Democrats to Get New Think Tank

[Pirate Smile]

"Democrats to Get New Think Tank

Do the Democrats need another think tank to help them figure out their future? A coalition of liberals and centrists believes so, but with a twist: It will be a think tank for politics, not for policy.

The New Politics Institute (NPI) will leave it to others to develop a future policy agenda for the party. Simon Rosenberg, founder of the New Democrat Network and the inspiration behind the new institute, said the new group will study what the rise of the conservative movement, anticipated demographic changes in the country and the "post-broadcasting" world of new media mean for Democrats' hopes of winning elections.

"Until we can really get our act together and win elections, all the policy white papers aren't going to do us a lot of good," said Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, whose Daily Kos is one of the most popular political blogs on the Internet and who is an adviser to the institute.

The NPI will have a budget of $1.5 million to $2 million, and funding will come primarily from Andy and Deborah Rappaport, California philanthropists. Other advisers include a cross section of centrists and liberals, among them Joe Trippi, who was for a time Howard Dean's presidential campaign manager; Gina Glantz of the Service Employees International Union; pollster Mark Penn; organizer Cecile Richards, president of America Votes; and pollster Sergio Bendixen, an expert on Hispanic trends."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/13/AR2005051301359.html

Scroll down. This part is after the first section about biker Bush's blissful ignorance. This is also all of the text about the new think tank.

I think it is a good idea to have some things focused just on the politics not the policy.

Like Clinton said, we need to start getting tougher. We need to win.

edit to add - if anyone missed what Bill said, here it is and it was on TACTICS, not policy.

"Bill Clinton wants Democrats to stop being wimps.

He reminded the power crowd at Time Warner's Conversations on the Circle, at the media giant's corporate headquarters Tuesday night, how Bush supporters, masterminded by Karl Rove, ran ads picturing Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein alongside former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee, because he voted against the Homeland Security Act.

"The guy left half his body in Vietnam," he said. "They're in the business to beat us. When they come out after you, it is a contact sport.

"Get better tactics. Don't wuss around. And quit saying, 'They're so mean and vicious.' They only do it because it works. When they don't do it anymore, we can go back to a more civilized way of doing business."'

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/308675p-264126c.html

[evlbstrd]

1. Kick for stategrorory-

:kick:

[therapist]

2. We need think tank for the truth

Think Tanks should be called Spin Clanks.

[snowbear]

3. Always GREAT to see the Big Dawg getting involved !!

Gotta love it! ((( :headbang: )))

Thanks for sharing the article Pirate! ~~~ :hug:

[Pirate Smile]

4. Thanks. I like your sig line. So true.

[unkachuck]

5. we already have a good think tank....

....it's called, DU....

[Zodiak]

9. The Dem leaders have to pay attention

I have a feeling that the Democratic Party leaders have not "discovered" the richness of thought that is in the blogosphere. I have seen a ton of good ideas and excellent "strategerizing" on this website and others. Now only if these ideas could get to the think-tanks and the policy wonks...we might have a chance.

All it would take is hiring a few people to monitor the blogosphere and write down the good ideas they see. Simple enough, and the ideas come in for free. Do any of us have to be PAID to hang out here and come up with ideas? Free labor and free ideas make the whole "think-tank" process cheaper on the Democratic side (we don't spend billions on all these organizations), but we have yet to take advantage of it.

Bill Clinton gets that we have to fight like hell, and so do we on DU. Now if we can just convince the extant politicians to follow suit, then we have a chance.

As it stands now, "wimps" is a good word to describe the Democratic srategy over the last four years. Frankly, I'm sick of being represented by roll-overs.

[flpoljunkie]

10. Our problem is not "wimps" in the party, it is collaborators...

those who vote with the Republicans for the corporate special interests, i.e., the banks and credit card companies.

Democrats do not stand together and fight for economic justice--the heart of what our party used to stand for. That is what is wrong with the Democratic party--their voting record, not their "wimpiness" or lack thereof.

[I aint Miss Behaving]

14. They can't all be wimps

and they have to get re-elected so the House is a constant state of re-election/campaign cycle.

When we lost the House in '94, we lost control of Congress.

Getting control back from the republicans in the House is the key to getting our country back!
:)

[flpoljunkie]

15. They're not all wimps--just enough to get Dubya's corporate agenda passed

We will not win back the House being Republican Lite; Howard Dean is right about this.

We must distinguish ourselves from the Republicans both in our rhetoric and in our voting record--both of which we have failed to do and at great cost to ordinary Americans.

[I aint Miss Behaving]

13. ain't that the truth

If we wait any longer for Bush to be exposed, we'll all die from old age before the group gets their act together.

[oldtime dfl_er]

6. Maybe this will at least force the MSM to have these people on their shows

I get so damn sick of seeing conservatives from the Heritage Foundation and other ultra conserv "think tanks" presented as experts or pundits on MSNBC, CNN and the like.

www.cafepress.com/showtheworld

[Pirate Smile]

7. Focus on getting the message out effectively and not getting our asses

kicked in the framing and demagoguery of the RW.

edit to add - I could tell a difference in that before the smear the Republicans planned on laying on Reid today even came out, over at Kos it came out and was debunked during the 7 or 8 hours I was asleep last night.

It is much better to nip the bullshit in the bud instead of playing catch-up after the RW talk radio, RW pundits and politician, and Faux News have already had a day or two to spew their bullshit. That is why Gore still gets labeled as saying he invented the Internet. The BS wasn't called fast enough so it becomes an urban myth.

[Pirate Smile]

8. kick

[Adelante]

11. I like this

"...new group will study what the rise of the conservative movement, anticipated demographic changes in the country and the "post-broadcasting" world of new media mean for Democrats' hopes of winning elections."

That's what I want to know, how we are going to win elections.

Thanks for posting this news :)

[markus]

12. So, is the DLC brand getting a bit worn out?

http://www.dkosopedia.com/index.php/Simon_Rosenberg