We’ve got some interesting responses to DLC Chair Harold Ford, Jr.’s call for an intra-Democratic truce.
Max Sawicky welcomes the idea on the grounds of political necessity, but still makes a list of “rotten ideas that follow from DLC doctrine.” Ed Kilgore echoes Ford’s call to get past the bad blood to the policy questions at hand. Jo-Ann Mort sees value in the DLC’s effort to make the party “competitive and majoritarian” again, but rejects the conservative wonk rhetoric it employs. And Nathan Newman sees common ground only on the one issue where Ford is willing to call for employer responsibility: work/family issues.
Ford will be responding later today. Stay tuned…
Late update: Reader RA makes an interesting argument that reminds me of the Care Crisis conversation we hosted a few weeks ago:
The DLC wants to identify itself as “pro-family” but also “pro-business.” There’s two problems here. One is that we already have a pro-business party–the Republicans–and we don’t need another one; rather, we need one that is dedicated to restraining business’ excessive power. The other is that “pro-family” and “pro-business” is inherently contradictory, at least at this point in time. Business policies are probably the biggest single factor negatively affecting families these days (inadequate leave, long hours, downsizing, shrinking health care coverage, stagnant to dropping wages). The Dems need to be an effective counterbalance to business, not another “Republican lite” handmaiden to it.
It all comes back around.
