Congratulations DLC! You must be thrilled about CAFTA!!

[Bluebear]

Pop the champagne! After all, you helped pass it, right? Right?

===

Faced with the the real possibility of a rejection of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) in the House, which would mark a significant defeat for George Bush and for the already-cracking "Washington Consensus" on free trade, the Democratic Leadership Council has stepped up to bat in CAFTA's defense. As David Sirota writes:

As if the DLC is just an arm of the Bush White House, the organization timed this release perfectly to coincide with Bush's final push for the legislation, as if they are just an arm of the Bush White House. Despite the DLC's pathetic, transparent rhetoric about wanting to "bring a spirit of radical pragmatism" to the debate, what the DLC is showing is that it is an organization devoted to urging Democrats to sell their souls to the highest bidder. That may sell well with the DLC's corporate funders in Washington, D.C., but out here in the heartland, that kind of gutless behavior only hurts the Democratic Party over the long run.


Sirota drew some fire from DLC folks after the election for a piece he wrote arguing that the version of "centrism" they promote is well to the right of the average American and thus not only morally but also electorally bankrupt. I'm even less interested now than I was then in trying to evaluate the claims and counter-claims which flew in the wake of the article about which politicians, or talking points have or haven't gotten gotten the DLC's approval at what times. As I said at the time, if the DLC wants on board with Elliot Spitzer's prosecutions of CEOs or Howard Dean's condemnations of GOP corruption, the more the merrier. We need all hands on deck, and the work is too important to let historical differences avert cooperation where there's consensus.

http://liza.mydd.com/story/2005/7/17/23348/7360

[wli]

1. call for the immediate resignation of dems who voted for CAFTA

Zero tolerance for representatives voting for things 95% of the public was against is fully justified.

[Elwood P Dowd]

2. They're planning their next trip overseas

as we speak. Got to deposit their millions in the secret bank accounts Delay and Bush helped them open. DLC means Damn Lots of Cash.

[Don1]

3. NO

This was the DLC and Dem Party that sunk it.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1964233

[Bluebear]

4. 80% of Dem. Senators who voted for it were DLC.

I'd say that was a "success" record for DLC!

[Don1]

5. You're right.

I take it back...was looking only at the House votes.

Look at the link I pointed to previously. It is updated now to reflect what you said.

[Mass]

7. And more than 1/2 of DLC senators voted against it.

Dorgan led the fight against CAFTA.

[Mass]

6. BTW, Spitzer is DLC

Only 3 DLC representatives voted FOR CAFTA (about 3 %).

And in the senate, 8 out of 20 (meaning less than 1/2). Still too much, but hardly worth blasting all DLC members.