The DLC Again

Hi from Munich

Yes, I have to agree, we had a very interesting evening discussing American politics with you folks. Looking back, however, I realized that I talked too much and I never got to hear about Dutch politics. Most Americans, myself included, know very little about Holland except that one can buy drugs in Amsterdam at places named "Coffee House!" Now I know why I know so little about Holland!!

To underline some of the things I said that evening, The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC: http://www.dlc.org/) represents the right wing of the Democratic Party (Democratic National Committee DNC: http://www.democrats.org/). The DLC was founded in the 1980's in order to deliver the Democratic Party into the arms of the biggest corporations in the United States. The list of Chairmen of the DLC reads like a Who's Who of right-wing Democrats:

Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri (1985 - 1986)
Gov. Chuck Robb of Virginia (1986 - 1988)
Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia (1988 - 1990)
Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas (1990 - 1991)
Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana (1991 - 1993)
Rep. Dave McCurdy of Oklahoma (1993 - 1995)
Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (1995 - 2001)
Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana (2001 - 2005)
Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa (2005 - 2007)
Former Rep. Harold Ford of Tennessee (2007 - present)

(Note: Joe Lieberman who ran as Al Gore's Vice President nominee in 2004 was a former DLC chairman. Lieberman is going to leave the Democratic Party and will become a Republican).

The present struggle over health care in the U.S. centers on whether there should be government health insurance offered as an alternative to private health insurance (the so-called public option). Private health insurance in the United States is a very, very profitable economic oligopoly. The following list of Senators are DLC members who mostly oppose the public option:

Mark Pryor: Arkansas
Diane Feinstein: California
Thomas Carper: Delaware
Bill Nelson: Florida
Evan Bayh: Indiana
Mary Landrieu: Louisiana
Barbara Mikulski: Maryland
Max Baucus: Montana
Ben Nelson: Nebraska
Kent Conrad: North Dakota
Tim Johnson: South Dakota
John Rockefeller: West Virginia
Herbert Kohl: Wisconsin
Joseph Lieberman: Connecticut

(Note: The following is a story from the Huffington Post demonstrating the convergence of Republicans and DLC members on the issue of narrowing political rights known as FISA: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-wilson/875-of-family-dlc-affilia_b_112878.html).

Here is what then Illinois State Senator Obama told the Bruce Dixon, editor of "Black Commentator," about the DLC back in 2003: "I am not currently, nor have I ever been, a member of the DLC,” said Obama. “It does appear that, without my knowledge, the DLC…listed me in their ‘New Democrat’ directory,” Obama continued. “Because I agree that such a directory implies membership, I will be calling the DLC to have my name removed, and appreciate your having brought this fact to my attention.” (http://www.blackcommentator.com/48/48_cover.html).

In addition to the DLC Senators listed above, The House of Representatives also has right-wing Democrats. The House right-wingers are known collectively as the "Blue Dog" Democrats (http://ndc.crowley.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=54) and the DLC Caucus (http://ndc.crowley.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=54). If you cross check the list you will find many Blue Dogs are also DLCers.

Finally, there are reports that 50% of Obama's government appointments are DLC members including Hillary Clinton, Rahm Emmanuel, Obama's Chief of Staff in the White House, and Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior. (Obama also has Republicans in his government including the Defense Secretary and the Transportation Secretary). There are some people who will argue that Obama needs to keep his coalition together therefore DLC appointments are necessary. But what most people outside of the U.S. do not know is that the Democratic Party is not a unified political party but consists of factions (progressive and corporate) and thus a coalition of these factions control and carry on intrigues against each other within the government of the United States.

All-in-all when you add the Republic Party which is openly a political party representing corporate interest, plus the DLC, which also represents corporate interest, you can easily see that a tiny minority of very wealthy people overwhelmingly control the United States government. As for the remaining 95% of the American people, well, we are side-lined forced to be spectators watching the power struggles between powerful people as they argue the best way to get more wealthy and more powerful at the expense of the 95% who have no say whats-so-ever. As for Obama, I think the rest of the world should lower their expectations. Obama is not the "savior" most of the world believes him to be. Obama is no different then any other American president. He will pursue the best interest of Corporate America anywhere and everywhere in the world.