Democratic Leadership Council
|
|
| Missing image Merge_articles.png | It has been proposed that this article or section be merged with New Democrats.
This request may be discussed on the article's talk page. |
Founded in 1985, the Democratic Leadership Council is an organization of moderate leaders of the United States Democratic Party that tries to move the party towards centrist positions. Despite its often moderate policy positions, however, the DLC is fiercely partisan, as evidenced by the tone and content of their "New Dem Dispatch" e-mail bulletins on what they view to be Republican mistakes and Democratic alternatives.
The DLC's affiliated think tank is the Progressive Policy Institute, funded by the Third Way Foundation.
It is the opinion of DLC that left-wing positions are not politically viable, citing the failed candidacies of Senator George McGovern and Vice-President Walter Mondale. President Bill Clinton, a successful candidate, was active in the organization and is sometimes cited as evidence of the success of their policies.
Critics believe DLC-supported measures, such as the Welfare Reform Act, have had the effect of alienating the traditional constituencies of the Democratic Party such as labor, minorities, and the poor, and causing a reduction in Democratic voter turnout. Some contend that the 2000 presidential campaign was so close because voters could discern no significant policy difference between Governor George W. Bush and DLC activist Vice-President Al Gore. The DLC has been called the "Democratic Leisure Council" by the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Governor Mario Cuomo.
In May 2003, as the Democratic primary of the 2004 presidential campaign was starting to pick up, the organization voiced concern that the Democratic contenders might be taking positions too far left of the mainstream general electorate. Early front-runner Howard Dean, despite his reputation as a centrist governor of Vermont, was specifically criticized by DLC founder and CEO Al From. From's criticism of Dean was likely due to the former governor's outspoken opposition to the war in Iraq, which most party centrists, including From, endorsed. In October 2002, From and the DLC mentioned only in passing the plane crash that killed Senator Paul Wellstone, of Minnesota. Wellstone's proclamation, later used by Dean, calling himself "from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" has been interpreted by some as subtle criticism of the DLC and New Democrats in general.
| Contents |
Former chairs
- President Bill Clinton
- Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut
- Rep. Dave McCurdy of Oklahoma
- Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana
- Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia
- Sen. Charles Robb of Virginia
- Former House Democratic Leader Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri.
New Democrat Governors
- Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin
- Gov. Michael Easley of North Carolina
- Gov. Jennifer Granholm of Michigan
- Gov. Ruth Ann Minner of Delaware
- Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona
- Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania
- Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico
- Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas
- Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa
- Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia
Members of the Senate New Democrat Coalition
- Sen. Max Baucus of Montana
- Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana
- Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington
- Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware
- Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York
- Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota
- Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California
- Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota
- Sen. John Kerry of Massachusets
- Sen. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin
- Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana
- Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
- Sen. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas
- Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida
- Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska
- Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan
References
- New York Times article, "Centrist Democrats Warn Party Not to Present Itself as 'Far Left'" by Adam Nagourney, July 29, 2003 (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/29/politics/campaigns/29DEMS.html)
External links
- New Democrats Online, The Democratic Leadership Council's Online Community (http://www.ndol.org/)
- Newdonkey.com, sponsored blog (http://www.newdonkey.com/)