But Does it Play in Topeka?

I've said this before. There is a lot of ink spilled about the growing war taking place between centrist Republicans and what former New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman calls "social fundamentalists." The media is now starting to pay attention to the battle going on within the Democrats between centrist Democrats and what is best described as the "Deaniac" wing of the party.

The Democratic Leadership Council, the leading centrist Democratic group has been holding it's annual meeting in Columbus, OH. A Press Release shows what the DLC is up to as the nation prepares for mid-term elections in 2006. I thought some of the comments were very interesting. For example, here is a quote from outgoing DLC head, Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, giving a shot accross the bow to his more liberal compatriots in the party:

"The challenge that we face as a party isn't what a lot of the elites inside the beltway like to talk about. It's not about semantics. It's not about finding the right metaphor. It's not about framing. It's understanding the profound changes that are shaping our future, appreciating the challenges that those changes are creating in the course of people's daily lives, and harnessing our values to forge an agenda to empower our people to meet those challenges and to make the most of those lives."

He is taking aim at people like linguist George Lakoff who think that if liberals simply change their language, then they will win elections. Bayh argues that what is needed is understanding the times we living and then coming up with policy to fit.

The current DLC head, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsak, said that anger alone will not lift the Democrats from their current electoral funk.

He also warned Democrats against the political vices of unfocused anger, a purely negative message, and an ideologically rigid refusal to listen to what the public wants, saying we cannot "just hold our breaths until red states turn blue."

Speaking of Democrats who are holding their breath, I came accross an interesting post from liberal (but actually smart) blogger Marc Cooper. He writes about a recent series of meetings that took place around the same time the DLC was meeting in Ohio. He writes:

On this past Saturday, 350 meetings and rallies were held across the U.S. in which -- it seems-- Democrats closed themselves off in auditoriums, read from the now sacred Downing Street Memos, chanted "Impeach Bush!" and repeated to themselves, once again, that Bush is a liar and that he certainly lied us into Iraq.

He then links to a group called, Progressive Democrats of America that describes what went on during those meetings. You should read the summary in its totality, but here are some quotes. First:

Throughout the nation today, we saw crowds of people in red and blue states chant "Impeach Bush!" at events with political leaders not yet ready to use the "I-word." It would seem that the much-maligned American Public is way out ahead of many political insiders.

Crowds at the event in Montgomery County, Maryland asked, "Why is it so hard to get a Democrat from a solidly Democratic district to introduce articles of impeachment? What are they waiting for?"

In fact, since the Downing Street Memo was leaked to the British press in early May, PDA has stood side-by-side with Congressman John Conyers and other key members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus to put the wheels of impeachment in motion. PDA was the first progressive organization in the nation to support the letter Conyers authored and co-signed by 133 members of Congress demanding that the President address the troubling issues revealed in the Downing Street Memo. PDA generated the first 100,000 citizen signatures on the petition supporting the Conyers letter and enjoined its allies and partners across the progressive political spectrum to create a coalition of support. Just this week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee submitted a "Resolution of Inquiry” on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives calling on the Bush administration to produce information to answer questions raised by a series of classified British memos that suggest that pre-war intelligence was fixed in order to justify the invasion of Iraq. Given the administration's defiant silence in the face of these Congressional actions, these are the first critical steps on the road to impeachment.

The massive public demonstrations organized today provide further political will to move that process forward. At the Detroit event with Congressman Conyers, when constitutional law professor Bob Sedler asked the crowd if Bush had committed impeachable offenses, the whole room shouted, "YES!"

So, while the DLC is looking to crafting new policy to fit the times, PDA is interested in impeaching the President. If it didn't work for the Republicans, it isn't gonna work for you. It gets better:

"Twelve peacemakers from NE Ohio gathered at the Community Center of Newton Falls (zipcode 44444) to hear a dramatic reading of the Downing Street memo and engage in a lively discussion of local peace events and social justice issues. The entrance to the Community Center is prominently marked by a memorial to four young men from this small town who lost their lives in the War in Vietnam. We felt their spirit among us crying out to a new generation: the politicians lied and we died! Honor the dead -- reveal the truth and stop the war!"

And:

"Twelve peacemakers from NE Ohio gathered at the Community Center of Newton Falls (zipcode 44444) to hear a dramatic reading of the Downing Street memo and engage in a lively discussion of local peace events and social justice issues. The entrance to the Community Center is prominently marked by a memorial to four young men from this small town who lost their lives in the War in Vietnam. We felt their spirit among us crying out to a new generation: the politicians lied and we died! Honor the dead -- reveal the truth and stop the war!"

Or this one in Louisville, Kentucky submitted by PDA field blogger Judy Munro-Leighton:

"On this blistering hot day, the Louisville Peace Action Community (LPAC) held its DSM Day event at a busy intersection in a working class neighborhood in Louisville's south end.

"We had about 40 people with signs & petitions and we had great visibility--thousands of cars saw us and many, many pedestrians talked to us. In our group we had an 82-year-old nun & several babies.

"We also had a visit from 'George Bush' on a megaphone telling people NOT to read the Memo, because he didn't want them to know the truth. He sounded as stupid as ever.

"We had an overwhelmingly positive response and were glad to find a good new intersection for future actions. After two hours in the blazing heat, we hit a local watering hole for a round of congratulations and good laughs. The truth will prevail."

This obersvation sounded very self congratulatory, as if "the people" get their message. But what I picked up is a lot of sound and fury, and you know what that means.

Listen, if the Dems want to win, they have to craft policies that will play in Middle America. They need to be speaking to Topeka and Tulsa, not Ann Arbor and Berkely. The DLC approach is the best approach becuase it has ideas and policy and, well it's winnable. This was what won Bill Clinton two terms. The hard left approach has won nothing.

These are the options for the Dems: they can choose to be winners or righteous losers. It will be interesting to see which wing wins come 2006 and 2008.