Vilsack's new job: Reunite national party - DM Register

[Debi]

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack today takes up the challenge of trying to unite the Democratic Party under the moderates' banner, as he takes over as chairman of the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.

Planning to address the group's annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, Vilsack becomes the standard-bearer for the Democratic wing that gave rise to Bill Clinton's presidential campaign.

"Everybody's got to understand that the goal here is to come up with a much more competitive message and approach," Vilsack said in an interview with The Des Moines Register.

"This is not something that's going to get resolved in a day or a week or a year or, for that matter, an administration. This is something that requires long-term vigilance and commitment, very similar to what Republicans have done over the last 40 years."

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http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20050725&Category=NEWS09&ArtNo=507250346&SectionCat=&template=printart

[Wickerman]

1. I like Tom

but I hope he doesn't try to model the DLC on the Republican party or his efforts will either be in vain or will forever change the Dem party into something that I don't care to recognize. The key to the Repug success has been to mold all players into a containable mindset, an easy manipulable black and white definition of a pre-determined black and white world that has never and never will exist.

Frightening.

[acmavm]

2. Good luck on that one. Vilsak is a putz, and he LOVES pandering to

republicans and big business.

Hell, let's get Ben Nelson. He's only a teensy eensy bit worse than Vilsak.

We have John Dean, that's damn well enough.

[hfojvt]

4. Howard Dean? Or has John gotten a leadership position?

"Worse than Watergate" might be a good read.
What about Zell and Joementum?

[hfojvt]

3. I haven't moved

Okay, actually I had to leave Iowa because I could not find a job there. But if the party is not united it is not because of the progressives. It is because the DLC types run across the room to kiss the Elephant's a$$ and because they run to the media to distance themselves from Democrats who are too progressive and too critical of the BFEE.

Also I have to disagree with Trippi:
"It's more a problem with the messenger, said Trippi, the architect of Dean's anti-Washington campaign, which attracted party activists angry with leaders in Congress."

To me, the next paragraph shows why:
"Vilsack said the interparty turmoil is overstated, although he plans to tell the gathering in Columbus today that the party cannot survive on anger and opposition. He said he intends to show all branches of the party that the group is focused on solutions that uphold traditional party principles."

That message - that the Democratic party is currently running on only "anger and opposition" is quite simply an RNC spin point. What the fu$% kind of a message is that to give RNC spin points wider circulation and more credibility? It ain't the messanger, it is the message.

Here's a spin point that Vilsack should be circulating. 1) "Republican 'solutions' are bad for the country and especially bad for the working class. They lie about these facts and personally attack people who oppose them. We are fully committed to fighting for the working class and for justice and for truth."

The first two sentences happen to be true. Sadly, for the DLC, the last one is not.

[Debi]

5. What part of this does Vilsack believe in?

"Republican 'solutions' are bad for the country and especially bad for the working class. They lie about these facts and personally attack people who oppose them. We are fully committed to fighting for the working class and for justice and for truth."

[hfojvt]

8. did you mean "NOT" believe in?

Apparently he thinks that people who are fighting are just "angry and oppositional" which is what the Republicans like to believe too. Republicans are proposing that the working class be forced to drink a glass of hemlock, but lets not be angry and oppositional about that. Let's just add some water to the hemlock and then it will be okay. Oh, oh, there's a solution.

He claims to follow a better way. A DLC eightfold path, if you will, but the first step on the eightfold path, or the one that gets the most airplay and print coverage, is to join hands with Republicans in attacking progressives as "angry left wing kooks". The more I hear that, the angrier I get.

[Debi]

9. I meant 'republican solutions are bad for the country'

When has Vilsack turned away a republican solution?

[hfojvt]

10. I am not sure I followed Iowa politics even when I lived there

I cannot remember all that much about it, although I did goto Chuck City, my hometown, to hear Vilsack campaign for Gore. So at that point, I certainly did not think he was one of the enemy. I did get tired of him talking about future labor shortages when I spent my time there working as a temp.

[TheFarseer]

7. what exactly is he suggesting?

Maybe we should beat the republicans to cutting taxes on multi-millionaires?? Maybe we should push for even more illegal wars or argue for even bigger SUVs? I don't know why they can't just come out with a pro-American worker, pro-jobs in America message and wipe the repukes off the map. The only thing I can come up with is that they are corporate whores and therefore not much different than having republicans in their seats. That's why I can't get to excited about state politics, because you are just deciding between republican and republican-lite. I think we have an extraordinary opportunity to differentiate ourselves as the party of the working man and painting them as the party that will outsource your job for a higher dividend and take away your raise to pay for limo rides we are absolutely squandering it.

[Todd B]

6. There already is a leader of the Democratic Party:

I'm sorry, but there is already a leader of the Democratic Party - Howard Dean.

The DLC can pander to the right-wing and corporations all they want, but they still won't get any strong grassroots support (which is undoubtedly the core of the Democratic Party).

[leQ]

11. he just announced a PAC

got this in email just minutes ago. i wonder if he's using this as a stepping stone to '08?

Tom Vilsack announces the launch of Heartland PAC set for August 1. Please go to www.heartlandpac.org for a video describing this new effort.

[Debi]

12. WTF?

I guess.

How about that...it's a 527...hmmm

http://forms.irs.gov/politicalOrgsSearch/search/searchDrillDown.jsp?ck&pacId=%2723620%27&criteriaName=%27Heartland+PAC%27

[Broke Dad]

13. Let me break this to you gently

Pour yourself another cup of your beverage of choice . . .

If all the progressives turned out, we would be 40% of the electorate. Uncle Tom needs to get 51% or we get to salute Governor Lightfoot or Governor Gross.

Winning over that last 11% has gotten more expensive as voters have gotten more turned off and the other side has learned Rove mind games to separate people from their best interests. So Vilsack (and others) suck up to the Wells Fargos, Principals, Farm Bureaus, Big Banks & Insurance, Inc. to get elected. Then to pay them back Vilsack has to screw the progressives. Screwing voters alienates them so it takes more money to get them to vote again next time. Vicious cycle.

Governor Dean had the right idea, except it didn't win in 2004. It is more a long term project to build to 51% without money. It may take 10 or 20 years. Can we accept being in the wilderness that long? It took Reagan from 1968 to 1980 to build his coalition.

Vilsack like most politicians is impatient. So he'll suck up to the corporate scum to win quick and dirty. DLC is short for "Dirty Little C__."

Campaign finance reform anyone???????

[Debi]

14. So Vilsack 'pretends' to be rightwing in order to govern the progressives?

:shrug: Do we at least get to shower after all this???

[Broke Dad]

15. Vilsack has taken so much right wing money . . .

Uncle Tom might actually be a convert to the right wing (at least on economic issues).

And no we progressives do not get to take a shower after being screwed by people who claim they are one of us while taking millions from the dark side.

[Debi]

16. Nope...we just take a bath!

:hi: thanks Broke Dad!

[blueloo]

17. what?

I'm surprised that there is such an adverse reaction to Governor Vilsack being named head of the DLC. He's been a great governor for Iowa and hasn't sold out, and I would be really surprised if he sold out now. With Vilsack as the leader of the DLC I would expect to see him rock the boat the bit. The governor brings a lot to the table and has had some "big ideas" that one might even call progressive. While Vilsack isn't a progressive, he's a responsible, left-leaning moderate. If my description is correct, is it not a great thing that he's leading the DLC?

[rurallib]

18. Welcome to DU blueloo!!

Don't know what to think myself. Vilsack's been pretty middle road. Seems to compromise on some things to get his way on others. At least this state is still running and not going down in flames thanks to ideology.
Yet as head of the DLC that ties him with support for CAFTA. I am finding that hard to swallow.
Well, I always remind myself that the worst democrat (except someone like Zell MIller) is always better than the best Mepublican. Yes that includes Leach, who is a buddy of DeLay, Rummy and Dick the Dick Cheney.

[Broke Dad]

19. Sell out

Agreed that he is better than Jim Ross Lightfoot or Doug Gross. But he could have been so much more . . .

If you are not aware of Vilsack's sellouts, you have not been paying attention:

1) Signed English Only bill (now he's sorry)

2) Signed work comp second injury ban bill

3) Signed Monsanto protection (banning GMO reg by cities) bill.

Talk to labor leaders like Mark Smith if you need more.

Left-leaning is a stretch for Vilsack. Ambitious, articulate, you bet. Harold Hughes, or even Tom Harkin, he is not. Rock the boat? Forming a new PAC is hardly rock the boat. More like put another oar in the money sludge chase.

Leading the DLC is good for Vilsack, not for Iowa. Leading a Republican-lite group ticks off Republicans that he still has to work with in state government and does nothing to advance progressive causes which are anathema to the DLC.

Vilsack gets my vote but not my praise.

[blueloo]

20. further discussion

Well put.

Selling out is an interesting thing. We know Vilsack didn't want to sign the English Only bill, but he had an election coming up. This is no defense, just excellent politics. Paul Wellstone signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, he had an election that year too I am not trying to make Vilsack out to be comparable to Wellstone, but their actions allowed for their continued public service. What do people make of this? Vilsack's signing and Wellstone's vote allowed for symbolic measures and "law." For a frame reference consider Mitt Romney's recent veto of a veto proof bill that would allow for greater access to the morning after pill, now that's showing off to Christian Conservatives!
Vilsack hasn't been great to unions from what I know but has he been irresponsible? Perhaps.
I'm hard pressed to think of liberal interests in Iowa that would be disappointed in the Governor besides labor, although I am not familiar with his environmental record. I was only in 8th grade when Vilsack took office but it seems that he's managed to accomplish a lot of good for Iowa. Despite having to deal with decisive GOP control in the House and Senate for four plus years, hasn't the Governor done plenty good for the progressive minded? With the hopes of taking back the Senate with a healthy margin, say 28-22 maybe even 29-21, and a near tie in the House (is this going to change?) maybe we'll get to see Vilsack's political soul for what it truly is.