Not A Single One Of The 8 Candidates Plans To Attend DLC Meeting

[Hissyspit]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070725/ap_on_el_pr/snubbing_moderates

Democratic hopefuls snub party moderates
By RON FOURNIER

WASHINGTON - Bill Clinton will be there. So will 300 officeholders from more than 45 states. But one thing will be missing when Democrats gather in Tennessee this weekend to discuss how to appeal to moderate, independent-minded voters in 2008: the Democratic presidential field.

Not a single one of the eight presidential candidates plans to attend the Democratic Leadership Council's summer meeting, a snub that says less about the centrist DLC than it does about a nomination process that rewards candidates who pander to their parties' hardened cores while ignoring everybody else.

"They have tunnel vision," DLC founder Al From said of his fellow Democrats.

- snip -

The DLC would like to help the Democratic candidates, but none are listening. While no Democratic presidential hopeful wants to be associated with the centrist group, most of the candidates will be in Chicago on Aug. 4 to attend a convention of liberal bloggers.

"They are looking only at the liberal activists in Iowa," From said of the candidates.

[redqueen]

1. Tunnel vision? Or a grasp on reality?

Sorry, but the DLC is too far right. "Moderate", used in connection with that group, seems to me to be a misnomer.

[ulysses]

3. thank you.

gmta. :hi:

[redqueen]

6. Hi there!

Nice to see you. :hi:

[ulysses]

18. likewise, my friend.

:hug:

[dkofos]

2. That should tell you something Al!!

[Yael]

4. I disagree -- they are listening. They heard and then said, "No thanks"

[merh]

8. Exactly -- I'm encouraged that they are listening to the people

and not the party heads.

Welcome to DU :hi:

[Yael]

19. Thanks! Happy to be here

:hi:

[tridim]

12. Except we all know Sen Clinton wants to be there

But she's smart enough to know it's probably a bad idea right now.

[tularetom]

5. There IS a god!!!

"They're not buying our bullshit anymore", Mr. From whined.

[Why Syzygy]

7. It's his party

and he can cry if he wants to. heh

[Stephanie]

9. So HIllary's sending Bill in her place?

[Stephanie]

11. what is the liberal blogger convention?

might be fun!

[Pirate Smile]

23. Yearly Kos - the first one was last year in Vegas. The second one will

be in Chicago and the candidates and all of the Democratic Leadership will show up.

Faux and O'Reilly are shocked! Shocked and horrified!

:evilgrin:

I hope Cspan sends better cameras or gets a better signal this year. Last year they kept going out. Drove me nuts.

[Stephanie]

26. oh Kos!

thanks - if only they weren't so rude to me over there i might have considered attending...

[Skidmore]

24. My first thought too.

Hillary's there.

[rocktivity]

10. Bill but not Hil?

She's only one of the DLC's senior officers!

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
rocknation

[Stephanie]

16. shhhh!!

you're spoiling everything!

[Canuckistanian]

13. WHO has tunnel vision?

The current group of candidates run the gamut from old liberal warriors to new "pragmatists".

The DLC has proven itself to be a stifler of debate and far too concerned with business interests.

And one thing they are NOT is "centrist".

[BlooInBloo]

14. We just PWNED the last election by ignoring EVERYTHING they said. Fuck them.

[rocktivity]

15. Get the picture, Al?

:evilgrin:
rocknation

[RB TexLa]

17. And how many have ever gone to a DLC event during primaries?

The one left standing will be knocking come the general election.

[ulysses]

21. gimme a minute and I'll see if I can find out,

but given Al's temper tantrum, I would guess that it hasn't been an 0-fer in the past.

[ulysses]

22. Richardson made a presentation at the one in 2003

http://dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=131&subid=192&contentid=251928

[RB TexLa]

25. I know the campaigning season has been stretched but that's before the last one

There may have been a candidate or two go to an event during the primaries but I'd be surprised if there were more than a couple of times it happened.

[ulysses]

33. but then why is From pitching such a fit?

[Alexander]

20. Hillary Clinton doesn't want to be seen with her husband at a DLC meeting?

That strikes me as a much more profound indicator of the DLC's popularity than all the bullshit posts the DLC apologists keep making here.

[Individualist]

27. Hypocrites and liars!

"While no Democratic presidential hopeful wants to be associated with the centrist group..." They don't want to be PUBLICLY associated with DLC. Biden, Clinton, Edwards and Richardson all are or were DLC members.

"Hillary Clinton appears to have the opposite goal, which is to use the DLC as a base from which to unite the party to rebut criticism that Democrats have no common message."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/29/AR2006052901029_pf.html

Democratic voters are finally becoming aware of DLC's agenda, so of course the candidates, like the DLC supporters here at DU, won't admit that they support that vile agenda. DLC doesn't even list its members on its website. Can anyone possibly wonder why?

[Virginia Dare]

44. I have an honest question for you..

I see you are from Tennessee and I'm from Virginia. Here in my state, as I'm sure is the case in yours as well, we don't have the luxury of voting in people like Feingold or Kucinich.

For example we had a very fine Governor by the name of Mark Warner who happens to be a DLC member. He did a lot of good for this state, and he was leaps and bounds better than the Repuke (Jim Gilmore) we had in before who nearly wrecked our treasury by doing stupid shit like cutting taxes without making up for the revenue. Our current Governor, also a very fine man is Tim Kaine, also a member of the DLC. Both of these guys have the inenviable position of having to deal with an extreme right wing crazy nutso legislature, and both seem to be pretty good at forging compromises and finding common ground. That's about the best we can hope for at this juncture here, but the Democrats are on the rise, and this state is gradually drifting more toward the center. Jim Webb was a vast improvement over George Allen, but again, a moderate Democrat (not however DLC).

So my question is, are all DLC members evil vile creatures to you? Because my feeling is, as far as my state goes, any Democrat is better than a Republican and nine times out of ten you are going to get a moderate to conservative Democrat in this state. And trust me, if you think there is no difference between a DLC Democrat and a Republican, come to my state and you will see clearly that there is a HUGE difference.

Being a long time labor rights advocate, I'm not comfortable either with the cozy relationships that many of these people have forged with big business, but I'm not willing to make blanket statements like every member of the DLC is evil and vile, it's just not the case as I see it.

P.S. What's your beef, do you just hate Harold Ford or something?

[rocktivity]

47. DING DING DING! Notsodumbhillbilly, you're our grand prize winner!

...DLC doesn't even list its members on its website. Can anyone possibly wonder why?
Hillary Clinton is more than a DLC member--she's one of its four senior officials! And she's NOT going to the convention? Then why doesn't Al From discuss it with HER rather than the press?

:crazy:
rocknation

[NorthernSpy]

28. Fuck the DLC. If we'd listened to them '06, we'd have lost.

The DLC are not "moderate". They're not "centrist". They don't speak for "middle America" -- whoever that's supposed to be.

The DLC are just a small group of think-tankers and financial sector elitists who teamed up with a similarly-minded bunch of Republicans to ram NAFTA and all those other disastrous "free" trade deals down our throats. Our lives are worse now, thanks to them. That "New Economy" they promised? What a joke! Just another damn hoax.

After what they've done to this country, it'll take forever to put things to rights.


No, those people can go straight to hell, and so can anyone who collaborates with them. This is why I've never had any use for Bill Clinton. Or that wife of his.

[Virginia Dare]

32. How do you feel about Al Gore?...n/t

[Alexander]

34. A 90% pollution tax like the one Gore supports would NEVER fly with the DLC.

While Gore was a founding member, it's clear his priorities lie elsewhere.

[Virginia Dare]

36. I don't understand your scorch the earth attitude about

Bill Clinton then. He's doing some very good things right now. Why do you no longer have any use for him, but you can forgive Al Gore for his past? :shrug:

[mod mom]

41. Al Gore WON in 2000 because he broke away from the DLC & became a POPULIST!

[Virginia Dare]

43. Excuse me? I must have missed that..

and by the way, who was Al Gore's running mate in 2000?

[dkofos]

29. Maybe he will try to get the repubes to attend. They are closer to the dlc.

[antigop]

30. An article that may be of interest...previously posted in the Editorials and Articles forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x295260

[madfloridian]

31. No wonder this post got no answers.

I posted this in the LBN thread....no wonder.

I asked who was going to the National Conversation.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1401

And the College Democrats are having a convention at the same time. I do hope they go there.

Video of Dean issuing an invite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om6F9mDbmRc

"Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, personally invites you to attend the 2007 College Democrats of America Convention in Columbia, South Carolina from July 26-29."

[Marr]

35. I think it's the DLC's turn to hold their nose and just support the party.

They've been demanding that of everyone for years. No one is excluding them, of course-- their support will be very welcome. But they can't run the show anymore.

Somehow I suspect alot of these so-called "centrists" will do nothing but sabotage the actual populists if they can't be in charge. The loyalty seems to only run one way.

[blondeatlast]

39. Exactly. they have little choice than to suck it up with the REAL party base. nt

[mod mom]

37. When Hillary spoke at a DLC Convention in Ohio last fall she was protested by Dems w a GIANT

spine.

[annabanana]

38. "The DLC would like to help ......."

"but none are listening"

(taste the irrelevance. . .?)

[DutchLiberal]

40. Yes, they all *pretend* to care about liberal activist, and they *pretend* not to be DLC,

but ultimately, the only real progressives are Kucinich and Gravel.

[leftchick]

51. exactly

the majority of candidates are in fact DLC.

[Le Taz Hot]

42. Right, like the

top 3 "frontrunners" (plus a few of the also-rans) don't subscribe to the whole corporate mindset. So they don't show up, big deal. I think most people will be able to see through this one.

[Breeze54]

45. Well, it really wouldn't 'look' very good, now would it?

Some of the candidates are DLC members, so this is PR only.

I'm not fooled. Are you? :shrug:

[KoKo]

46. Let me play "Devil's Advocate" here....DLC is "Protesting Too Much."

They already KNOW their Candidates...so this "Pity Party" is just them saying: "Look over there...we don't matter anymore, when in fact they are behind the top two or three Dems..."

They are Sophisticated and KNOW how to "play the game." :evilgrin:

[groovedaddy]

48. Is "corporate globalization" supported by "moderates?"

The DLC sure supports it and it has decimated the traditional democratic party base.

[porphyrian]

49. Ha! How many consecutive losses did the DLC think they could hand career politicians...

...and still get to tell them how to run their campaigns? For a think tank, they sure are pretty stupid.

[leftchick]

50. It is a ruse at least on Hil's part. She IS the DLC.....Leader Profile:

gimme a break....



From left to right: Harold Ford, Jr. is chairman of the DLC. U.S. Sen. Tom Carper is vice chair of the DLC; U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is chair of the DLC's American Dream Initiative; Al From is founder and CEO of the DLC. (Not pictured: Bruce Reed is DLC president; Pennsylvania State Representative Jennifer Mann is chair of the DLC's State Legislative Advisory Board (SLAB); Columbus (OH) Mayor Michael Coleman is chair of the DLC's Local Elected Officials Network(LEON).)


http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=86&subid=85&contentid=253434#Clinton

DLC | Bio | January 24, 2007
DLC: Leader Profiles

U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (New York) heads the DLC's American Dream Initiative. During her first term in the Senate, Clinton became a leading Democratic voice in Washington and she chairs the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee, responsible for communicating with the public about key issues before Congress.
# For a more complete biography, please visit Sen. Clinton's website.