Al From won't be content until he cracks the party into pieces.

[Rose Siding]

Overlooking the clueless bias in "First Read"

"These days, the Democratic party appears to be pretty low on ideas, beyond their opposition to the President's Social Security plan and some effort at the margins on prescription drugs"

...there's some pretty funny DLC trash talking in this column. (funny in a head-exploding way)

snip>
Maybe it was the snowy weather that made the Democratic Leadership Council's Capitol Hill offices feel like a bunker. But the fact that the energy in the party is coming from the left and is focused more on tactics than on policy, as evidenced by Howard Dean's election as DNC chair, is clearly unsettling the centrist group. A representative of liberal, Internet-driven MoveOn recently accused the DLC of being "out of vogue" and irrelevant. DLCers, meanwhile, await the 2008 presidential primary as the time when the party's direction will be determined -- just as it was when the DLC and a governor named Clinton gained prominence in the early 1990s.
...
From took issue with one emerging tactic in particular: "There's some credibility developing behind the idea that the party can recede into its base and win," he said, with the ongoing discussion on the left clearly in mind. The problem with that, he argued, is that the Democratic base isn't big enough. "Karl Rove can have a polarizing strategy because he starts with a much bigger base."

(This is just nutty! Rove's base is bigger than women, workers, the war weary, the poor and minorities?)
...
The DLC believes the party needs to emphasize values and reform, along with national security. In talking about social issues, From said, "We don't show enough respect for people who might disagree with us." Not surprisingly, the collective DLC conclusion was that Hillary Clinton gets this better than other Democrats. Will Marshall, president of the DLC-affiliated Progressive Policy Institute, called her recent, controversial speech on abortion "an example of getting away from culture-war politics." Asked whether cultural conservatives' negative feelings toward the Senator make her a flawed messenger, Marshall replied that "because she has been demonized by the right, she's in position to surprise."

(ROFL! He's such a hypocrit. Anyone the right demonizes can "surprise" with some attention. Kerry did it at the debates, then blew it. Dean does it everytime he's given an audience! The very people From disapproves of most could do it.)
...
As far as the next two elections are concerned, From said he hopes "that the national Democratic party doesn't create baggage for Democrats in the red states" in 2006. And he expressed confidence that "whoever wins the presidency will have a point of view pretty close to ours."

(scroll down under heading "Whither the Democrats: the DLC")
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3626796/

[NoPasaran]

1. Poor Al

It must suck to outlive your moment in history.

People stop taking your calls.

Your own phone stops ringing.

You can't get a decent table in restaurants anymore.

Former associates cross the street when they see you on the sidewalk.

"Al who?" "Oh, is he still alive?"

[Rose Siding]

2. I sure hope that's what's happening

Godspeed to Howard Dean- May he deal justly with these DLC yahoos should they try to use the VERY activists they revile (while urging more civility toward those "we" disagree with on the right) as a cash machine.

I found that Oliver Willis ranted about this today...

from the article linked in the op>
The DLC believes the party needs to emphasize values and reform, along with national security. In talking about social issues, From said, "We don't show enough respect for people who might disagree with us."

Oliver responds...
Whoa. Wow. Amazing. He wants to show respect to Republicans who disagree with him, but happily paints members of his own party as extremists and elites. How much less partisan can someone get? This guy could share my stance, word for word, on every single policy issue ever invented, and I would still hate his guts because of the damage I feel he causes to the party.

[Capn Sunshine]

3. From's problem is similar to a lot of insiders

They lost, and we aren't giving them a pass. There's a new sherriff in town, and you had better pack up your stuff because we need the space. The base is larger than he likes to think.

[Rose Siding]

4. The insiders are still putting up a fight in some states. Look at PA

We've been hearing about how they've chosen the candidate to oppose Santorum. I read that Hoeffel even signed off on him and I couldn't understand why it was going the way it was. This post at MyDD was illuminating.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/3/4/161615/5957#readmore

PA Democratic Party to DFA: "No Blog For You"
by ttagaris

Ahhh, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, where reform goes to die. Forcing candidates out of the Senatorial primary. Endorsing Fowler for DNC chair after Dean secured the votes to win. Not giving Ginny their full support (more on that later). And now, this. No wonder in a state where Democrats lead in voter ID and voter registration, they are substantially behind in the legislature, the congressional delegation, and don't have a Seantor. Color me disgusted--Chris

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a Bucks County PA DFA attended by Pennsylvania Democratic Party Executive Director Don Morabito. This DFA group has been clamoring about a state party blog to help organize and provide mobilizing information to the grassroots. Now that the E.D. was there, they asked me to plead the case.
...
So, I plead our case. Certainly I have been more passionate in the past. I spoke about two-way communication, listening to the grassroots, and providing mobilizing information. When he was no longer making eye contact with me, I decided to speak his language, fundraising and the urgency of the 2006 US Senate race.

His response?......MORE........

http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/3/4/161615/5957#readmore

Doesn't that just frost your cookies?

"I didn't even mean to get all Internet evangelical. In fact, I held back quite a bit. But after I spoke, it seemed as if people took my cue. For the next hours, scattered among questions about the 2006 US Senate race, people insisted that the state party step up and start communicating with us.

It ain't gonna happen (I believe that is even a quote)."

Remember Rendell's sniping about dems (Kerry?) late in the campaign? I forget what it was about but it was strategically inappropriate.

I don't think they want anyone messing with their machine.