WP: Blogs Attack From Left as Democrats Reach for Center

[Rose Siding]

By Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 28, 2006; Page A06

Democrats are getting an early glimpse of an intraparty rift that could complicate efforts to win back the White House: fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites and in interest groups vs. elected officials trying to appeal to a much broader audience.

These activists -- spearheaded by battle-ready bloggers and making their influence felt through relentless e-mail campaigns -- have denounced what they regard as a flaccid Democratic response to the Supreme Court fight, President Bush's upcoming State of the Union address and the Iraq war. In every case, they have portrayed party leaders as gutless sellouts.
...
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."
...
The question Democrats will debate over the next few years is whether the prevailing views of liberal activists on the war, the role of religion in politics and budget policies will help or hinder efforts to recapture the presidency and Congress.

Even if they disagree with their positions, Democratic candidates recognize from the Dean experience the power of the activists to raise money and infuse a campaign with their energy. On the flip side, the Alito and Kaine episodes serve as cautionary tales of what can happen to politicians when they spurn the blogs.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701505_2.html

[Plausible]

1. Ummm

"The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."

translated - use them, take their money and ignore what they are saying.

[Justitia]

4. said Elmendorf, a lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign

Now, this is not the first guy I would be looking to for any kind of campaign advice, knowwhatimean?

And yes, "let's steal from them then stuff them in a closet, bound & gagged" is not a great advertisement for your fundraising skills - at least not in THIS party.

[Eric J in MN]

20. That line leaped out for me, too.

nt

[phylny]

25. You did a Vulcan mind-meld with me.

If this guy was so great and smart, we would be talking about Chili recipes on DU right now.

[Justitia]

38. LOL! If only! -eom

[Rose Siding]

39. Here's some dope on Elmendorf - now he's a lobbyist

at a Republican bi-partisan firm. I'm very uncomfortable with power brokers rubbing expensively clad elbows in this fashion:

Ollie and Elmo Bash
By Mary Ann Akers, Roll Call

Republican Jack Oliver and Democrat Steve Elmendorf are throwing a party tonight to celebrate their new next big thing, Bryan Cave Strategies. Heavy-hitting VIPs from both parties are expected to turn out at the reception at Charlie Palmer Steak from 6 to 8 p.m.

"We invited everyone running for president in both parties so that alone should fill the room," says Elmendorf, a longtime aide to then-Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) and adviser to the Kerry campaign.

Elmendorf and Oliver, former deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee and finance vice chairman for Bush-Cheney '04, have formed the lobbying wing of Bryan Cave, an international law firm based in Missouri.

The fledgling firm recently registered four new major-league clients: Fannie Mae, Verizon, Union Pacific Railroad, Northwest Airlines, and Ernst and Young.

http://www.bryancavestrategies.com/contents/news/index.asp
snip>
Bryan Cave Strategies follows the recent trend of bipartisan lobbying groups.

The founding partners of Quinn Gillespie and Associates are former RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie and Jack Quinn, a former top aide to the Clinton White House counsel.

Established in 2000, Quinn Gillespie has rapidly emerged as a leading lobbying firm, with $12 million in total fees in 2004. It placed No. 14 on Roll Call’s list of the top lobbying firms of 2004.

Another recently minted bipartisan firm, PodestaMattoon, has enjoyed similar financial success.

Founded in 2001 by Tony Podesta, a former aide to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), and Dan Mattoon, a confidant of Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), PodestaMattoon reported $11.3 million in fees in 2004 — good for No. 15 on Roll Call’s list.

http://www.bryancavestrategies.com/contents/news/stl030905.asp

kos cites the WaPo quote and remarks:

Mr. Elmendorf almost got it right. The trick, in reality, is to stop appearing like our Democrats are held captive to sleazebag amoral lobbyists.

Here's notice, any Democrat associated with Elmendorf will be outed. The netroots can then decide for itself whether it wants to provide some of that energy and money to that candidate.

There's nothing "extreme left" with demanding Democrats act like Democrats, no matter how much these out-of-touch and self-important beltway insiders think it is.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/28/10530/4735

hee hee. And I think this is where the stories (though still not strongly sourced) that I've seen for VandeHei's GOP ties are coming from-

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2005/7/25/21720/6087/22#22

[leftchick]

33. fool me once shame on me...

until they ditch this centrist DLC crap which is really nothing more than a repackaged RW agenda they can count me out and my cash.

[O.M.B.inOhio]

2. Oh, that's rich...

<<"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party,... The trick will be to harness their energy and their money ....">>
Well, Elmendorf, this kind of attitude makes protest votes a rational act. And since when a Kerry campaign advisor an expert on winning elections. Kerry only barely won against the weakest opponent ever.

[me b zola]

3. Dear WoPo,

...and Steve Elmendorf,

The left IS center.



Thank You,

A concerned citizen who realizes that we have been taken back fifty years, and I want my country back.

[rawtribe]

5. He who stands for nothing..

Will fall for anything. Play to the base and the brain dead center will follow. The :puke: know this, and win.

[Union Thug]

14. Thank you for this...

It's about time someone said it. And it's true.

[gumby]

6. I'll try again tomorrow, but that article is nutty.

In my initial reading, VandeHei is incoherent. He seems to be having a Corporate Media Breakdown. He seems to be puking the MSM line while trying to say something else.

The conflicts of the ruling class will be many during this transition to fascism.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

7. So Freeptards didn't scream about abortion while Bush never said the word?

Why is this called a problem that "could complicate efforts to win back the White House"?

The rePUKES have their Freeptard sites and whack nut activists like Pat Robertson and their candidates never talk about ABORTION or GUNS or CUTS in medicare.

Scumbag Washington Post.

[MisterP]

8. they changed the article at the address; it appears in the WaPo search

these creeps don't represent us--they sneer at our "degenerate coastal ways and tea," support wiretapping, Alito, fascist wars of aggression, every Bushit thing under the sun, say they don't need our votes, lie about us, and then demand our money

link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701505.html

[rodeodance]

9. k and r.

[phylny]

26. I've seen "k and r" on many posts and am dumb - what does this mean? n/t

[annabanana]

30. "Kick" and "Recommend". . . . . n/t

[phylny]

35. Duh! Thanks :) n/t

[bluestateguy]

10. I think we need to ask Bob Shrum for his opinion on this matter

The professional election losers and overpaid Washington consultants are the same people who insist on using mealy-mouthed rhetoric and only contesting 20 states in presidential races.

[rodeodance]

11. the link lead to athe Katrina story

[BlueIris]

12. When Blogs Attack. Heh.

The spin there is disgusting, but I am so posting it on my blog later...if I still have a blog to post at later...the site owner's reaction to my post about Kerry's support for the filibuster may not have been received well. We'll have to see.

[DesEtoiles]

13. Dear WaPo - ask Dan Rather about blog attacks.

[Douglas Carpenter]

15. well then let's look at the majority -- in fact the super majority

___________________
Borrowed from:
LynnTheDem

a super-majority of Americans are liberal in all but name
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20051107/alterman
Public opinion polls show that the majority of Americans embrace liberal rather than conservative positions...
http://www.poppolitics.com/articles/2002-04-16-liberal.shtml
The vast majority of Americans are looking for more social support, not less...
http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/borosage-r.html

http://people.umass.edu/mmorgan/commstudy.html

some more polls:

http://www.democracycorps.com/reports/analyses/Democracy_Corps_May_2005_Graphs.pdf

http://www.democrats.com/bush-impeachment-poll-2

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/US/healthcare031020_poll.html

http://www.cdi.org/polling/5-foreign-aid.cfm

[Raydawg1234]

24. good post

[justgamma]

16. It's too darn bad the repukes don't listen to him.

Did they run to the center? HELL NO!! I'm not sure what the center is or what the far left is.

What I do know is that the pukes win by playing to their base and running right.

These guys need to THINK! We can't chase them to the right. We'll never catch them. I believe that people will come out to vote if there are big differences in the 2 parties.

[Nikki Stone 1]

17. Don't pay attention to this; it's an attempt to silence opposition

The Washington Post is up to its neck in its own corruption.

[KharmaTrain]

18. Great Quote From Firedoglake...

File this under STFU, Vandehei...another Rovian stenographer...

http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_01_22_firedoglake_archive.html#113843199545068818

I'm going to let James field this one (from the comments):
If your name is accompanied by the words "Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign," then you deserve a warm glass of shut-the-hell-up.

It's like quoting Axl Rose for tips on keeping the band together.

:rofl:

:toast:

[Raydawg1234]

19. What so they just USE us? We should form our own party.

[me b zola]

22. We *have* our own party, it is they who are tresspassing

If we are the $$$ raisers, the activists, and the ones who speak to Democratic principles that have been held dear for 60 years, I say that it is THEY who need to leave and form their own party. As for us, we need to become busy in local politics and grow us some winning candidates who represent US.

:toast:

[Rose Siding]

37. Exactly. I'll keep my Democracy bond, thank you

Working to change the party is the key.

The quote from this clown is the best reason yet for ridding ourselves of the tired old style of beltway campaign hacks.

[Eric J in MN]

21. The journalist implies that it would upset centrist voters

to filibuster Samuel Alito.

I think they'd have more respect for politicians who show they care about something than politicians who kowtow to George W. Bush.

[Lorien]

23. "Given a republican and a democrat who acts like one, the people

will chose the republican every time". True when it was written, even more true now. Study after study, poll after poll have shown that people are DESPERATE for real opposition to the Bush regime. DLCers had better figure that out right now.

[saracat]

27. How Dare they?

"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."


Well screw them. It is because of that attitude that I will no longer send them any money. I will send money to John Kerry and the rest of them can go whistle!

[Skidmore]

28. Gonna lose their base tryin' to be Rs. Hell bent to do so.

Keep it up, and its gonna slap you on the backside. I've had it. If you can't fight for the principles that made the Dems the party of civil rights and labor and addressed the concerns of women, children, and those with disabilities, then you will lose the base. You will definitely lose me.

[bklyncowgirl]

29. But listen to this bit about the GOP in the early 80s

Talking about the rise of talk radio and its influence on the Republicans.

The closest historic parallel would be the talk-radio phenomenon of the early 1980s, when conservatives -- like liberals now -- felt powerless and certain they did not have a way to voice their views because the mainstream media and many of their own leaders considered them out of touch. Through talk radio, often aired in rural parts of the country on the AM dial, conservatives pushed the party to the right on social issues and tax cuts.

Refresh my memory here but wasn't that about when they like started to WIN?

[annabanana]

31. The article is self - contradicting! .. good catch...

He talks out of both sides of his mouth at the same time.

how agile of him

[bklyncowgirl]

34. Yup--if it's good for them how come it's not good for us?

The right wing talk radio in the 80s gave people who'd pretty much given up on electoral politics something to vote for when politicians started listening to and framing their rhetoric for them.

Whey should it not work for liberals.

[bpilgrim]

32. how come it WORKS for the neoCONs to harness their base but not the dems?

this is all nonsense from the elite who desperately don't wanna see CHANGE. well guess what, y'all got no one to blame but yourselves for getting us all fired up.

peace

[EFerrari]

36. This is such crap and it's no accident that it was spewed

this weekend.

Demcratic candidates do appeal to a broader base than the Thuggery. Gore won, and there's every reason to believe that Kerry won as well. Clean up the frickin' elections and take back what is rightfully yours -- and lose the Elmendorfs.

There is no "reaching for the center" going on at this moment. This is a blatant attempt to piss people off on a weekend when we need to keep our cool and stay on task.

Nice try, WaHo.