I am pleased to report that the historical records of the Democratic Leadership Council will become part of the Clinton Foundation.
In 1985, the Democratic Party was out of ideas and out of power. A small group of reform-minded governors - including Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton - senators and house members and I formed the DLC to change both. And over the last quarter century, I believe the record will show that we did just that.
With then-Governor Clinton as chairman, the DLC championed bold and innovative reform ideas that challenged old orthodoxies. National service (AmeriCorps), an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, welfare reform, charter schools, community policing, expanded trade and re-inventing government - all DLC ideas put into action during the Clinton Presidency - have changed America for the better.
Our nation and our politics have changed significantly since 1985. The DLC has accomplished much of what we first set out to achieve. As a result, the DLC itself ceased operations earlier this year, but the records and materials prepared and formulated by the DLC over the years have significant historical value.
Because many of these materials show and explain the growth and development of President Clinton's policies, passions and legacy, the William J. Clinton Foundation has purchased all of the records and materials of the DLC. The Clinton Presidential Center is an important location for telling the story not just of the Clinton administration but also of the world at the latter part of the 20th century. We believe these records are an important part of that history, and believe the Clinton Foundation is an appropriate and fitting repository.
In addition to being an important part of America's historical narrative, the DLC was a transformative organization for the political landscape of the country. It was founded on the belief that if we held firmly to the first principles of the Democratic Party but furthered them with fresh ideas and modern means, the American people would once again turn to us for national leadership.
Running on ideas shaped during his DLC chairmanship, President Clinton became the first Democrat to be elected and re-elected president in six decades. Most important, the DLC ideas he put into action restored the American Dream for tens of millions of Americans and became the model for resurgent progressive parties in countries across the globe.
The New Democrat model is as powerful today as ever. Statehouses, state legislatures, and local governments across America are led by a new generation of leaders whose political philosophies were shaped by President Clinton and the DLC. We are thankful these documents and ideas will live on, and the new generation of leaders can learn from the politics that President Clinton and the DLC forged.
Al From
Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2011/07/dlc-records-to-clinton-foundation-037215#ixzz3q1Dguf6O
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