporate money to buy enough Democratic votes to help Republicans make those policies a reality. They have chastised anyone who has opposed those policies as either unpatriotic or anti-business -- even as a majority of Americans now oppose the war in Iraq, oppose the DLC's business-written trade deals, and are sick of watching America's economy sold out to the highest corporate bidder. Additionally, in brazenly Orwellian fashion, the DLC has also called its extremist agenda "centrist," even though polls show the American public opposes most of their agenda, and supports much of the progressive agenda.<BR/><BR/>Now, you could make a credible argument that the DLC's corporatization/Republicanization of the Democratic Party was justified, had it led to electoral success for Democrats. Few would argue that today's split-the-difference Democratic Party hasn't followed the DLC's policy direction over the last 10 years. That means the last 10 years of elections really have been a referendum on whether the DLC's model -- regardless of any moral judgements about it -- actually wins at the polls.<BR/><BR/>And that's when we get to the real problem with the DLC -- its policies are BOTH morally bankrupt, and politically disastrous. The rise of the DLC within the Democratic Party has coincided almost perfectly with the decline of the Democratic Party's power in American politics -- a decline that took Democrats from seemingly permanent majority status to permanent minority status. In this last election, just think of Democrats' troubles in Ohio as a perfect example of this. Here was a state ravaged by massive job loss due to corporate-written "free" trade deals -- yet Democrats were unable to capitalize on that issue and thus couldn't win the state because the DLC had long ago made sure the party helped pass the very trade policies (NAFTA, China PNTR) that sold out those jobs.<BR/><BR/>To counter, the DLC holds up Bill Clinton's 1992 win as proof that its policies win elections, but that is so dishonest it's laughable. First and foremost, almost everyone would agree Clinton ran a very un-DLC-like populist campaign for President in 1992, and won far more on the strength of his charisma/personality than any policy platform from a bunch of pencil-pushing geeks at the DLC in Washington, D.C. Secondly, since that 1992 victory -- with the exception of Clinton's 1996 victory over one of the weakest GOP challengers in modern history -- Democrats have been roundly destroyed in national election after national election.<BR/><BR/>Thus, we are brought back to the bottom line: with the DLC, Democrats get all of the bad policies, and none of the good electoral outcomes -- it is the worst of both worlds.<BR/><BR/>Why is this the case? Because, above any one issue, Americans don't thinPhilip Shropshirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00825030760094743121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-1123148887347806652005-08-04T05:48:00.000-04:002005-08-04T05:48:00.000-04:00There are those of us, and they include the Daily ...There are those of us, and they include the Daily Kos, who believe that the DLC is the Enemy Within. Yes, we were able to attain the White House, but we lost majorities in both the House and the US Senate. <BR/><BR/>The Clintons left the Democratic Party in a terrible state. Don't get me wrong I would much prefer a Clinton presidency right about now but the measure of his greatness is also how strong did you leave your party? By the measure, Bill Clinton has failed.<BR/><BR/>Here's another thing: whenever we lose its almost always the fault of the DLC pro biz centrists. They not only give the Republicans their margin of victory, but now they seem to refuse to use the fillibuster on behalf of the party. In fact, we're getting the worst of both worlds in that if you get rid of the fillibuster you can at least work for up and down passage of some very attractive bills (see Nathan Newsman's perspective on this). With the help of DLC centrists, we simply don't get to use the fillibuster, all the while letting the Republicans use it, even if they ever are returned to minority status....As spineless as the Dems have become, they could win majorities in both houses, win the presidency and the GOP would still run Washington with 40 senators who simply hold firm....Philip Shropshirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00825030760094743121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-1123102343377157922005-08-03T16:52:00.000-04:002005-08-03T16:52:00.000-04:00A sore point? Last time I checked, the last Democ...A sore point? Last time I checked, the last Democrat to occupy the White House was a member of the DLC.Shawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09708292183482695526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8213262.post-1123029558762829652005-08-02T20:39:00.000-04:002005-08-02T20:39:00.000-04:00He didn't disavow being a member of the DLC? Well,...He didn't disavow being a member of the DLC? Well, that's a sore point...<BR/><BR/>I wish you had asked him why the City of Pittsburgh isn't surrounded by Costcos...they pay well, they give monies to dems...I know he's on record as criticizing the wage slavery of Walmart...let's bring a Costco downtown...<BR/><BR/>Philip Shropshire<BR/>http://www.threeriversonline.comPhilip Shropshirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00825030760094743121noreply@blogger.com