Joe Klein: Al From Gets Religion

[Leopolds Ghost]

Reposted from GD: Politics!

http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2007/12/al_from_gets_religion.html

Swampland, TIME
December 17, 2007

Al From Gets Religion
Posted by Joe Klein

A press release from the Democratic Leadership Council today:

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In reaction Senator Joe Lieberman's (ID-Conn.) endorsement of Senator John McCain's campaign for president today, Al From, founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) released the following statement:

"I am very saddened by Senator Lieberman's choice, and profoundly disagree with it. We need to elect a Democratic president in 2008."

For what it's worth, I don't think the Lieberman endorsement is going to help McCain with unaffiliated voters in New Hampshire. The Republican-leaning independents were probably heading toward McCain or Giuliani anyway. Unlike 2000, the Democratic-leaners will not cross over to vote McCain. They'll be more interested in influencing the tight Democratic race. And I'd bet that the relatively tiny group of truly independent voters will trend toward the Democratic race, since it's much more interesting.

This endorsement was more a matter of sentiment than of strategy: Lieberman and McCain simply adore each other, in an embattled way. They share a myopic, and wrongheaded, view of Iraq, a view that has intensified as the Anbar Awakening succeeded and Baghdad's ethnic cleansing reduced the violence there. Both talk of "victory" in Iraq, which is foolish. Neither understands the importance of the intra-Shi'ite conflict in the south in determining the future of the country. Both want to bomb-bomb-bomb bomb-bomb Iran. I don't think many American voters agree with them.

[Leopolds Ghost]

1. Marshall Whitmann from DLC is quoted disparagingly

Although the truth is I don't know what these guys have to fear, with the current state of the party in Congress and big-city party committees in places like New Orleans being thoroughly beholden to "moderate" pro-business lobbyists...

Very good post, Joe.

I was a very pro-DLC type of person until about 2004, as it became clear that supporting irrational wars for the sake of being able to claim toughness might have some drawbacks. But no one knows or cares what I think about anything; that doesn't (quite) apply to Al From. So it's taken him longer, but hopefully the patently delusional actions of ex-DLC poster boy Joe Lieberman will help From awaken to reality.

Posted by Elvis Elvisberg | December 17, 2007

Joe, How do you rectify your thoughts of the unaffiliated voters in New Hampshire with the poll numbers that Karen made reference to in her 'Re: Endorsements' post?

Lieberman has been a liability to the Democratic party, well let's face it, since the 2000 election. He now continues his boneheaded service as a Senator by refusing, like a certain shall-go-unnamed President, to admit that his position has been flawed from the beginning.

Liberman and McCain can have each other. They are both irrelevant has-beens.

Posted by Olufemi | December 17, 2007

I also used to be sympathetic to the DLC. They really went off the rails, though: Marshall Whittman makes Joe Lieberman look sane.

Posted by TomT | December 17, 2007

Speaking of Whitmann, I just found this gem of a quote from him:

http://realitique.blogspot.com/2006/07/marshall-whittman-takes-bus-to-crazy.html

The goal of the activists and the celebrated nutroots is to move the party to the left on critical issues such as national security and trade. And the ultimate result will be that Democrats will only be able to visit the White House on a tourist pass.

Posted by TomT | December 17, 2007

[Arugula Latte]

2. Gee, Al. No one could have predicted the treason of Joe Lieberman.

:eyes: