DLC invites all candidates and elected Dems to weigh in on policy ideas

[wyldwolf]

Democratic Leadership Council has announced a new website, ideaprimary.com, which will serve as a clearinghouse for new policy proposals. According to the site they’ll keep track of ideas the presidential candidates put forward, offer some of their own, and invite elected officials from around the country to weigh in on what works. Kicking off this move was DLC Chairman Harold Ford Jr. in a speech where he layed out several key aspects of the DLC’s “idea primary” agenda:

* Expanding the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other opportunities for young people to serve their country.
* Providing free college for “any young person willing to work or serve.”
* Cutting the number of federal contractors by 750,000 and breaking up the Department of Homeland Security.
* Establishing a goal that every American household can own a hybrid vehicle or its equivalent by 2015.
* Giving parents three months of paid leave to care for their families.

Here’s an excerpt from Ford’s speech:

There is only one way to stop the grubby politics of power-seeking – and that is with the politics of ideas. For too long, Karl Rove and company have insisted that getting elected and solving America’s problems are two separate, wholly unrelated topics. Their failure to govern proves New Democrats’ point: Americans don’t care about partisan politics – they just want us to tell them what we’re going to do. The purpose of forging a lasting majority is to do the country lasting good.

Today, our country desperately needs a healthy, honest debate about what we stand for, where we’re going, and what a better president can do. This should be a proud time for that debate. We have an outstanding group of candidates seeking the presidency. With no incumbent president or vice president running for the first time since 1952, we should be looking forward to an aggressive debate about how to deal with the challenges this administration will leave behind.

But as state after state acts to move up its primary, candidates are more likely to be judged by their war chests than by their plans to solve our country’s most pressing problems. We risk having a big money primary at the very time we should be having an ideas primary instead. That’s wrong.

This isn’t the fault of our candidates, many of whom have begun to put interesting proposals on the table. When Sen. Clinton proposes cutting unnecessary government contractors to put our fiscal house in order, or Sen. Obama calls for political reform, or Sen. Edwards puts forward a plan to cut carbon emissions, or Gov. Richardson announces an energy plan, their campaigns are lucky to get any national news coverage at all. By contrast, fundraisers and attack ads are treated as front-page news – even though they won’t make any difference in the lives of ordinary Americans, and ultimately, won’t even make the difference in this campaign.

In a political atmosphere that values process over purpose, all of us who care about ideas have a responsibility to speak out to remind everyone how much ideas matter. In our democracy, Presidential elections are the best chance to set a bold new course. The next 8 months could define America’s future for the next 8 years. So today, we say to campaigns in both parties, and to the press who cover them: The horserace, the money chase, and the in-your-face can wait. Let’s turn the next year into the Ideas Primary instead.

[Bukowski Fan]

1. For the first time in a long time

I agree with, and applaud the DLC. I'm a bit wary of how much of this is show, but I'm willing to participate and hope for good faith from the corporate wing of the Democratic Party.

[WyLoochka]

4. But they don't want opinions

from party members - just "elected Dems" and their own unelected selves, of course.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. You noticed that, too?

:)

[Robbien]

2. Why would anyone want to go to the DLC and tell them what to think

if the DLC wants any info from congressional members, they should stand in line and make an appointment and wait their turn

go away Ford and tell it to FauxNews who pays you big money

the DLC still listens to FauxNews commentator Ford

:shakes head:

losers

[BayCityProgressive]

3. I have to say

this sounds like a nice change for them:

* Expanding the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps and other opportunities for young people to serve their country.
* Providing free college for “any young person willing to work or serve.”
* Cutting the number of federal contractors by 750,000 and breaking up the Department of Homeland Security.
* Establishing a goal that every American household can own a hybrid vehicle or its equivalent by 2015.
* Giving parents three months of paid leave to care for their families.


That sounds like a really liberal agenda to me.

[Robbien]

6. You are kidding

FauxNews Ford really knows how to put up the windowdressing. How else does he head up the DLC and become a highly paid member of the Fauxnews family spewing hatred for Liberals each time he opens his mouth.

[WyLoochka]

7. Where is restoring habeus corpus

and making torture re-illegal?

Where is dismantling the permanent bases in Iraq, as well as many other places all over the globe?

Where is the repudiation of un-provoked invasions of other countries, presidential "signing statements" and the "unitary executive" theory?

Where is the proposal to put teeth and consequences into the law that already makes it illegal for presidents to spy on citizens?

Where is the repeal of the odious bankruptcy law?

Where is the proposal for Medicare to be able to bargain down Big Pharma on drugs?

Where is the proposal to stop the assault on the rights of citizens to take on corporations and the government itself in the courts?

Where is the proposal to stop the undermining of the public schools by pushing vouchers and charter schools?

Where is the proposal to remove the cap on income subject to FICA taxes, so we can "fix" social security almost overnight?

Where is the DLCs proposal for universal health care?

Where is the proposal to push back at the 20 wealthiest families who want their own special law written for them to abolish all estate taxes?

Where is the proposal to make investment income subject to, at least, the same tax rates as labor income?

Where is the proposal to repeal the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest?

Where is the proposal to co-operate with the rest of the world on solving the challenges of climate change, including the massive migrations that will have to take place?

Where is the proposal for a law making it mandatory to open up all but truly national security related documents of every president to the public no later than four years after the last term ends?

and on and on...

This agenda is insultingly "small bore" and serves as a distraction, as is characteristic of the DLC.

It is not liberal enough by a long shot, as it doesn't and won't address any of the above.

[bemildred]

5. The DLC is all about the "grubby politics of power seeking".

They can pretend all they like, but I'm not buying any bullshit about noble and selfless pursuit of the public's interest. And I don't believe they care a fig about anybodies ideas but their own.

[mmonk]

9. I invite them to quit

trying to run the party and trying to marginalize people they don't agree with.

[flpoljunkie]

10. "Ideas primary?" Pablum. Sounds as non-controversial as Hillary's DLC "American Dream Initiative."

The DLC is yesterday's news. They ought to fold up their corporate funded tents and go home.

Why do you think that in 2004, now DNC head Howard Dean, felt the need to say, "I am from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party."