College of Political Knowledge
Subject: Liberalism
Back in the 90’s when one Clinton became president of the US I was thrilled that we might have a real liberal within the walls of the tower known as Washington……I was so sadly mistaken….he showed such great promise that the people would be the most important thing in the world of politics….then a couple of years into his presidency I could see just how mistaken I had been…..
But Chuq…he is loved the world over….how could I say such a thing? First of all, to me popularity is NOT necessarily a good thing in a leader and Clinton was and is so very popular…..I am looking at policies….not his likability…..and his popularity damn near condemned the Democratic Party to a lesser position in American political life……
But what happened that he lead the way to the attempt at destruction of a party? Pragmatism! Is the easy answer……..and that pragmatism took the guise of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC)…..
The DLC, the father of Clintonism and the Blue Dog Democrats, conservative group within the Democratic Party……Clinton who was a past chairman of the DLC help lead American into the problems we face now…..but what does the DLC stand for?
The DLC has supported welfare reform, such as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, President Clinton’s expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit,[9] and the creation of AmeriCorps. The DLC supports expanded health insurance via tax credits for the uninsured and opposes plans for single-payer universal health care. The DLC supports universal access to preschool, charter schools, and measures to allow a greater degree of choice in schooling (though not school vouchers), and supports the No Child Left Behind Act. The DLC supports both the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). (From our friend at Wikipedia)
These are their positions that I did not agree with….but not all their positions were to my dislike (but not much did I agree with at all)…..They also favored some form of Social Security privatization…..another mistake in my opinion….
All that aside…I will bet that you are asking….what is my point?
Cool! It seems that this “leadership” group is on its last leg…..
Politico is reporting that the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist organization once chaired by Bill Clinton, is having financial troubles and could fold as soon as next week.
The story quotes an unnamed “person familiar with the plans.”The DLC was founded more than 25 years ago by Al From and gained prominence during the 1990s. Clinton hailed the group at a gala honoring From, saying: “I would never have become president if it wasn’t for you.”
I foresaw this problem for the DLC because the Blue Dogs lost badly in the last election and without their butt boys in the Congress there is NO good reason this group of centrists (a term that I am not too comfortable with) should continue to exist….but I can say that thanx to their “leadership” we have jobs gone that will NEVER return and we have an economic base that will collapse again and again….because NO one has the huevos to stop them….because they help sell the idea that most of America is in the middle….something that I am not positive is all that accurate…..
So if the DLC’s funds are drying up….then how does that reinforce the idea that all America is centrist?