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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: The "Democratic" Party has lost its soul. [View all]Armstead
(47,803 posts)117. here ya go...
http://prospect.org/article/how-dlc-does-it
Of course, it is easier to be contentious when you are well financed. And the DLC message of pro-market moderation is just what organized business wants to hear. ....One by one, Fortune 500 corporate backers saw the DLC as a good investment. By 1990 major firms like AT&T and Philip Morris were important donors. Indeed, according to Reinventing Democrats, Kenneth S. Baer's history of the DLC, Al From used the organization's fundraising prowess as blandishment to attract an ambitious young Arkansas governor to replace Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia as DLC chairman. Drawing heavily on internal memos written by From, Bruce Reed, and other DLCers, Baer says that the DLC offered Clinton not only a national platform for his presidential aspirations but "entree into the Washington and New York fundraising communities." Early in the 1992 primaries, writes Baer, "financially, Clinton's key Wall Street support was almost exclusively DLC-based," especially at firms like New York's Goldman, Sachs.
The DLC's investment in Clinton paid off, of course, after the 1992 election. Not only did the DLC bask in its status as idea factory and influence broker for the White House, but it also reaped immediate financial rewards. One month after the election, Clinton headlined a fundraising dinner for the DLC that drew 2,200 to Washington's Union Station, where tables went for $15,000 apiece. Corporate officials and lobbyists were lined up to meet the new White House occupant, including 139 trade associations, law firms, and companies who kicked in more than $2 million, for a total of $3.3 million raised in a single evening.
......While the DLC will not formally disclose its sources of contributions and dues, the full array of its corporate supporters is contained in the program from its annual fall dinner last October, a gala salute to Lieberman that was held at the National Building Museum in Washington. Five tiers of donors are evident: the Board of Advisers, the Policy Roundtable, the Executive Council, the Board of Trustees, and an ad hoc group called the Event Committee--and companies are placed in each tier depending on the size of their check. For $5,000, 180 companies, lobbying firms, and individuals found themselves on the DLC's board of advisers, including British Petroleum, Boeing, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Coca-Cola, Dell, Eli Lilly, Federal Express, Glaxo Wellcome, Intel, Motorola, U.S. Tobacco, Union Carbide, and Xerox, along with trade associations ranging from the American Association of Health Plans to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. For $10,000, another 85 corporations signed on as the DLC's policy roundtable, including AOL, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citigroup, Dow, GE, IBM, Oracle, UBS PacifiCare, PaineWebber, Pfizer, Pharmacia and Upjohn, and TRW.
And for $25,000, 28 giant companies found their way onto the DLC's executive council, including Aetna, AT&T, American Airlines, AIG, BellSouth, Chevron, DuPont, Enron, IBM, Merck and Company, Microsoft, Philip Morris, Texaco, and Verizon Communications. Few, if any, of these corporations would be seen as leaning Democratic, of course, but here and there are some real surprises. One member of the DLC's executive council is none other than Koch Industries, the privately held, Kansas-based oil company whose namesake family members are avatars of the far right, having helped to found archconservative institutions like the Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy. Not only that, but two Koch executives, Richard Fink and Robert P. Hall III, are listed as members of the board of trustees and the event committee, respectively--meaning that they gave significantly more than $25,000.
Of course, it is easier to be contentious when you are well financed. And the DLC message of pro-market moderation is just what organized business wants to hear. ....One by one, Fortune 500 corporate backers saw the DLC as a good investment. By 1990 major firms like AT&T and Philip Morris were important donors. Indeed, according to Reinventing Democrats, Kenneth S. Baer's history of the DLC, Al From used the organization's fundraising prowess as blandishment to attract an ambitious young Arkansas governor to replace Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia as DLC chairman. Drawing heavily on internal memos written by From, Bruce Reed, and other DLCers, Baer says that the DLC offered Clinton not only a national platform for his presidential aspirations but "entree into the Washington and New York fundraising communities." Early in the 1992 primaries, writes Baer, "financially, Clinton's key Wall Street support was almost exclusively DLC-based," especially at firms like New York's Goldman, Sachs.
The DLC's investment in Clinton paid off, of course, after the 1992 election. Not only did the DLC bask in its status as idea factory and influence broker for the White House, but it also reaped immediate financial rewards. One month after the election, Clinton headlined a fundraising dinner for the DLC that drew 2,200 to Washington's Union Station, where tables went for $15,000 apiece. Corporate officials and lobbyists were lined up to meet the new White House occupant, including 139 trade associations, law firms, and companies who kicked in more than $2 million, for a total of $3.3 million raised in a single evening.
......While the DLC will not formally disclose its sources of contributions and dues, the full array of its corporate supporters is contained in the program from its annual fall dinner last October, a gala salute to Lieberman that was held at the National Building Museum in Washington. Five tiers of donors are evident: the Board of Advisers, the Policy Roundtable, the Executive Council, the Board of Trustees, and an ad hoc group called the Event Committee--and companies are placed in each tier depending on the size of their check. For $5,000, 180 companies, lobbying firms, and individuals found themselves on the DLC's board of advisers, including British Petroleum, Boeing, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Coca-Cola, Dell, Eli Lilly, Federal Express, Glaxo Wellcome, Intel, Motorola, U.S. Tobacco, Union Carbide, and Xerox, along with trade associations ranging from the American Association of Health Plans to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. For $10,000, another 85 corporations signed on as the DLC's policy roundtable, including AOL, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citigroup, Dow, GE, IBM, Oracle, UBS PacifiCare, PaineWebber, Pfizer, Pharmacia and Upjohn, and TRW.
And for $25,000, 28 giant companies found their way onto the DLC's executive council, including Aetna, AT&T, American Airlines, AIG, BellSouth, Chevron, DuPont, Enron, IBM, Merck and Company, Microsoft, Philip Morris, Texaco, and Verizon Communications. Few, if any, of these corporations would be seen as leaning Democratic, of course, but here and there are some real surprises. One member of the DLC's executive council is none other than Koch Industries, the privately held, Kansas-based oil company whose namesake family members are avatars of the far right, having helped to found archconservative institutions like the Cato Institute and Citizens for a Sound Economy. Not only that, but two Koch executives, Richard Fink and Robert P. Hall III, are listed as members of the board of trustees and the event committee, respectively--meaning that they gave significantly more than $25,000.
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This Revolt Has Been Building For Years - The DWS, DNC, DLC, Third-Way Has Only Themselves To Blame
cantbeserious
Feb 2016
#1
Yes - There Are Effectively Six Parties In America - The Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks Own Three
cantbeserious
Feb 2016
#109
Your last sentence would be ironic if she were in fact a feminist in more than just words. n/t
A Simple Game
Feb 2016
#170
Please stop impugning the good name of FDR by attaching Sanders' handle to it
jmowreader
Feb 2016
#115
except that "other guy" is the one they are browbeating to vote the party in the GE
bbgrunt
Feb 2016
#90
Giving up on a health-care system driven by people in favor of profit for a few
AllyCat
Feb 2016
#167
The record of 3rd-Way conservative Republicrats will cost my kids 50 years of republicon rule.
Kip Humphrey
Feb 2016
#3
We??? Sorry, but your lauded 3rd-Way conservicrats are responsible for letting this happen.
Kip Humphrey
Feb 2016
#192
Tell that to Bernie. Blaming his opponent seems to be his campaign strategy now. nt
SunSeeker
Feb 2016
#78
I am talking about the DNC and our losses overall..not about Clinton and Bernie.
Jefferson23
Feb 2016
#85
They're not going to do that and they're well placed to continue to do so if
Jefferson23
Feb 2016
#105
The DNC is not doing their job for GOTV, the losses across the states have been massive and
Jefferson23
Feb 2016
#139
Huh? Again, the party is suppose to increase voter turn out, as I said earlier, it is low.
Jefferson23
Feb 2016
#147
Those words were nowhere in that video. Her message is about expanding opportunity.
SunSeeker
Feb 2016
#197
On the contrary, pragmatic progressive means she wants to get things done. nt
SunSeeker
Feb 2016
#202
No. No portion of the current Republican Party is equivalent to the current Democratic Party.
SunSeeker
Feb 2016
#133
You are correct that's why there are no longer any moderate Republicans (now extinct in the R party)
Dragonfli
Feb 2016
#144
If you mean the OP referred to in the post, I would ask the public here if I should post it in GDP
Dragonfli
Feb 2016
#204
Psst! Do some research on the Democratic Business Council... a half decade before the DLC
wyldwolf
Feb 2016
#32
It was not so long ago that the Democratic Party was competitive in Florida.
Enthusiast
Feb 2016
#91
Think middle class, middle age suicides are bad now, wait until Hillary ships another million jobs
whereisjustice
Feb 2016
#22
I think Elizabeth Warren needs to come out now for Bernie. It's the county's last chance IMO
litlbilly
Feb 2016
#24
And, we need to triple the ground game for Bernie, it's just us and no one else who can get it done
litlbilly
Feb 2016
#25
Maybe he could use some of his hedge fund money to pay for a reform movement?
brooklynite
Feb 2016
#28
Maybe he could use some of his hedge fund money to pay for a reform movement?
AlbertCat
Feb 2016
#49
Hillary winning with a 12% turnout, just like winning a baseball game because the other
litlbilly
Feb 2016
#36
Good, let's ask HRC to demand that superdelegates votes not count as it's undemocratic to the voters
EndElectoral
Feb 2016
#38
It's not like they keep the date and time of the primary/caucus a secret. They were announced
4lbs
Feb 2016
#65
The Iowa Caucus was done from 5:00pm to 9:00pm local time. The Nevada Caucus was on a
4lbs
Feb 2016
#92
Hillary couldn't win in Iowa and Nevada if the party wasn't putting the thumb on the scales
AZ Progressive
Feb 2016
#48
This Democratic campaign is about the big bad evil DNC. It is a conspiracy.
Enthusiast
Feb 2016
#100
Really? I remember seeing earlier in the week before the SC primary, how Sanders was
4lbs
Feb 2016
#103
and they're only running on "we're the only faction that can win in the GE"--it's their STRONGEST
MisterP
Feb 2016
#46
I'm only in it to vote for Bernie, even though I've been a member for forty-six years.
highprincipleswork
Feb 2016
#77
Ironic accusation coming from a guy who abandoned the mother of his 5 kids to live on welfare. nt
SunSeeker
Feb 2016
#81
think the Democratic party is gonna split between ahem the conservatives and the Liberals
PatrynXX
Feb 2016
#149
"Including the biggest wipeout for the Democratic Party in more than 100 years."
Major Hogwash
Feb 2016
#171