Politico: 'Third Way aims for front and center'

[krkaufman]

As expected....

Politico: Third Way aims for front and center
By JAMES HOHMANN | 11/2/10 4:07 AM EDT

The long-simmering battle between moderates and liberals for the soul of the Democratic Party is about to explode.

That presents a golden opportunity for Third Way, a five-year-old think tank that remains largely unknown outside the Beltway.
The group has spent months preparing to capitalize on this moment and take a more central role in the party.

And it’s coming down squarely on the side of centrism — and planning to vigorously challenge the left.

As if we didn't have enough of a fight against the party of "no compromise" ahead, the election hasn't even passed and Conservative Democrats are already trying to sell out the Democratic voter to the Republican platform.

---

And here's an especially interesting excerpt, helping to pull back the curtain on the nonsensical framing of Third Way as anything close to progressive...

In addition, many of Third Way’s most sympathetic Democratic allies now appear likely to lose. Of 255 House Democrats, 102 are members of the Blue Dog or New Democrat caucuses. Only 38 of those running for reelection face non-competitive reelections, according to the latest issue of a monthly newsletter analyst Bill Schneider writes for Third Way (where he is a resident scholar).

Yes, *that* Bill Schneider, from the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

One thing that needs to start happening is that these Conservative Democrats need to quit being called "moderates" or "centrists." If you find yourself siding with the modern day Republican Party, it's a safe bet that you're not a moderate and you're not located at the center of the absolute political spectrum.


edit: edited to add context for Bill Schneider reference

[Yeshuah Ben Joseph]

1. Anyone who thinks Democrats have ANY friends at the "American Enterprise Institute"

is sadly deluding themselves.

To Hell with the "Third Way", literally.

Maybe it's time I started my own movement and called it "Third Day Democrats"?

Of course people might mistake that for sounding "too religious" :(

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. AEI trying to set us against each other

No thanks. We do that well enough on our own!

;-)

[asjr]

3. Is that the Bill Schneider who used to work for CNN?

[krkaufman]

8. Yes. And was a senior fellow at AEI.

Now he's working for Third Way, apparently.

[asjr]

13. I never cared for him. He always seemed

to have the personality of a dead fish.

[krkaufman]

14. Yeah, odd duck. But my main problem with him ....

... was his poll analysis on CNN always seemed pulled out of his backside, attributing all sorts of motives to polls sans evidence. I quit wondering when I learned he was an AEI fellow.

[SoCalDem]

4. Ugh!.. and the Mushy-Middle dems are probably champing at the bit

...eager to "work with" the new republican "bosses"..

That's my biggest beef..

when republicans are in charge, dems fall all over themselves to "work with" them, and when dems are in control, republicans just flat out refuse to work with us, and dems in congress just accept it meekly.

Obama pledged to work with republicans & to be bipartisan, but he never got a chance to actually do it, because they stuck their fingers in their ears & did the "lallalala" thing...and now Obama ends up being criticized to not changing the tone:grr:

[emulatorloo]

9. It is from The Politico. Best to take their BS with a huge grain of salt. n/t

[gratuitous]

5. Thank you, Politico, for your concern

And please let Mr. Schneider know that his concern is duly noted as well. Centrism defined as Reagan Lite isn't centrist. The real battle in the next two years, and the chowderheads at Politico know it, will be between the New True Believers created by the Republican Noise Machine and the Old Guard in the GOP. The Old Guard still thinks it can rein in the NTB, and money will be a major weapon for the Old Guard, but the NTB will make life very difficult for the next couple of election cycles, at least. The monster has slipped its leash, and the Old Guard is going to fight its fiercest battles with its own.

[krkaufman]

12. I'm especially looking forward to those anonymous PAC dollar$ ...

... to start funding ads against Republican Presidential contenders, especially Palin. The NTB's will explode when Princess Also Too starts getting attacked by anonymous elites.

[emulatorloo]

6. Pretty sure it is the Republicans that are about to EXPLODE. Teabaggers vs Establishment types

Sounds like a lot of weird psychological projection from Bill Schneider.

[kwolf68]

7. SOooooo

When the Repukkes were beaten in 2008, we thought that party would move to the center...what happened was it got more extreme.

[emulatorloo]

11. I remember pundits on the Chris Matthews Show predicting that Republicans would cooperate with Obama

They all thought that the mandate would be clear to him, and they would give him what he wanted. Especially during the first 100 days.

[DURHAM D]

10. Stupid article.

If Obama tacks left he will still be to the right of most members of the Democratic Party.

If he does move left we can then call him a Nixon Democrat.