Trying to get over being called "fringe activists."

[madfloridian]

I posted parts of this once before. It was during the Dean campaign in 2003 that we were first called "fringe." It was sure a shock to this person who had been raised in the Southern Baptist church, a part of the culture of fundamentalism here. The Iraq War woke us up from that world of just automatically believing what the churches said.

Then the DLC called us "fringe" for being against the war. I have yet to forgive them for that. I have tried. I am one of the most moderate people, though open-minded, that you can imagine. I am just reposting parts of this in my journal, and may or may not put it in open forums. It was inexcusable what they said about us. I hope there is some trying to bridge the gap. Maybe the fundraiser in DC tonight with Clinton is about that bridging....but I am not so trusting yet. Gore was there, probably invited by Howard Dean. But he was not on stage when Clinton was, just separately with Howard.

So for better or worse, here goes some of it.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In 2003 Howard Dean stood for activists when the DLC called us "fringe".

Dean Statement in Response to DLC's Charge that Public Servants are
"Fringe Activists"

“Once again, the DLC has chosen to put their own political agenda
ahead of the progress needed to unite the Democratic Party. This election
has barely begun, and the DLC has repeatedly dismissed people who attend
caucuses, who get out the vote, and now the 1.3 million members of AFSCME as
‘fringe activists’ who do not reflect ‘the mainstream values, national pride
and the economic aspirations of middle-class and working people.’

“The DLC staff can say what they want about me, but they owe an
apology to the 1.3 million members of AFSCME. Our teachers, our health care
workers, and our state and local public servants don't need a lesson from
Washington insiders about the needs and concerns of middle- and
working-class families. What they need is a Democratic Party that will stand
up for them.”

Posted by Mathew Gross at 04:27 PM
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000206.html

Howard Fineman on the DLC Memo
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000213.html
Quoting because the archives are hard to read:
"FINEMAN ON THE DLC MEMO
I went and read the memo. It's hysterical. I don't mean funny. I mean, it's hysterical. He calls them everything but a plagiarist, an elitist, an activist. It's like, it's a compliment to Howard Dean. They're reacting like Howard Dean has already won the nomination. Howard Fineman, on the DLC memo attacking Howard Dean, on Hardball, 5/15/03
Posted by Mathew Gross at 10:25 AM

Former DNC-Chief Steve Grossman to DLC: "Creating Conflict is Not
Leadership."
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000225.html
SNIP.."FORMER DNC-CHIEF STEVE GROSSMAN TO DLC: "CREATING CONFLICT IS NOT LEADERSHIP."
On Wednesday, the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) released a memo in which the DLC argued that traditional Democratic values are an aberration and that the thousands of grassroots Democrats inspired by Governor Howard Dean's message to take back our party are activist elites and not real Democrats. Former DNC chairman Steve Grossman wrote to members of the Democratic National Committee in an email sent yesterday, criticizing the DLC:

Having served proudly as National Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, I was disappointed by recent statements by the Democratic Leadership Council that disparaged Governor Howard Dean's record of fiscal discipline and social compassion. I was particularly distressed because DLC leaders chose to label tens of thousands of grassroots Democrats who are energized by Governor Dean's message as elitist. "

Liberal Oasis on Howard Dean and the DLC
http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/000226.html
SNIP.."May 16, 2003 PERMALINK
The "Smear Dean" Campaign Is On
(posted May 16 2:15 AM ET)
(minor edit May 16 12:45 PM ET)

The DLC memo is titled "The Real Soul of the Democratic Party."
But it should be "Kneecapping Howard Dean."

However, it is so ludicrously ham-handed, Dean trumpeted it himself on his campaign web site. (A smart rapid response that bodes well for the future.)

If the memo was a principled argument over what the party should stand for, that would be fine. You can have honorable disagreements within one's party.

But the memo is nothing but a string of half-truths and contradictions designed to ward off insiders from backing Dean, while at the same time undermine Dean's support from the Left....."

And the recriminations began against many who were in leadership positions and backed Dean. It was real and it happened. Long article here, very good.

Here are the memos:

"Activists Are Out of Step" From and Reed 2003
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251866&kaid=8
SNIP..."These days, Democrats act as if they're so far gone they've forgotten where they're from.

Every weekend, yet another special-interest group hosts a candidate forum to pressure the presidential candidates into praising its agenda. Some of the candidates seem intent on running applause-meter campaigns, measuring success by how many times they tell the party faithful what they want to hear.

There's one big problem with this strategy: Most of those party activists the candidates are trying so hard to please are wildly out of touch not only with middle America but with the Democratic rank and file. The great myth of the campaign is the misguided notion that the hopes and dreams of party activists and single-issue groups represent the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. They don't.

The fact is, "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party," as former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean likes to call it, is an aberration, a modern-day version of the old McGovern wing of the party, defined principally by weakness abroad and elitist interest-group liberalism at home. That wing lost the party 49 states in two elections and turned a powerful national organization into a much weaker, regional one. ....."END SNIP

"The Real Soul of the Party" DLC 2003
http://www.ndol.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=251690&kaid=1

SNIP.."But the great myth of the current cycle is the misguided notion that the hopes and dreams of activists represent the heart and soul of the Democratic Party. Real Democrats are real people, not activist elites. The mission of the Democratic Party, as Bill Clinton pledged in 1992, is to provide "real answers to the real problems of real people." Real Democrats who champion the mainstream values, national pride, and economic aspirations of middle-class and working people are the real soul of the Democratic Party, not activists and interest groups with narrow agendas.

SNIP.."What activists like Dean call the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is an aberration: the McGovern-Mondale wing, defined principally by weakness abroad and elitist, interest-group liberalism at home. That's the wing that lost 49 states in two elections, and transformed Democrats from a strong national party into a much weaker regional one..."

[welshTerrier2]

1. gee ... the DLC is telling us who are the "real Democrats"

that's just beautiful ... isn't that what all the DLC mouthpieces have been complaining about???

"Real Democrats who champion the mainstream values, national pride, and economic aspirations of middle-class and working people are the real soul of the Democratic Party, not activists and interest groups with narrow agendas."

apparently, you can only be a "real Democrat" if you have a broad agenda ... if you're a woman deprived of your right to choose, and that issue is the most critical to you, you can't be a real Democrat ... union? that's your main focus - the rights of workers? sorry - if you don't have a wide enough agenda you're not a "real Democrat" ... and don't even talk to me about those anti-war nuts who are concerned that we've lost over 2450 troops, over 17,000 critically wounded, bankrupted the country with an insane war, killed tens of thousand of Iraqis, destabilized the Middle East and perhaps the whole world, fueled Al Qaida enlistments, and helped Big Oil set record all time profits ... you can't be a "real Democrat" if you're opposed to the Iraq war ... and that whole gay thing - they can't be serious ... we'll never win elections talking about that gay crap ... i wish all those gay extremists would just go away ...

the DLC mouthpieces try to make it all about the left ... the good news is, their days are numbered ... we are waking up the masses and they are responding ... and soon, their namecalling, their insults and their arrogance will be irrelevant because they will have been stripped of their power ... we are on the path to change; make no mistake about it - they see our growing numbers and our growing power and they fear it ...

[madfloridian]

2. Actually they called a press conference. Can you believe that?

The DLC had a press conference in May 2003 to let people know Dean was not the proper person to be their candidate.

I knew of Dean memos in 2003, but I did not know they had a meeting.