DLC says they did, DNC spokesman say they didn't.....

[madfloridian]

but that there were no hard feelings.

One is right, the other one is wrong. Either they asked him or they didn't ask him.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/REPOSITORY/607250357/1013/48HOURS

With a stated mission of moving the party toward the center, the organization has been derided as "Democrats for the leisure class"by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the "Republican wing of the Democratic Party" by former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, now chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The DLC said Dean was invited to Denver; a party spokeswoman said it was never received, but there were no hard feelings."

I ask because it matters. It matters whether they did or didn't.

And Al From got caught muttering about this issue at the conference.

http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/07/is_the_dlcold_w.html

A reporter pointed out that the DLC usually invites the chair of the party to speak. Said From: "We always invite the chair of the party, but the discussion here is always about ideas...." His voice trailed off.

This is a matter of importance in defining what this group really is, was the party chairman invited or not. It is a simple answer. Why mention it is about "ideas" in the same sentence as inviting the chair of the party?

[blm]

1. I wouldn't believe From if the Pope was on his knees begging me to.

.

[madfloridian]

3. If they are calling themselves Democratic leaders.....

then they should invite the chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

They should let us know who was there, and who wasn't.

I sure do have some suspicions about their isolating themselves from other Democrats like they are.

[Dover]

5. I think Clinton and DLCers exploited Deans 'annoying sound'

issue in the campaign that ended his candidacy and purposely placed him in the DNC to shut him out of their group of 'leaders'. He has never really had their backing, but they acknowledged his huge following and had to do something with him.

I saw Dean on Charlie Rose sometime after his candidacy ended and he almost said as much. He alluded to a call from Clinton and then decided not to finish. Charlie asked him a few times to say more, but he knew he couldn't.

[madfloridian]

8. I saw that.

He did put some things in his book in 04, but he never went further. He said he would someday. Rose really pumped him.

[blm]

7. I can't help notice the growing roster of who is being frozen out.

Certainly helps with who I see myself siding with in these times. Even though I have no problem with the DLC existing, I do find their pushiness to be offensive, not productive. Every Dem group should seek to be productive for the party over all, not seek ways to dominate it.

[OzarkDem]

17. But they're going nowhere

they don't have popular support among the party or among voters. About all they're accomplishing is keeping themselves employed and the coffers of their candidates filled. Neither of those things win elections.

[Dover]

2. No news here. There IS a split in the Dem party and the DLC was formed

because they wanted to distinguish themselves as the leadership (hence the "L") or platform builders.

They don't really share the same "ideas" or financial backing. Might be interesting to follow the money behind these two political entities.

[madfloridian]

4. I suspect there is an attempt to curb DNC fundraising....

by some of the aforementioned. I would feel better if the individuals in the party were willing to finance the restructuring more than they are.....but that is a reality.

Democrats don't fund their party, Republicans do fund theirs. And corporations will fund anyone who bows to their wishes.

People in the party are not taking the divide seriously enough, and they are not funding or participating in growing it.

Easier to stand on the sidelines.

[Zodiak]

18. Good luck

because they do not publish it. Nice to know our self-appointed leaders do not see fit to tell us who is backing them.

[Dhalgren]

6. Maybe I missed it (it's been a while and I have been known to

"miss" things), but I don't remember Dean saying the "Republican wing of the Democratic Party" in referring to the DLC. I do remember him saying that he "represented the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party!" Like I say, maybe I missed it....

[madfloridian]

9. He used that term later a few times.

.

[Dhalgren]

10. Thanks, I just couldn't remember hearing it myself...

[Dover]

11. I wonder if the recent picketing in Harlem of Clinton's office there

marks the beginning of the end of Clinton's cushy relationship with the Black community on the whole.

If you missed that story, people were angry that Clinton's office in Harlem was causing the gentrification of their neighborhood and putting real estate prices out of reach.
Certainly a reminder that Clinton is NOT one of them.

All in all it's just another crack in the wall...

[Cocoa]

14. they weren't blaming Clinton

they were demanding he use his stature to address a problem which already existed, and which Clinton was now a part of.

edit with link. A little different than "blacks want Clinton out," eh?

http://www.nysun.com/article/36435

<snip>

A HTC co-founder, Nellie Bailey, said the primary goal of the protest was to draw attention to what she calls a "housing crisis in Harlem," due in part to displacement because of price increases by landlords and evictions.

"We're hoping to have a dialogue with a president of enormous influence," Ms. Bailey said, "so he can understand the concerns of Harlem tenants," including the lack of a comprehensive, beneficial housing policy and legal services.

[loudsue]

12. All the blogs should start calling DLC the "Democratic LOSERSHIP Council"

Especially once we get rid of LIEberman. We need to let those people who are newbies, who are JOINING the DLC (Barak Obama comes to mind) that they need to side with Howard Dean -- who represents real Democrats -- instead of Al From, who has engineered every Dem defeat, and who has been promoting what's WRONG about the Democratic party.... i.e., the corporate takeover of America in cahoots with the republicans.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Cocoa]

13. more likely he was asked

why wouldn't they? An appearance by Dean would help them.

On the other hand, for Dean to appear thre would enrage the dem base and hurt the DNC, which explains why he didn't go.

[madfloridian]

15. Why I would believe them over Dean's spokesman?

Doesn't make sense to me.

[Cocoa]

19. I'll outline the scenario again

DLC invites Dean so that his appearance lends credibility to them.

Dean declines because an appearance there diminishes the DLC in the eyes of the dem base.

At this point in time, he doesn't see a big to-do over a Dean "snub" of the DLC would further anyone's ends, so he plays it down.

Just a guess. Could be completely wrong, but it makes sense to me.

I'd be willing to listen to alternate scenarios.

[OzarkDem]

16. I believe Dean before the DLC

He's not the passive aggressive type. Triangulators see things in shades of gray, not black and white, including the truth.

[Cocoa]

20. maybe so

maybe there's a reason the DLC would say they invited Dean when they didn't.

What's the reason?

[madfloridian]

21. Same reason they called him "fringe" and "radical lefty"...

remember that? He was one of them when he was governor, having been commended by them at times.

Same reason they called us "fringe activists" and sent out memos to all us bad anti-war people.

Same reason Bull Moose is used by them to spew his hatred against anyone who is not a Republican or DLCer.

Need more?

[Cocoa]

22. how does that explain them saying they invited Dean?

for purposes of argument, let's say they hate Howard Dean.

How does that lead them to say they invited him to their event when they didn't?

[madfloridian]

23. Why would his spokesman say the opposite?

And why do you give the DLC more credibility than you give Dean and the DNC? A reporter posed the question to Al From, and I think to some others.

Since they consider Dean fringe and radical, and since they consider me an anti-war lefty fringe activist...then I believe the DNC who respects me more than that.

[Cocoa]

24. to smooth over the snub

I'm admitting my theory is coming out of my ass, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me. And again, I'm open to other theories.

"Credibility" on something so petty as this is meaningless to me. From either side it was a white lie, meant to avoid conflict rather than for malice.

You seem to think the DLC is smearing Dean. This proposed smear still doesn't make sense to me. How does their lying about this hurt Dean?

[madfloridian]

25. We don't seem to be communicating well on this.

Maybe looking at it different ways.

[Cha]

26. Well, reading this whole

thread, I think the dlc is pulling their "invitation" outta their ass.

[madfloridian]

27. LOL

Hi, zidzi...I agree.

[OzarkDem]

28. Because it would show their true colors

and they don't want the public to know that they don't really support Dems at all.