Posted on 07/21/2006 11:37:35 AM PDT by siunevada
At a time when centrism has become a dirty word in some Democratic Party circles, hundreds of the party's avowed moderates are convening in Denver this weekend to discuss their agenda for this fall's election and the presidential contest in 2008. The annual meeting of the Democratic Leadership Council, a group that came to prominence in connection with President Clinton's electoral victory in 1992, takes place as the organization has become a lightning rod for criticism from liberal Web-based activists known as the netroots.
The Denver gathering is scheduled to hear from the putative Democratic frontrunner for 2008, Senator Clinton, as well as other possible contenders such as Senator Bayh of Indiana, Governor Vilsack of Iowa, and Governor Richardson of New Mexico. A former Congressional staffer sharply critical of the group, David Sirota, said the speeches to the group will carry some political cost. "Among a certain segment of voters, it's absolutely, positively negative. It's radioactive," Mr. Sirota said. "Candidates should at least consider the radioactivity."
The tension dates back to the last presidential race when council officials threw cold water on the populist, Webdriven campaign of Howard Dean. Dr. Dean, who is now chairman of the Democratic National Committee, derided the council as the "Republican wing of the Democratic Party." A sharp-tongued aide for a Dean rival told the New Republic that the Vermont governor's Internet-savvy backers resembled the grotesque denizens of the "bar scene from ‘Star Wars.'" The conflict between the two camps is so intense that when Mrs. Clinton appeared before the council last year and called for a halt to the internecine fighting, bloggers unleashed attacks on her that are still reverberating.
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
"Centrist Democrats" seems oxymoronic.
The first thing they'd better do is endorse Joe Lieberman. If he loses, the Dem party is split for years to come.
I thought Howard Dean and his internet moonbats were going to save the Dem party?? Wasn't that the Democratic and the one party MSM message???
Centrist Democrats run to the Republican party.
Which gives us more RINOS.
And lets the DNC slide even further to the hard core socialist left.
In the end, the political "middle" is pushed even further left as the Democrats lose more offices.
I WANT a healthy Democrat Party; the people running the show there right now are barking moonbat NUTS!
They're too stupid. And Hillary has all of 'em by the short ones...
I want a defunct Democratic Party that is obliterated off of the American Political System.
If the Dem Party is 'split', it dillutes our strength as well until some strong Democrats take BACK their party from the Worker's World types.
As it is, they are trying to run the Greens agenda into the DNC.
I want Political Islam to be a defunct political ideology, as is Nazism.
That IS a healthy Demokrat party........
Me thinks this Democrat is a secret ditto head.
Centrist Dems? I can't think of a single Dem at the national level that is pro life....
"Centrists" should give up. The far lefties who are in control do not want them. If these moderates (?) would move a few steps to the right they could almost be Republicans.
If Joe Lieberman loses his primary it will be a sure sign that the blame America first type Dems are a strong force and these centrists don't stand much of a chance.
The DLC is virtually comatose. Their last hurrah was 1992 and the netrats then saw Clinton lose Congress time and time again. An endorsement by the DLC would be the kiss of death in the Rat primaries.
If Lieberman is thrown overboard I believe many Jews will leave the Party. The message will be that America's Party of the Left is moving away from support for Israel.
I long for the days of Scoop Jackson and Pat Moynihan.
Doubt that. The democrats have been weak on support for Israel for decades but still enjoy high Jewish loyalty.
Kind of a paradox how the "Conservative Movement" caused a shift towards the left, no?
A whip and a chair...and maybe a loaded pistol?
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