New Democrats, The DLC and the Third Way

[Dragonfli]

[font size ="1"]President Bill Clinton with Al From, president of the Democratic Leadership Council, at a conference in 2000.[/font size]

New Democrats, in the politics of the United States, are an ideologically centrist faction within the Democratic Party that emerged after the victory of Republican George H. W. Bush in the 1988 presidential election. They are identified with centrist social/cultural/pluralist positions and neoliberal fiscal values. They are represented by organizations such as the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the New Democrat Network, and the Senate and House New Democrat Coalitions

After the landslide electoral losses to Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, a group of prominent Democrats began to believe their party was in need of a radical shift in economic policy and ideas of governance. The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was founded in 1985 by Al From and a group of like-minded politicians and strategists. They advocated a political "Third Way" as a method to achieve the electoral successes of Reaganism by adopting similar economic policies (Reagan Democrats and Moderate Republicans would provide burgeoning new constituencies after adding these new economic policies and politicians to our tent they contended) While hoping to retain, woman, minorities and other social issues allies with long ties to the party. Such would be their new Democratic coalition forged between fiscal right and social left under the "New" Democratic banner. The DLC disbanded in 2011 during an apparent re-branding of the New Democrat movement when money ties to the Koch bros. and Koch representatives placed on the DLC's board embarrassingly became common knowledge among the Democratic left. The DLC is survived by the Third Way, The New Democrat Coalition, and Al From's Progressive Policy Institute among other corporate funded groups that continue to sell their Economic-Right/Social-Left brand of "Centrism" to America.



The term Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies.

Third Way was created as a serious re-evaluation of political policies within various center-right progressive movements in response to international doubt regarding the economic viability of the state; economic interventionist policies that had previously been popularized by Keynesianism and contrasted with the corresponding rise of popularity for neo liberalism and the New Right. In a sense, 80s Moderate Republicans are almost identical to "Third Way" Democrats.

I strongly believe it's time for a serious re-evaluation of political policies within various center-left progressive movements in response to international doubt regarding the economic viability of the neoliberal corporate policies previously popularized by Reagan and Thatcher! For thirty years we have all but abandoned liberal solutions to economic problems, chasing instead the snake oil of supply side economics, austerity and neoliberal trade policy. These right wing policies have failed miserably, and rather than learn from the New Democrats failed experiments, the center-right faction of the democratic party has chosen instead to double down on failure with more free trade and austerity measures (to include cuts to Social Security).

In the face of a new gilded age of extreme wealth contrasted by an exponentially growing rate of poverty,  a rapidly shrinking middle class and the emergence of an elite class of  bankers, politicians and other predatory behemoths that are held firmly above the law and enabled to steal the remaining crumbs of wealth held by the masses without repercussion, it is not only time to return to Democratic principles of old that created the strongest most prosperous middle class in our history, it is time to reverse the damage done by the right thinking "New" Democrats and their failed policies with a new populism based on the needs of the people over the elite.

We do not need a "Fourth Way" to accomplish this, all we need is a return to the fundamentals of Keynesianism, a strong commitment to labor, increased spending on social programs (rather than cuts), progressive taxation, and an end to the cancer of privatization that would reduce the commons and the basic needs of the populace (such as health care and drinking water etc.) into the cash cows of profiteers of human suffering

Time to dump the "Third Way" for the unquestionably effective "Democratic way" made successful by the New Deal, The Great Society, and civil liberties. Our party can not serve two masters, the choice is clear, they must serve the financial elite, or the economically struggling populace

My choice has already been made.

[whereisjustice]

1. K & R

[LiberalElite]

30. K&R

[daleanime]

2. K&R....

[Warpy]

3. Thank you, there is nothing even remotely liberal about conservative economics

and nothing liberal about neolib geopolitics.

Liberalism based on Keynes produced the only economic system in this country that has ever treated labor fairly, leading to a large and very stable middle class.

Nothing else will do, I'm afraid, and economic conservatives who have been coasting solely based on social issues are going to be in for an extremely rude awakening at the next crash.

There will be a next crash. Conservatives in the Democratic Party made sure of that by helping the Republicans scuttle any meaningful reforms. Wars based on neoliberal geopolitics are not going to save them.

[stillwaiting]

21. Agree with your post, but there hasn't even been a recovery from the last crash for most.

If by "next crash" you mean another huge leg down for most of us, then yes I agree. That will undoubtedly happen too.

TPTB just continue to grind us down (i.e. 99%) year after year, and that will NO DOUBT continue until more of us wake up and make the Democratic Party embrace progressive politics again. To do that, the Third Way/DLC/New Democrats have to be exposed and KICKED OUT of the Party. Right now, they are in firm control, and the Senate is where they have things locked up right now. I can't believe how many Democratic Senators currently embrace Third Way policies.

A SUSTAINED movement will be needed to clean things up, and that will mean primaries. Otherwise, we're just going to continue our current economic trends (upward redistribution of wealth/income to the 1% from the 99%).

Above all, we will have to break the corporate media hold that has brainwashed so many Americans. If Americans don't even know what's happened and what NEEDS to happen, then I have no hope things will improve. Currently, I have no hope, but I have hope that one day in the future Americans will know what's needed (i.e. PROGRESSIVE politicians) and we will turn things around.

[RufusTFirefly]

4. K & R

I left my blue links at home....

[NBachers]

5. This is what I come to Democratic Underground for.

[blkmusclmachine]

6. DLC = Third Way = "New Democrats"

[merrily]

27. Progressive Policy Institute, Third Way, Center for American Progress, and No Labels. All DLC-ish

Clintonites abound in all of them, too.

[aspirant]

7. Corporatism and People Populism

these are the 2 parties now, any other labels are irrelevant

Pick your candidates accordingly.

[mother earth]

49. Well said. nt

[ReRe]

8. New Democrats, The DLC, Thirdway

and the "Progressive Policy Institute?"

No thank you.


Otherwise, great OP, Dragonfli!



K&R

[Populist_Prole]

9. K&R. Keep it real

I welcome the civil war in the party between the 3rd-way and the populists.

The former has the cash, and the latter has the numbers.

As Cyrus in 'The Warriors' exhorts: "We got the streets suckas!!!"

[hedda_foil]

10. Bravo, Dragonfli, superb explanation of the mess of pottage the neolibs have served up.

Thank you for spelling it out so brilliantly. And this is why Rahm insists the Dems have no base. Who besides a small group of elites would respond to this non-ideology?

[JDPriestly]

11. K&R.

[cui bono]

12. Yes please.

[DeSwiss]

13. K&R

[peacebird]

39. Great image!

[Joe Shlabotnik]

14. Agree, its time to dump third way, and neo-liberalsim, but

if you want to win elections, maybe a 4th way is required, since Keynesianism, commitment to labor, spending on social programs, progressive taxation etc, are all dependent on capitalism, exploitation and imperialism; precisely the roots of all evils. If you want to change the world or save the planet, it going to have to be radical socialism.

[truedelphi]

19. ANd how many Americans are willing to be radically socialist? Or even willing to act humanely,

On a day to day basis.

When you realize that almost everyone carries a cell phone, but those devices are made by slave labor in third world nations and/or China, what does that tell us about our struggle to have real progressive politics here?

Certain things are very politically chic - for instance, being vegan, or jumping on the climate change band wagon. But when no one is even thinking of organizing a real push to have devices everyone uses being made here in the USA, then what does that indicate about the lack of enlightenment?

And since Apple has people standing in line overnight to get their latest watch or whatever, and Apple posts an 18 billion dollar profit in one quarter only, with that profit being a new record, why can't some humanity return to manufacturing happening here in the USA?

(Or when will I learn to just shut up and accept what people all around me accept. I mean, Chinese people aren't people, are they? <sarcasm meant> They live on the other side of the world, so who cares if they are slaves, being driven to suicide, due to Apple's concern for its profits, and people's concern to have the popular devices?)

[Enthusiast]

24. I'm with you on all that.

And corporations should pay some damn taxes.

[djean111]

15. This is what Democrats right here at DU have been taken in by:

The term Third Way refers to various political positions which try to reconcile right-wing and left-wing politics by advocating a varying synthesis of right-wing economic and left-wing social policies.

This is how a Third Way politician can rope in those who point to social issues like gay marriage and women's rights as excuses for slashing the safety net and increasing the money to the MIC and cutting taxes for corporations and dreadful "trade agreements" like the TPP - the social policies they support do not cost them anything, while tax breaks and subsidies and deregulation of banks and Wall Street and corporate practices strangle the economy.

Even right now - proposed "changes" to student debt - nothing is being done about the amount of the debt, the interest on the debt, the draconian and crushing cost of college - just giving us band-aids. That free community college rhetoric - that is going to pass Congress? Ha! What we are seeing is EU-style austerity being slipped in without the fanfare. Obama has proposed partially privatizing the infrastructure we need so badly to be rebuilt. We KNOW what privatizing does for the public commons. And yet some of us say hey, how fabulous! When Bernie Sanders proposes a lucid way to rebuild infrastructure, give people jobs, invest in America - he is patronizingly dismissed. The austerity beat goes on, and the Third Way Democrats are complicit - no, they are driving it, while the GOP has become a pack of insane Nero's, fiddling while hoping for the flames of war and the total collapse of the safety net. Health insurance has replaced health care. Other countries champion solar energy - here in the good old USA, corporations are trying to strangle it, until, of course, they can make the same profits off of it that they make from using fossil fuels and nuclear plants.

The Clinton supporters have pretty much gone the Third Way - policies have no importance, a few social policies that were advocated are offered as the most important thing, and SCOTUS and lesser evil are actually seen as a reasonable reason for support. Pathetic.

The TPP is being pushed using China as a boogeyman. Hell, China is not going to be stopped by some trade agreements, the only thing that happens with the new trade agreements is global corporatism.

We do not need a "Fourth Way" to accomplish this, all we need is a return to the fundamentals of Keynesianism, a strong commitment to labor, increased spending on social programs (rather than cuts), progressive taxation, and an end to the cancer of privatization that would reduce the commons and the basic needs of the populace (such as health care and drinking water etc.) into the cash cows of profiteers of human suffering

Time to dump the "Third Way" for the unquestionably effective "Democratic way" made successful by the New Deal, The Great Society, and civil liberties. Our party can not serve two masters, the choice is clear, they must serve the financial elite, or the economically struggling populace.

Right now, our party is serving the financial elite.

[truedelphi]

18. Hear! Hear! Especially the very last sentence:

That last sentence sums it all up very concisely.

[Enthusiast]

23. PLUS ONE, a huge bunch!

[bvar22]

34. ....but she has a great voting record on Women's Issues!!!!

*

[djean111]

36. Well, to be fair, that means the TPP and fracking and war will affect everyone equally.

[840high]

44. ....x10

[stonecutter357]

16. pretending to be morally pure.

[L0oniX]

26. Enjoy your banksters.

[stonecutter357]

29. way would i not enjoy banksters.

Is the earth flat?

[rhett o rick]

32. The Third Way has forsaken their morality for money and power. No thanks. nm

[Dragonfli]

33. Is that supposed to mean something or do you have trouble with the English language?

[stonecutter357]

37. personal insults to go with your perfection.

[Dragonfli]

40. That was not meant as an insult, I simply have no idea what you are trying to say.

What I wrote was more or less a history of the party for the past thirty years or so and your post does not appear to address anything I wrote, so I found it confusing and random to say the least, perhaps you could expand on it and explain what such party history has to do with the moral corruption or purity of the author, feigned or otherwise.

I never even wrote about myself so perhaps you can understand my confusion regarding your cryptic and off topic reply.
Please clarify.

[BeanMusical]

17. Kick and R. Great post.

[Scuba]

20. Great post, Dragonfli. Thank you so much!

[Enthusiast]

22. Kicked and recommended a whole bunch!

Thank you, Dragonfli. I'm with you 100%.

[L0oniX]

25. K & R

[GoneFishin]

28. K & R

[cascadiance]

31. Instead of us saying "They Live" any more, we should be saying "They're GONE!" now!

[bvar22]

35. DURec.

I don't understand WHY we needed a "3rd Way".

The FDR Way was good enough for me.
Fuck a bunch a half Republicans.

In our day these economic truths have become accepted as self-evident. We have accepted, so to speak, a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be[font size=3] established for all—regardless of station, race, or creed.[/font]

Among these are:

*The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

*The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

*The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living;

*The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

*The right of every family to a decent home;

*The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health;

*The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment;

*The right to a good education.

All of these rights spell security. And after this war is won we must be prepared to move forward, in the implementation of these rights, to new goals of human happiness and well-being.

[font size=3]America's own rightful place in the world depends in large part upon how fully these and similar rights have been carried into practice for all our citizens.[/font]

Please note that the above are stipulated as Basic Human RIGHTS to be protected by our government,
and NOT as COMMODITIES to be SOLD to Americans by For Profit Corporations.

There was a time, not so long ago, when voting FOR the Democrat was voting FOR the above values.
This is no longer True, thanks to the "3rd Way".





[center]The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR. [/font][/center]


In politics the middle way is none at all.
-President John Adams

[peacebird]

38. Agree totally.

[TheKentuckian]

41. Fuckin A!

[antigop]

42. K&R. nt

[Khaotic]

43. DLC Not Good

[LondonReign2]

45. Kick

[rbnyc]

46. k&r/nt

[merrily]

47. Thanks, Dragonfli.

[Dragonfli]

48. YW /nt

[Cosmic Kitten]

50. K&R Thanks for the "reminder"

[leveymg]

51. Third Way Dems are colonists from the Rockefeller wing of the GOP

They arrived with Reagan and enough money to take over the Democratic Party for two decades. Like the Republicans, they remain essentially dynastic and protective of property rights - according to the iron law of inheritance, the Presidency now belongs to Hillary.

They know that some of us can now see them for what they are, but remain confident in their mission of planetary conquest.

[Dragonfli]

52. I agree, they are ideologically the old Republicans that no longer fit into the new party

Rather than form their own party, or take it back from the Birchers, I believe they simply took over ours.

In only some cases can they be tracked as registered (R) changing over, but the money and the ideals are the same and such people would have felt more comfortable in that party if it still existed as it did 30 years ago.

It is very obvious to those of us that have followed the parties and policies for decades, unfortunately for the younger generations, they have no real idea what the party actually was and how it once helped the lower and working classes. The party can no longer be honestly said to represent workers and unions, and since Clinton all but destroyed assistance programs for the poor, they could no longer be said to represent the lower classes - they "lowest" most of them will go with their rhetoric is the "middle class" which to them appears to be those making 100 k to 1 M a year, and even they only really get rhetoric without action.

Most of the country no longer has representation, the war on poverty has transmuted into a war on the poor and the unions have been used but not supported.

I don't think this dynamic can remain stable for long.

[leveymg]

53. The Third Way Democrats and their money machine will simply migrate back to the GOP

or whoever offers them the best package deal of Returns On Investment and security.

Like any other industry, American politics is all about ROI and hedging risks, and it's a global market.

[polichick]

54. Bravo!

[mother earth]

55. Mine too. The third way leads to more inequality & poverty, it is unconscionable for any dem or

human being to enable it.

[cui bono]

56. kick

[woo me with science]

57. K&R!

[Catherina]

58. Excellent OP and thread! K&R n/t

[LWolf]

59. It seems like a good time to reread this. nt

[Octafish]

60. New New Deal is only thing that can save the nation and planet.

Gotta think big. Gotta act big. Gotta do big.

ALL together for the benefit of ALL.

That's the true Democratic way.

http://www.rooseveltinstitute.org/new-deal-20

Thank you for an outstanding post, thread, and message, Dragonfli.

[Mnemosyne]

61. KnR nt

[chknltl]

62. knr nt

[Ferd Berfel]

63. The only way out of this is to break the DNC first

and then reassemble it without the Corporate and 1% influence.

Think about HOW that can be accomplished. They will not allow you to patch or change it.

[Baobab]

64. Clinton started nothing less than an attempt to take over the world for corporations, and its still

going on.

Google "Progressive Liberalisation" (use that spelling)

What do you see?

Example:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3A.in+India+GATS+WTO+education

Forcing India to give up their right to education?

Is that American values? No.


Here is another example, on health care- Everything we are being told is the cause, is wrong.

[LoganOneNation]

65. The real reason that Trump has a even a chance

is because Democrats like Obama & the Clintons have been far too tone deaf to working class voters. These kind of Democrats always seem to be more interested in bipartisanship than wise, pro-middle class policy. Obamacare is the perfect example. Obama chose Obamacare not because he believed it was objectively better policy than Medicare for all but because he thought Republicans might vote for it. And you see where that penchant landed him. He now is forced to have his name be eternally associated with & THE WORST possible version of healthcare reform. The reason the majority of the GOP supported its identical twin, Romneycare, up until 2007, was precisely because it is a system which mainly benefits blood sucker insurance companies. The GOP has traditionally ALWAYS preferred government solutions that benefit businesses rather than the poor & middle class. They would describe it as "helping the job creators." So it was entirely reasonable for Obama to believe Republicans might go for it. He didn't realize that the GOP was simply determined to act as a spiteful & purposely unreasonable insurgency no matter what he proposed.

[polichick]

66. What the party does not seem to get, even now, is that those who have walked away...

from its corporatist corruption are NEVER coming back to the party as it is.