New Dem think tank tackles conservative politics, media

[Rose Siding]

snip>
The New Politics Institute (NPI), unlike conventional think tanks that churn out white papers and policy briefs, will work to counter “ Rove and Mehlman on the other side,” said Simon Rosenberg, president of NDN, formerly the New Democrat Network but now known just by its initials.

“We still have a long way to go in battling them in the way they are battling us,” said Rosenberg, who unsuccessfully ran to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee earlier this year.

NPI will be funded by venture capitalist Andy Rappaport and his wife, Deborah, as well as the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), to the tune of $1.5 million to $2 million annually, and will be under the umbrella of NDN. The union will provide “considerable resources,” NDN spokesman Guillermo Meneses said.

Acknowledging their internal ideological differences, the group is putting a high premium on winning at the polls and is willing to put aside any potential policy disputes to return the Democrats to power, Deborah Rappaport said.

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/051105/tank.html

[paineinthearse]

1. Time to fight fire with fire

:nuke: Rove and Mehlman :nuke:

[joeunderdog]

19. You mean rolling out a voting machine company?

We've already got the right philosophy. We just need the right tabulator. I'm tired of pretending we have to rethink our approach just because they steal elections. Our approach doesn't matter if we don't prioritize election reform. I'm not convinced in any way that what we want isn't what most americans want.

BTW--as a SEIU member and Steward, I will be calling my Union about this.

[loudsue]

23. ABSOLUTELY, joeunderdog! It's the VOTING MACHINES

that they need to focus on, or they're going to have to make and market one of their own.

Why in the hell don't people SEE what a mess this computerized vote counting system is?? It's so fraud-friendly, it actually BEGS to be tampered with!

:kick::kick::kick:

[paineinthearse]

2. SEIU, Joe Trippi, Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, Theo Yedinsky

the Rappaports, Sergio Bendixen and Mark Penn.......

woo hoo!

[jamesinca]

3. We need not only these types of tanks

but we need think tanks that turn out white papers. We need all kinds of think tanks I believe. Rove and Mehlman are mortal and will soon pass from this earth so there must also be something in place to take on the next batch of RW, not only the particular personalities but the RW in general. This is a good start, but diversity will be what I think wins it for us in this game.

[blogbear]

6. Write on! My thoughts exactly!

[leftchick]

9. we need at least 80 to match the RW media machine....

who meet weekly with their guru, Grover Norquist.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3631910&mesg_id=3631910

[Selatius]

4. Isn't the New Democrat Network a DLC outfit?

[Rose Siding]

5. Originally, but there was a split

This is, however, a collaboration of factions out beat repubs.

[w4rma]

7. Simon Rosenberg has *alot* of potential. (nt)

[Voltaire99]

8. More "centrists" willing to sell the party's soul

“A New Democrat centrist means a Democrat who can win an election,” said Joe Trippi, formerly of Howard Dean’s presidential campaign and a key player in this new venture.

...NPI will be focused on “building a Democratic Party that is focused on winning.”

Focus focus focus. Win win win.

Sounds like a demented college football coach.

I'll tell you what a "New Democrat centrist" is: someone who tells you to sacrifice your beliefs for the good of the party. After all, the corporation makes money whether it wins or loses.

NDN, the parent of this new think tank, is pro-Iraq war, pro-military spending, pro-"war on terror," pro-Homeland Security, etc. It's essentially the Bush-Lieberman worldview with a few sops thrown in for progressives: http://www.ndn.org/agenda

They can go to hell. Better to oppose Republicans and lose than to promote GOP-lite and win.

[ginnyinWI]

25. I'll take unity with them if it will help us win majorities again

We can hold their feet to the fire later.

[Selatius]

28. I don't buy that logic. You're selling out your positions for power.

Sure, you'll get a majority, but they'll end up being as corrupt and muddled as the previous batch, and when it comes to real issues that separate the progressives from the corporatists in the party, you'll see that the votes in Congress will splinter, and the end result is a party that looks like it doesn't stand for anything because they're all voting separate ways, which has hurt and continues to hurt the party.

[bklyncowgirl]

10. Sounds interesting. Give it a shot.

Some people here are complaining about "Centrist" Democrats like Rosenberg but I don't think that SEIU, Kos and even Joe Trippi fall into that catagory.

Let's see what they come out with before bashing them. I see it as a step in the right direction.

[paineinthearse]

11. This is as big, if not bigger, than the Huffington blog

I don't understand the cool reception.

[underpants]

12. Well its about damned time

The media should have to and still should be the main focus of the Dem party. It will be hard to intervene and replace the "new truth" in the indoctrinateds' heads but you have to start now.

[tanyev]

13. It's about time.

What took them so long?

[Tippy]

16. My sentiments exactly

To those questioning ...all I can say is "If we keep doing things the way we have, we can not expect different results."

[MGKrebs]

14. They look centrist to me.

But the thing is, it is probably true that if we want to win elections in the short term, we would need be "centrist", but this is because we have been getting beaten for so long on getting our message out. The progressive constituency has been neglected and they have strayed. Dems have abandoned the grassroots, and for this the DLC is responsible. They won their short term elections but we are now reaping the consequences. Here in Georgia, many of our candidates can't talk about choice, or gays, or religion, or gun control, or security, because all of those issues have been taken from us.

We have to get out in the neighborhoods, go to the meetings, take out ads in the paper, write letters, buy billboards, and keep the message alive, so that we can elect truly progressive candidates. The candidates can't do it by themselves.

[harpo]

15. Where can one apply? Sounds like my kind of job!

[KamaAina]

24. Actually it sounds like MY kind of job

oppo research and all that.

Would you like to work for me? I'd need to send someone down to Takahashi's in San Mateo for Hawai'i-style food every once in a while, maybe on "Aloha Friday" :-)

[Javaman]

17. Hot damn! Finally!

I have been raving about this for the past year.

With more of these type of think tanks, it will lead to a solid foundation for the Democratic party and movement.

[xxqqqzme]

18. to little, way toooooo late

n/t

[Rainscents]

20. It's never too late... We must NOT give up or give in!

Jesus never did nor should we as democrats! We will prevail!

[jazzjunkysue]

21. Let's hope they have some informed insiders. Our big failure is to

accept what we hear on the surface and ignore the real inner workings of the repubs. Please, let's hope this group realizes we're about the philosophy/policy and they're only about the $$. No point in discussing religion or abortion: Expose their fiolthy greed for what it is.

[RandomKoolzip]

22. Way to put a band-aid on a broken leg.

Thirty years too late, thirty billion dollars under budget. We need about a hundred of these, all funded by mean old billionaire bastards who don't mind losing some money for the causes they believe in, for this to be a level playing field. A journey of a million miles begins with a single step, I guess.


Um...yay. :eyes:

[Gloria]

26. I hope this tank thinks fast.....

really fast....

[Democat]

27. We need liberal media outlets - real ones, as big as CNN and Fox

That's what we need.

Where are they?

Al Gore let us down again by not coming through with a liberal station - instead making some kind of DIY entertainment channel or something.

There is no substitute for owning part of the mainstream media - we don't, they do.

We don't even have a website as big as Drudge on our side.

Talk is great, but we need action and a lot of money to even things out.

[Q]

29. Only 'New Dems' can win elections?

The problem is...they've joined with the DLC in promoting the silly idea that ONLY centrist 'new' Dems can win elections. In the end result...they're simply helping the DLC establish a permanent hold on the party and to keep progressives from power.