Liberals a sideshow in Denver

[dropkickpa]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

DENVER -- "Progressive Central" is only a mile from the Pepsi Center, but for some of its inhabitants -- camped out yesterday afternoon in the basement of an old brick Presbyterian church -- this temporary headquarters for liberal activism feels much, much farther away than that.

Like Siberia, maybe.

The liberal -- at least the variant most commonly found in late-20th-Century America, the one who would regulate business, support broad racial, ethnic, sexual and religious tolerance and expand government programs, and, yes, taxes, to help the poor -- seems to be something of an endangered species here at the Democratic National Convention.

To be sure, that great liberal lion of the U.S. Senate, Edward M. Kennedy, will be honored at tonight's opening session in a video tribute directed by documentarian Ken Burns. The Massachusetts senator's niece, Caroline Kennedy, John F. Kennedy's daughter, will address the delegates and talk about her uncle, who is battling brain cancer.



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08238/906851-470.stm

[TooBigaTent]

1. The party only wants liberal money and votes. They do not want our ideas, and certainly not our

"baggage" that would drag down the ticket in the 'minds' of the undecided center-right voters whom they crave so much.

[dropkickpa]

3. Where have these "center-right" voters been??

They've certainly not been here in the last 2 pres elections, and maybe had a small prescence in the last congressional election. I think this like chasing ghost chickens. They don't exist, you look damn silly doing it, and everyone loses respect for you.

[Warpy]

5. The DLC has certainly been doing that for the past presidential

elections, ignoring the Democratic Party base while going after the mythical GOP swing voter while the GOP played to their base very well.

Fortunately, this doesn't seem to be shaping up as another DLC dominated election as long as Obama is savvy enough to turn down that kind of help from the "experienced" Clinton/DLC campaign teams.

I just hope enough party movers and shakers have lost respect for them that Senator Clinton was the last good candidate they will ever have a chance to ruin.

[qwlauren35]

6. Sorry, yes we do.

I'm telling you, black Democrats fit a lot of the demographics of center-to-right. That's why the Republican party is starting to woo them, and appeal to them. And yes, we've been voting Democrat for YEARS.

Lots of black Democrats are not comfortable with gay rights, feminism, or abortion, and have a lot more of a "fundie" mindset than most liberal Democrats want to accept.

They cling to the Democratic party because of its stance on Affirmative Action, and recent tendency to promote voting legislation. However, many were shocked by Clinton's welfare legislation, even though they aren't ready to admit that he did it.

As a general rule, voters who have strongly religious/Christian views are willing to ignore environmental, economic and global issues in order to have a voice in America's level of "tolerance" for things they believe are immoral.

Just because moderate and conservative Democrats are barely tolerated here in DU has nothing to do with their presence in the Democratic party as a whole.

I laugh hysterically every time I get told to go to "Freeperville" for daring to voice moderate or conservative opinions in this forum, that many black Democrats share.

Liberals tend to only be tolerant of other liberals. They just can't see it. I *used* to be one. I guess that's why I try to operate with fewer blinders about the validity of an opposing viewpoint.

[dropkickpa]

10. My 82 year old democrat Grandmother

Has complained about the move to the right, and she's ultra-catholic (she's NEVER eaten meat on Friday, railed against the loss of Latin mass, etc). I don't buy the whole christian values thing as being the only excuse. She tolerates the somewhat pro-choice stance of the democratic party because her view of all of the other "christian" values that the dem party used to show, such as tolerance, charity, etc.

I most certainly do not support the welfare changes the Clinton instituted. I blame them in part FOR the shift to right!

I hold some "conservative" views. I support the death penalty when guilt is assured and trials are conducted without bias (doesn't happen yet, but when it does, I'm all for it). I support the right of gun owners to bear arms.

[wyldwolf]

13. A bunch of senior citizens I know in a retirement center complain the Dems went too far left

And these are all Democrats who voted FDR, Truman, Stevenson, and Kennedy

[Solon]

14. There IS no validity to opposing Equal Rights for GLBT people or opposing Choice...

None, all arguments used are either based on bigotry or because they want to endanger women's lives, period. No offense, but I frankly think these people are assholes, period. Why the fuck should liberals tolerate the intolerant?

[wyldwolf]

7. you're joking, right?

Al Gore got the most votes of any Democrat in history up to that point, and John Kerry got even more.

Do you really think all of those votes came from "progressives?"

[dropkickpa]

11. Did we control the house and senate at that point?

I seem to remember that we did NOT, that we did not regain the control lost in 1995 until 2006. The prez isn't the end all be all of US politics.

[wyldwolf]

12. no, but there is low voter turnout traditionally in senate and house elections

:shrug:

We regained control in 2006 on the backs of centrist voters voting for centrist candidates.

[wyldwolf]

8. here's the money quote:

"The John Testers of Montana, the Mark Warners of Virginia, these are the folks we used to call 'Blue Dog Democrats,' the ones from the right wing of the Democratic party. Today, some might argue they're the future of it."

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. Is that the Scaife Fishwrap?

If it is, then this story was to be expected.

[dropkickpa]

4. No, it's not, This is the Post Gazette

Not the Tribune Review.

As a liberal, I agree with the article (the convention opened with a religious roundtable, fer grawps sake, the first time ever in the history of the convention!!), the party has shifted so far right it's virtually identical with the 1980'2 era GOP. And this distresses me to no end.

[qwlauren35]

9. Perhaps it's truly time for a new party.

I hope it will occur AFTER the elections, but there needs to be a Liberal Party. Liberal Democrats and Center-to-Right Democrats simply don't agree on enough things.

Similarly, I hope some day that the Republican Party will split, and the religious conservatives will separate themselves from the fiscal "conservatives". It's clear to me by looking at the number of Republicans who "hate McCain" that there's a growing rift in both parties.

Ironically, it would only be if the Republican party fractured first that the Democratic party would fracture. But the coalitions within both parties are starting to grow more distant. I think it's just a matter of time.

All of Europe has multiple parties. And I think people are happier being in a party that truly represents them instead of one that triest to represent people of several different ideologies.