Democratic Leadership Council - Definition and Overview

This article or section should be merged with New Democrats

The Democratic Leadership Council is an organization of moderate leaders of the United States Democratic Party which works toward moving the Party toward moderate and center-right positions. It was called the "Democratic Leisure Council" by the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Mario Cuomo. It is their opinion that left-wing positions are not politically viable, citing the failed candidacies of George McGovern and Walter Mondale. Bill Clinton, a successful candidate, was active in the organization and is sometimes cited as evidence of the success of their policies. However, then-DLC chairman Joe Lieberman was among the first Democrats to criticize Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Critics cite DLC-supported measures, such as the Welfare Reform Act, as having the effect of alienating the traditional constituencies of the Democratic Party such as labor and minorities, causing an overall reduction in voter turnout. Some contend that the 2000 presidential campaign deadlocked because voters could discern no significant policy difference between George W. Bush and DLC activist Al Gore.

Around the start of primaries in the 2004 presidential campaign, the organization voiced concern that the Democratic contenders might be taking positions too far left of the mainstream. Howard Dean, an early front-runner, was specifically attacked by DLC founder and CEO Al From. In October 2002, From and the DLC mentioned only in passing the plane crash that killed Senator Paul Wellstone, of Minnesota. Wellstone's proclamation: "I'm the democratic wing of the Democratic Party" has been interpreted by some as subtle criticism of the DLC and New Democrats in general.

References

• New York Times article, "Centrist Democrats Warn Party Not to Present Itself as 'Far Left'" by Adam Nagourney, July 29, 2003 (http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/29/politics/campaigns/29DEMS.html)

External links

• New Democrats Online, The Democratic Leadership Council's Online Community (http://www.ndol.org/)
• Newdonkey.com, sponsored blog (http://www.newdonkey.com/)