The Hill: "New DNC chief signals a change." Lanny Davis is back again.

[madfloridian]

It's amazing to see Lanny Davis back in the limelight now, giving his opinion through much of the article with Donna Brazile and Kim Gandy having mere one paragraph statements.

Change on the way

Despite minor disagreements with many Democrats, some strategists say the move signals a new path ahead for the party. “Asking Tim Kaine to head our party is an extremely important emblem that we are a different party than we were in 1992,” said Lanny Davis, a Democratic strategist who worked in the Clinton White House.

..."“Tim Kaine is the emblem, the symbol, of a new Democratic Party that no longer differentiates on what people believe on singular issues as opposed to the shared values of what Democrats think are important,” Davis said. “He happens to not fit the mold on the issue of choice, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a progressive Democrat.”

According to Lanny choice is an expendable issue. I am sure he considers gay rights the same.

Lanny even got a chance to critique the outgoing chairman. Wow, it's great to hear from Lanny again. Lieberman Democrats are back in the limelight again.

Davis said Dean’s legacy will include both the 50-state strategy and an ongoing tone of partisanship in Washington. “Howard Dean did a great job in infrastructure, but I don’t think he did a great job in raising the level of politics to the message of Barack Obama,” Davis said. “He was in a different place and a different time, so no criticism intended.”

Exactly right, Lanny. The former/outgoing chairman often spoke out and was actually a real "partisan" guy sometimes.

Geez, please no more of the "post partisan" "bipartisan" crap. It did not work before, and it will hurt us if we do it now.

Donna Brazile got a squib:

“To get into Kaine’s ideological battles would be distracting to the bigger challenges he will face: to serve as Obama’s chief political spokesperson and to help engineer the 2010 battles to come,” said longtime DNC member Donna Brazile.

Right, Donna, we'll just not talk about the fact that he is anti-gay, anti-choice, anti-civil unions. :shrug:

Kim Gandy said a little:

Still, others said they were disappointed. “We’ve had Howard Dean as the head of the DNC, who’s very pro-choice and pro-women’s rights. Tim Kaine, not so much,” said Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women. “I think that will be a disappointment to some pro-choice groups, including my organization.”

..."Other abortion-rights groups like EMILY’s List and NARAL Pro-Choice America refused to return multiple phone calls seeking comment.

I said it before and said it to criticism from many here....women and gays to the back of the bus cause there ain't no one speaking out much for us now.

[JCMach1]

1. Putting party ahead of people... we have been down that path before

:grr:

[madfloridian]

5. Well, we are going down it again.

So hang on cause it may be bumpy.

[kenfrequed]

6. If only that were true

It is putting the 1984 and 1994 elections ahead of reality and the fact that conservatism failed. Why is it that the DLC can't realize they are irrelevant and in danger of wrecking the Democratic majority we currently have by turning off democratic voters to voting.

This is absurd, this victory would not have even happened had we not had a strong vocal opposition to Bush and his policies, an opposition that could not be found in the DLC or the blue dogs or any of their triangulating ilk.

[Cronopio]

8. Very well said.

This bears repeating because it is a crucially important fact.

"... this victory would not have even happened had we not had a strong vocal opposition to Bush and his policies, ***an opposition that could not be found in the DLC or the blue dogs or any of their triangulating ilk.***"

And it looks increasingly certain that we will find that they are still not an opposition organization. I am livid about this because they are exploiting the electoral victory that WE PROGRESSIVES AND TRUE MODERATES won. Not the corpo-extremist DLC.

[madfloridian]

11. I think JC agrees with you...just worded it differently.

Basically we are saying the same things in a little different way....and yes, the Democrats got back in power because we opposed.

It is our job to speak out even if we can't stop the one party stuff.

[kenfrequed]

16. Of course

I think my comment fell neatly under the category of: "Yes, you are right, but it is even worse than that."

How the hell is it that the triangulators can get away with this BS anyhow? I really haven't figured it out.

[madfloridian]

18. Because the media lets them do it.

And we have little access to media to rebut it.

[JCMach1]

42. Because we have allowed our party to become insignificant except as a fund-raising tool

Ultimately, Congress was/is a club for the elites. The DCCC and DSCC recruit who they like to run for office. Sure, occasionally there is someone off-the-wall who sneaks-in, but that happens less and less these days because of the huge amounts of cash it takes to run.

Dean 2004 and Obama 2008 showed that some candidates can work outside the traditional funding system. These campaigns set the gold standard for how to energize and do we even dare say manipulate the grass-roots through the new media.

While the jury has not even met yet, Obama is positioning himself to triangulate on every issue... ideologically putting him somewhere to the RIGHT of Bill Clinton. How can Obama get away with that disconnect from progressive netroots? That has yet to be seen.

Hell Repugs put up with it for 8yrs... Bush gave them little in the 'real' world that resembled Conservatism... Occasionally, he would drop some red-meat to his mass-base... but it wasn't all that often. Just as the DLC is now, the neo-conservative insiders were to Bush...

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss... God I hope I wrong.

[kenfrequed]

51. I mostly agree

Well I don't know.

I think Bush gave much of the conservatives what they wanted. The only things that he couldn't give were the crazy goals of doing away with the department of education and what not. And he never campaigned on that (see also-"uniter"). But he gave them their faith based schlock and their trickle-down scams. He gave them their tax breaks for the wealthy and their increased defence budget. He was kind to all things corporate and cracked down on workers and unions.

So I don't really go along with all of this as it leads to the "Bush isn't a real conservative" meme, which allows conservatives to continue to peddle their bull.

Otherwise your point is well made.

[PassingFair]

37. Here is an illustration of the "effect":

[madfloridian]

41. Ha Ha

Perfect. Says it all. :hi:

[PassingFair]

43. It's my favorite political cartoon...

Ted Rall pulls NO punches!

:hi:

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. I cannot STAND Lanny Davis.

I heard him on the Sean Hannity radio show one time during the election giggling and chortling with Sean and Susan Estrich (I think) until all of a sudden, he stopped and said to Susan Estrich (I think) "some of our friends may be listening".

He is a sickening faux liberal. I really don't care if I ever see or hear from him again.

[arcadian]

3. So that is what Obama meant by "change".

Only, it's "Change" in the WRONG direction.

[Lex]

10. Embracing your enemies.

(and selling out your principles).

[burythehatchet]

52. and treating your core supporters like gum on your shoe

[iconicgnom]

39. It isn't "change" at all.

It's the most smooth continuation from GWB I could've imagined - and it's very scary to me.

[burythehatchet]

53. say no more, lest you be carpet-bombed into shame

[Hell Hath No Fury]

4. Lanny can suck my dick.

If I had one, that is. :D

[Wetzelbill]

28. I was oddly excited

by this. WTF? :rofl:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

58. You so freeky! :D

Actually, I stole that line use from Cameron Diaz in "Being John Malkovich". :) Several male film reviewers commented on the shock of its use by a female character. I think its a great phrase and the only appropriate response to dorks like Lanny Davis.

[Solly Mack]

7. K&R

[madfloridian]

9. Fool me once

My money and me won't get fooled again.

[Libertyfirst]

12. And neither will I or mine. n/t

[madfloridian]

13. Five long years...

we donated to party stuff thinking we mattered. I'm a slow learner, but I learn well.

Move On phoned last night. We have been good donors to them as well. I said stand up for progressives, speak out on injustice, stop worrying about toeing the party line. Then maybe we would donate.

[Dr.Phool]

22. Almost 40 years ago, I burned my draft card.

Merely symbolic in that I was classified 4-A- already a veteran.

I've been trying to be guardedly optimistic. But, as the days wear on, I'm ready to say "fuck it" and burn my voter registration card.

True to Al From's words, they use our money and our legwork, then discard us for another 2-4 years. Not anymore for me.

[Hannah Bell]

55. save the card for a mass, public burning. the day may come.

symbol-wise, not a bad idea.

[Triana]

14. If he's anti-choice he can kiss my vayjay...

...I don't like him.

[Arkana]

29. Kaine's Catholic. He doesn't believe in abortion, but he also doesn't believe

there should be laws against it and he resisted Virginia Republicans' efforts to do so.

No, he's not Dean--but he's Democrat enough for me.

[1776Forever]

15. Lanny Davis is a good person but he sure doesn't speak for me! DLC = Compromise

Compromise = People like Kaine and Warren and it makes me literally ill!

:puke:

................

Check this out for more on "compromise" -

The Death of the "Virginia Democrat?"
Tim Craig

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/virginiapolitics/2009/01/the_death_of_the_virginia_demo.html?hpid=topnews

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's expected appointment as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee will likely undermine the Democratic candidates for governor ability to distance themselves from the national party.

Ever since Senator-elect Mark R. Warner (D) ran for governor in 2001, Virginia Democrats have gone out their way to stress that they are different from the national, more liberal, wing of the party. That branding of a "Virginia Democrat" - pro-business, socially moderate - was then used by Kaine during his race for governor in 2005. It also helped Sen. James Webb in 2006.

But now the head of the Virginia Democratic Party will also be in charge of the national committee. When the eventual Democratic nominee for governor takes on Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, the GOP nominee, this fall, they won't be able to position themselves as somehow different than the national party without first distancing themselves from Kaine.

GOP officials in Richmond were gleeful when they heard about Kaine's appointment. "The Mark Warner model is dead," one Richmond-based GOP strategist said.

Democrats argue that it will no longer be a liability for them to be linked to the national party now that Barack Obama, who easily carried Virginia this year, is the titular head of the party.

But Kaine will also be easily attached to the Democratic leadership in Congress, who polls show are unpopular, and other elements of the national party that the governor will have to cater to, including national liberal bloggers, labor unions, environmentalists and other elements of the party base. And when voters go the polls this November, the election will no longer just be a partial referendum on Kaine, the governor, but also on Kaine, the head of the national Democratic party.

[iconicgnom]

40. So is GWB a "good person". E.g. he never actually murdered anyone, personally, and he smiles alot.

[pacalo]

17. The 50-state strategy was successful BECAUSE of John Dean, they'll find out.

[rhett o rick]

19. Not sure you can say the name "John Dean" in mixed company. Did you mean Howard Dean?? nm

[pacalo]

61. OMG...

I did mean Howard!

Nevermind...



:hi:

[rhett o rick]

62. Gilda was my favorite. you are forgiven. nm

[rhett o rick]

20. When I read that the party machine wants "a change" like Mr. Davis, I read that to mean

the party machine didn't/doesn't like Howard Dean and the grassroots of the party. Can't blame them. Damn grassroots are hard to herd. The Democratic machine is sooo much more comfortable with Rahm Emanuel, Lanny Davis and SoS Hillary Clinton. It will be interesting how PE Obama handles the "machine".

[madfloridian]

21. They long for the days...

of the decisions made in smoke-filled rooms.

[rhett o rick]

63. Regardless of how successful Obama is at fixing stuff. We, the grassroots of the party

have roared. We know we have power collectively. We just need to continue the movement. If it includes Obama in the future, great, if not we shall continue the fight. We have to get more progressives in local politics and work our way up until we control the "machine".

[Greyhound]

23. Sorry women, you won't mind being reduced to property of the state again, would you?

It's just for a little while.

After all, winning is far more important, don't you agree?
:puke:

[madfloridian]

25. Exactly what is happening.

:hi:

[Greyhound]

26. And being defended here.

I think, since I'm not quite to the murder spree stage yet and I don't know where they are, to stay away from DU for a while.

FUCK!

[madfloridian]

24. Good old Lanny, back to put down progressives. And he's lovin it.

http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/01/05/davis_obama/

"Barack Obama’s key philosophy and message in the campaign and during the transition has demonstrated just the new kind of politics that rises above partisanship that he promised in his campaign. If he wants to be successful in implementing those themes as president, he might be wise to reflect on the lessons to be learned from the “Gang of 14″ compromise over judicial nominations.

He was not part of that compromise at the time back then as a junior freshman senator, elected less than a year before. I suspect the Barack Obama of today would have been.

"The compromise struck by seven Democrats and seven Republicans in May 2005 — surprise! — infuriated partisans on both the right and the left. And that’s why it worked, and that’s why it was the right thing to do."

A brief reminder for those who forgot: On May 25, 2005, in the U.S. Senate, seven Democrats and seven Republicans came together to fashion a compromise concerning how and whether to allow President Bush’s judicial nominees to receive an up-or-down vote by the U.S. Senate after they had been approved by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee. The senators, quickly deemed the “Gang of 14,” were, for the Democrats: Robert Byrd of West Virginia, Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Ken Salazar of Colorado; and for the Republicans, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Susan Collins of Maine, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John McCain of Arizona, Olympia J. Snowe of Maine and John W. Warner of Virginia.

Their “deal” resulted in breaking the filibuster by Senate Democrats, who had 44 senators and one independent (Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont) to block any Senate vote on an unacceptably conservative Bush judicial nominee. With seven Democrats joining 55 Republicans, there would be more than 60 votes to force an up-and-down vote."

Our Democrats are responsible for the right wing Supreme Court just as much as the other side.

Never missing a chance to gloat.

[Wetzelbill]

27. Bush poses a problem for Dems in a certain way, because he was so bad

That we were able to win the last two elections without having to shore up some of our basic tenets. Some people think that old middle of the road bullshit works, but the last two elections were flukes in the sense that we had an unpopular war, a financial crisis, GOP scandals, and the worst president ever to go against. Democrats could get away with not totally acting like Democrats sometimes. When the alternative is so bad certain groups will stick with you, but in the future it will hurt Dems to alienate some of their core constituencies. It looks good now, sure, but don't forget Dems have some real philosophical struggles occuring in our party. Bush being bad made it too easy in the end, and overlooking women and the LGBT community will hurt at some point. Maybe not enough to cost an election but enough to pay attention to. You can't expect people to like being taken for granted all the time just because the other side is so horrid.

[ooglymoogly]

30. It's time we start a new movement with Howard dean at the helm.

He now has the power and the moxi to do it. These folks I am seeing are not the head of my party no matter who they try to ram down our throats. It is time we gathered our considerable resources and made a move. Think of it Howard Dean, RFK Jr. General Wes Clark, Joe Kennedy and a whole bunch of good folks I cant think of right now without a little thought. Just think of it. Not ever fooled again.
Change my ass. We have once again been suckered and fallen for the donkey's ass. For those of you who have not noticed the pugs are on the rise but now with a D after their name cus they could not get elected without it.

[Mithreal]

32. Where were they gonna go, their party went insane

And every former Republican that is now on the inside of our party wants to see change too and not our kind either.

[dflprincess]

35. I think we need Bernie Sanders to head a national movement

I wonder if it's the water in Vermont?

[Bette Noir]

31. I thought we got rid of Lanny Davis .

[Elidor]

33. Oooh, nice audition, Lanny!

Davis said Dean’s legacy will include both the 50-state strategy and an ongoing tone of partisanship in Washington. “Howard Dean did a great job in infrastructure, but I don’t think he did a great job in raising the level of politics to the message of Barack Obama,” Davis said. “He was in a different place and a different time, so no criticism intended.”

That's right, Lanny, you sing for that supper! If you're really good, Obama might give you a job. Now roll over and do tricks! C'mon, Lanny! Woof! Woof! How high can you jump, little puppy?

Not high enough, I hope.

[madfloridian]

44. Ha Ha

:hi:

[berni_mccoy]

34. Lanny Davis...

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

[dflprincess]

36. This is the quote I don't get

"Tim Kaine is the emblem, the symbol, of a new Democratic Party that no longer differentiates on what people believe on singular issues as opposed to the shared values of what Democrats think are important"

Is views on single issues that add up to shared values. How many issues do you disagree on; how much of your base do you sell out before you no longer really have shared values?

It's a "new Democratic Party" all right. It's the party that stands for nothing and is proud to do so.

[madfloridian]

46. You are right. That is exactly what Lanny said.

The choices of Rahm, Kaine, Warren...have spoken loudly, I fear. You can't toss aside two groups for religious purposes and convenience and call it right. It is not right.

[scarletwoman]

38. "an extremely important emblem that we are a different party than we were in 1992..." Really?

Then why are we hearing from Lanny Davis AGAIN?

I'm done. I'll do everything in my power to oppose what the Democratic party has become, even if it means destroying it altogether.

sw

[kaygore]

45. They had to get rid of Dean because the Democrats "Leadership"

is just as afraid of the grassroots rocking their comfy little boat as the Republicans are. However, I hope that we have learned how to organize ourselves and that we will run progressive Democrats AGAINST status quo, anti-equality at all levels "Democrats"/Lieberman "Democrats" in the primaries and FINALLY by 2010-2012 clean house once and for all!

[progressoid]

47. "...so no criticism intended.”

Riiiight. :eyes:

How can I say this delicately Lanny....

FUCK OFF!

[Jakes Progress]

48. Loved the line:

"Geez, please no more of the "post partisan" "bipartisan" crap. It did not work before, and it will hurt us if we do it now."

Way back with the FISA cave in some of us worried (and were told to shut up) that we were going down that old get-along-bipartisan road that leads to republican rule. Obama won, not because the was republican lite, but because the electorate thought he would be different. Without the support of the passionate, donating, time giving left wing that worked for him so hard, he will have a hard time in 2010. I like to think he is getting bad advice. Sure the republicans will run an asshole in 2010, so we won't have much of a choice, but it was the passion and fervor of the believers who pushed him to where he is. If we can't get that fire back in four years because of the wimpy way he "plays the game", he will get our votes, but not the money and time that he will need. That's what his "handlers" need to know.

[babylonsister]

49. And Dean is absolutely delighted by this selection, said he's glad

someone from outside the Beltway was hired. Go figure.

On m$nbc now.

[burythehatchet]

54. Howard is a team player, a far better man than me.

[madfloridian]

65. Far better than I am right now. I am so tired of working so hard...

and seeing it all go back to the conservatives. So discouraging.

[burythehatchet]

67. I think you and I probably feel the same way. The way I look at it, liberal

governance is not in the cards. However, at least good governance may be. There are times when that's good enough, and there are times when I am completely discouraged.

[loudsue]

50. Who in the hell appointed this asshole to take Dean's place??

Didn't several MILLION donors to the recent presidential campaign have any say in this?

It's revolution time in the Dem party. In fact...it's revolution time.

[deaniac21]

56. Lanny Davis is the most annoying person in the world.

[madfloridian]

60. Yes, he really is.

Very annoying.

[deaniac21]

66. I'd love to see Dean wrestle him on National TV!

[The Wizard]

57. The Netroots

where Obama raised a boatload of money has to let it be known that ineffective leadership as prescribed by the current middle of the road, kowtowing to Republican temper tantrums has consequences. They take for granted that we really have no where else to go-----------for now.

[depakid]

59. "shared values of what Democrats think are important"

Such as... we're not Republicans?

:shrug:

[Jefferson23]

64. Tim Kaine, such a huge disappointment. Back of the bus indeed.

madfloridian, thanks for this posting.

btw, Lanny Davis makes me want to hurl.