DLC History Book Link

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http://speakout.com/activism/opinions/5408-1.html

The DLC launched in 1985 as a response to "the entitlement strain of liberalism" and special-interest influence that its founders felt had overtaken the Democratic Party since 1972. Coming on the heels of Ronald Reagan's landslide presidential victory over Walter Mondale in 1984, the founders of the DLC -- which included then-Gov. Chuck Robb (VA), then-Sens. Sam Nunn (GA) and Al Gore (TN), and From -- started the organization to "moderate" the Democratic Party and keep it viable on the national level.

Baer describes the agenda circa 1985: "The DLC would advocate sustained economic growth, equal and expanding opportunity, and the aggressive defense of freedom with the promotion of democratic values abroad."

The DLC was met with skepticism, and some open hostility, among establishment Democrats. Almost immediately upon its founding the organization found itself at odds with the Democratic National Committee. Critics derided its white, Southern male bent, its attachment to business interests and its pro-market orientation.

At a conference held in 1986, prominent members of the Democratic left made plans to marginalize the DLC. The conference slogan read: "Because one Republican Party is more than enough." The hostility from entrenched Democratic leaders can best be understood as a reaction to the DLC's unwillingness to keep its criticisms of the party's policies private; instead, it chose to bring the case for the need for a new party to the public. The group was more than happy to air the Democrats' dirty laundry for all to see.