Borosage: "corporate wing of the Dem Party is trying to reassert control."

[madfloridian]

I love Robert Borosage and his group Campaign for America's Future.
www.ourfuture.org

He has an excellent article at The Nation:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050131&c=1&s=borosage

But this brief interlude of common sense and purpose quickly descended into rancor and division. Peter Beinart of The New Republic and Al From of the DLC rolled out the tumbrels once more, calling on Democrats to purge liberalism of the taint of MoveOn.org, Michael Moore and the antiwar movement. Apparently anyone who worries about the suppression of civil liberties at home, doubts that the reign of drug lords in Afghanistan represents the dawning of democracy, prematurely opposed the debacle in Iraq or isn't prepared to turn the fight against Al Qaeda terrorists into the organizing principle of American politics is to be read out of their Democratic Party. Then, normally staunch Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi floated for chair of the party former Congressman Tim Roemer, a New Democrat distinguished mostly for his opposition to women's right to choose, his vote to repeal the estate tax and his ignorance of grassroots politics. Consolidating its corporate backing, the DLC solemnly warned against "economic populism" or "turning up the volume on anti-business and class welfare schemes"--despite the corporate feeding frenzy that is about to take place in Washington and Bush's slavish catering to the "haves and have-mores," whom he calls "my base."

SNIP..."All stripes of Democrats agree on the need to persuade voters, not simply mobilize the base. But persuasion requires committed activists, passionate in their cause, ready to enlist and challenge their neighbors. Progressives haven't yet made up for the decline of union halls, nor matched the right's ubiquitous media clamor. But the pathbreaking house parties organized by MoveOn.org and the Dean campaign, and the extraordinary training provided by Wellstone Action, provide new models for educating activists and encouraging them to organize their neighbors.

So forget about the chattering classes and the corporate wing of the party, now fantasizing about purging the new energies unleashed in the last election. What matters isn't what they say in Washington, but what progressives do on the ground across the country. We have just begun to build. The radical agenda of the Bush Administration--and its abject failure--will continue to set the stage not for a retreat to the center but for a fierce, passionate reform movement......"END SNIP

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. They have produced ZERO results.

Hate to tell them: they're done.

[mattclearing]

2. If Al From wants to work for a corporate Party, the R's would love him.

:hi:

[aden_nak]

3. Democrats. Always. Lose. Trying. To. Be. Republican. Lite.

There isn't a shovel heavy enough to spang people upside the head with on this issue.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. Hmm they must have gotten reports from the field

local DNC election, for the local board... there were 10 DLCers and 100 old fashioned progressives, they lost... big time

I hear this is going on across the country.

[Pirate Smile]

5. This should be one of the BIG lessons from 2004. The Dems don't need

to be in bed with the Corps. to get $$$ to run campaigns. The people will give if you give them a reason.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

8. Damn right!

I like the way you think.

[dave123williams]

6. Better to stick to principals and lose than try to be like *them*...

[wtbymark]

7. i got one for Al

YOU"RE FIRED!!!!

[Dr.Phool]

9. If Roemer or someone like him

Meaning another DLCer, wins the chairmanship, I'm going to a third party.

[dvaravati]

10. what does the DLC disagree with Bush about?

has that question ever been answered?