NY SUN: Centrist Democrats Ponder How To Counter Netroots

[jaysunb]

By JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun
July 21, 2006

At a time when centrism has become a dirty word in some Democratic Party circles, hundreds of the party's avowed moderates are convening in Denver this weekend to discuss their agenda for this fall's election and the presidential contest in 2008.

The annual meeting of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group that came to prominence in connection with President Clinton's electoral victory in 1992, takes place as the organization has become a lightning rod for criticism from liberal Web-based activists known as the netroots.

The Denver gathering is scheduled to hear from the putative Democratic frontrunner for 2008, Senator Clinton, as well as other possible contenders such as Senator Bayh of Indiana, Governor Vilsack of Iowa, and Governor Richardson of New Mexico.

A former Congressional staffer sharply critical of the group, David Sirota, said the speeches to the group will carry some political cost. "Among a certain segment of voters, it's absolutely, positively negative. It's radioactive," Mr. Sirota said. "Candidates should at least consider the radioactivity."

The tension dates back to the
http://www.nysun.com/article/36497?page_no=1

[MissWaverly]

1. whisper in their ear, remember Joe Lieberman

[rurallib]

2. I used to be in the middle, maybe even the right side of the party

About 15 years ago. My views have changed little in that time, yetnow I am considered very lefty. I look around and wonder where everyone went? They went after the votes by becoming Republican-lite. Instead of trying to start an internecine war in the party, why don't they sit back and analyze the situation.
One thing is for sure. The only DLC candidate that has been real successful has been Clinton. And that was due in large part to Ross Perot and his maverick candidacy.

[OzarkDem]

4. Clinton was successful because of Clinton

and his policies were his own, not those of the DLC. Clinton succeeded because he had good ideas, surrounded himself with talented people whom he listened to.

[wyldwolf]

6. then why does Clinton himself say his policies were DLC?

[wyldwolf]

7. What you must ask yourself...

is how many Democrats period have been "real successful" in the last 40 years?

If your measurement of "real" success is the Presidency, then the answer is just two: Carter and Clinton, with Clinton being the MOST successful.

But don't forget Al Gore (DLC) who (at the time) won the most votes of any Democrat in history, and John Kerry (DLC) who won the second most votes in history of any party.

Further, Clinton got no help from Ross Perot. Political urban legend.

[OzarkDem]

3. Not centrist, right-leaning Dems

We keep hearing this meme in the right wing news media.

DLC isn't centrist - its right-leaning.

Funny thing, all these PR campaigns trying to reframe the DLC for the last 6 months don't seem to be paying off.

[Peace Patriot]

5. How can they "counter" the netroots? Try COUNTING ALL THE BALLOTS,

you assholes!

Sorry, I'm getting a very dirty mouth (keyboard?) hanging out at DU!

The Democratic Party leadership's collusion in the Bushite corporate takeover our election system--with TRADE SECRET, PROPRIETARY programming code, and virtually no audit/recount controls, in all the shiny, new, electronic, election theft systems--really bothers me a lot.

We exposed it here on the NETROOTS. And we aren't going to forget it, or let it get blackholed, like the Democratic leadership has been doing. We're going to expose it some more, and get rid of it, and restore the American peoples' right to vote, then we're going to retire the lot of you, DLCers. Centrists. (Centrists, my ass!)

And now I'm going to tell you something weird and interesting. I don't know what to make of it. All but 2 of our benighted Democratic US Senators voted IN FAVOR OF Bushite corporations taking over all the vote tabulation in the country and pulling it behind a veil of corporate secrecy. The two who voted against the "Help America Vote For Bush Act" were....

....drumroll...

Charles Schumer, and

Hillary Clinton!

Go figure!

A tiny little mousehole of openness to Hillary opened in my entirely rebellious Black Irish soul, upon learning this strange fact.

[cdsilv]

8. perhaps we should get the blackhats on our side....

..they do understand money.

I'm talking about the hackers/crackers. The folks who attend defcon under false ID's.

[AtomicKitten]

10. you are spot-on regarding election fraud

And it astounds me to this day that there hasn't been screaming like their hair was on fire regarding this issue YEARS ago. I worked with Rush Holt's office on HR-2239 to try to get a paper trail but became so discouraged. It makes no sense to me why the Dems have not made this their #1 priority. Each election that is manipulated makes fixing the problem more and more difficult if not impossible.

[Pithy Cherub]

9. So the DLC now acknowledges the power of the netroots -

and realizes they are no longer calling all of the shots. Sirota is correct in his summation. The DLC is in retreat and now needs to court the very people they have been disdaining. Tis a long fall brought about by the DLC's hubris and center/right positioning and stupid enablement of Bush's policies. Especially entertaining is the spin from DLC apologist Bruce Reed that Joementum's election debacle isn't a referendum on the DLC and its policies. Uh Bruce, yeah it is and that's just part of the reasoning! The DLC is learning they no longer have the power they perceived themselves to have and accrue on behalf of the DLC.

Warner the major DLC'er won't even cancel his vacation so as not to be there.
Montana - the DLC candidate failed. Netroots candidate in!
California - the DLC candidate failed. Angelides demanded his name removed.
Iowa - the DLC candidate failed. The populist won.
Connecticut - the DLC candidate is fighting for his political life.
And that's just this year.

Hopefully, the DLC will learn to champion the base, share ideas and understand that the days of caving in are coming to a close for Democrats who want to get elected.

[jaysunb]

11. You've hit it right,on all cylinders !

:toast:

[Pithy Cherub]

12. Thank you!

:hi: