The Progressive Convulsions Start - Matt Stoller - MyDD

[WillyT]

<snip>

With the announcement that Lieberman is going to give the Democratic radio response to Bush on Walter Reed, it's pretty well confirmed that progressives are shut out of the Congressional halls of power. First it was Feingold's defunding proposal being poleaxed, then Hoyer winning the Majority Leader contest, then it was Murtha's plan sandbagged by Blue Dogs, then it was Reid allowing Fox News as the anchor for the Nevada Presidential debate, then it was Joe Biden and Carl Levin failing to do anything substantive on Iraq, and now it's a full-throated embrace of Lieberman. And yes, this was Harry Reid's choice.

From what I understand from talking to a few progressives on the Hill, the freshmen in Congress are being extensively 'trained' by Rahm Emanuel's DLC band of consultants and pollsters, which is one reason they've been silent. Carol Shea-Porter is an exception, and notice how she was shut out of the DCCC's front line program. Also notice how our only real specific policy concern to protect our own ability to organize - net neutrality - just isn't really on the legislative radar right now (though this could change).

If you're mad, well, so am I. But we didn't beat Lieberman, and that was the real test of strength where we went up against both the Democrats, the Republicans, and the lobbyists. And we consistently gave Democrats a free pass in the first few months after the victory, allowing Rahm and Hoyer to consolidate power. More to the point, we haven't been around for very long, so our institutional reach is nowhere near as capable as that of the DLC nexis, who have been operating and projecting power since the mid eighties. My business Democrat friends are happy and very busy, as are my contacts in foreign policy elite circles. They just love the new Congress.

The reality though is that the centrists, though they are in charge, are exceptionally weak. It is only an accident of history that they are in power. They have no real base, and have essentially convinced progressive voters to grab a big cup of STFU while they use their media connections and corporate cash to feel like they are in charge again. This won't last long, two years at the most. It's already ending, as the reality of Iraq is looming, most prominently on Hillary Clinton, but really on all of them. Meanwhile, progressives are beginning to build their institutional capacity to craft policy and market it.

<snip>

More: http://www.mydd.com/story/2007/3/2/191219/7601

Apparently... We'll have to put up primary challenges to some of our "Centrist" brothers and sisters in 2008, if we wanna see any real change in D.C.

:mad:

[WillyT]

1. Hello... *tap* *tap* *tap*... Is This Thing Working ???

:shrug:

[MzNov]

2. Here's the latest link to the Congressional Progressive Caucus

Gee, look at all of those Senate progressives!!!!

Let's keep writing and supporting these wonderful people!

http://cpc.lee.house.gov/index.cfm?ContentID=166&ParentID=0&SectionID=4&SectionTree=4&lnk=b&ItemID=164

*GORE 44*

:bounce:

[WillyT]

3. Yeah... The Senate Is Pretty Pathetic That Way !!!

But hey... if we can get Franken elected, we'll at least double their numbers, LOL!!!

:hi:

[Beelzebud]

6. The only senator in the Progressive Caucus isn't even a Democrat....

I think I'm starting to get the true picture.

It won't be popular around here, but I'm really starting to question my support of the national Democratic party.

It really does seem like we have 1 corporate party that pretends to be 2 opposing parties....

[WillyT]

7. Speaks Volumes, Doesn't It ???

:shrug:

[Beelzebud]

8. It really does...

[Jackpine Radical]

10. It's becoming increasingly obvious.

We have two Republican Parties and a small Progressive Party. Despite not being on the list, I think Russ Feingold & a few other senators are ideologically in our Progressive camp. Teddy Kennedy, maybe.

Not Hillary, not Barack, not John Edwards.

Time for a new Bob LaFollette.

[Greeby]

13. Sherrod Brown is in the caucus

If you look, they haven't moved him off the House list, for some reason

[Vidar]

15. With a few admirable exceptions, that seems to be the case.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

4. hard to formulate a response

when I'm breaking the dining room furniture...

[WillyT]

5. LOL, I Feel Your Pain !!!

:banghead:

[Jackpine Radical]

9. FWIW, I emailed them:

"How the hell come your only Senate member is Bernie Sanders? Can't you at least pull in Russ Feingold?"

[WillyT]

11. Evening Kick !!!

:kick:

[Dammit Ann]

12. This goes to the heart of the problem.

Change is hard for people who are comfortable in their power.

[OneBlueSky]

14. the DLC are "centrist" only because the powers-that-be say so . . .

they are "centrist" only because BushCo, the media, and the corporate Congress have managed to shift the entire political spectrum sharply to the right . . .

these "centrists" we're now battling are, in reality, right-wingers with a different name . . . by playing semantics and re-defining words, they've managed to alter the perceived political landscape to suit their right-wing purposes and, they hope, make their agenda seem more palatable and less extreme to the average American . . .

the true center today resides with what the powers-that-be disparagingly refer to as "the Left" . . . that's us . . .

[bonito]

16. Thanks for bringing this into focus

I signed up for their email news as well ashttp://pdamerica.org/ yesterday.

[cooolandrew]

17. Exactly why I am against Gore...

Gore is a DLC founder that rules him out for me, he is fantastic on the environment but I don't wAnt to see him run. Also Hillary is the queen of the DLC. So for me it's Obama who refused to join the DLC. OH BAMA OH BAMA OH BAMA

[bvar22]

18. Obama may or may not have joined the DLC.

He DID refuse to have his name listed on their website, which may be just smart marketing.
I'm still wary of Obama until he gives us more specific information on policy.
I was very disappointed in the "Universal HealthCare" plan he supports. It is identical to the DLC proposals of Welfare for Big Insurance and HMOs. :(

Demand "Single Payer Universal HealthCare"!

The American People want it:

In recent polls by the Pew Research Group, the Opinion Research Corporation, the Wall Street Journal, and CBS News, the American majority has made clear how it feels. Look at how the majority feels about some of the issues that you'd think would be gospel to a real Democratic Party:

1. 65 percent (of ALL Americans, Democrats AND Republicans) say the government should guarantee health insurance for everyone -- even if it means raising taxes.

http://alternet.org/wiretap/29788/

Beware of Democrats selling "Affordable HealthCare"!!!


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.