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To win back the White House in 2008, our party must change. We must be willing to discard political strategies that may make us feel good but that keep falling short. We must finally reject the false choice between exciting our base and expanding our appeal, because unless we both motivate and persuade, we'll lose every time," said DLC founder Al From and President Bruce Reed in a new manifesto for their party.
Here is another DLC Quote I enjoy: “If Democrats want to be a majority party again, they need to move to the center”
Right. That sounds like a novel idea! Let’s just roll over and give up! Let’s ignore the fact that we are an opposition party, one by whose very definition is to propose alternative solutions! Let’s just pretend we have no alternative solutions!
Today there is an identity crisis within the Democratic Party (among some, not among progressives… you will not find us supporting a Christian right agenda). I believe the current argument that the Democratic Party isn’t right wing enough is flawed. There is a working definition of insanity which is to do the same thing over and over and over again, and expect a different result. Since the Democratic Party has moved to the center we have lost local governments, state governments, the House, the Senate and the Presidency. Soon we will lose the Supreme Court and there will be no check to ideas such as Patriot Act II. The idea that Democrats should move further to the right should not even be considered. As moveon.org says “the professional election losers have alienated both traditional and progressive Democrats.”
As cognitive psychologist George Lakoff told me: “Democrats moving to the middle is a double disaster that alienates the party’s progressive base (us) while simultaneously sending a message to swing voters that the other side is where the good ideas are.” It unconsciously locks in the notion that the other side’s positions are worth moving toward, while your side’s positions are the ones to move away from. Plus every time you move to the center, the right just moves further to the right.
I really think these people are a problem. I also think our party has moved dangerously too far to the right already as our party has rubber stamped this fascist agenda. How do we change the DLC from the outside? Can it be done? These people really need to go.