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Earlier today, a commenter named “low-tech cyclist” posted this query:
There used to be a well-known Dem named Ed Kilgore who was a centrist, third-way, triangulating, DLC sort of guy.
I’m having a hard time squaring that Ed Kilgore with this guy who’s been writing some very good pull-no-punches stuff while pinch-hitting for Steve for the past few days. But rumor has it they’re the same guy.
There must be a story here, and I’m curious as to what it is.
I still get this a lot, so let me explain.
Contrary to the stereotypes out there, the DLC, where I did indeed work until a few years ago, was by no means averse to “pull-no-punches stuff.” Back in 1999 I wrote, for the DLC’s magazine, one of the first take-downs of “compassionate conservatism” and warned that W.’s touchy-feely stuff was a ruse. I also repetitively wrote, for the DLC, some of the most savage attacks imaginable on the Bush tax cuts. During the 2004 cycle, Bruce Reed and I regularly wrote incredibly nasty stuff about Bush and his party. I could go on and on, but you get the point.
I by no means ignore or excuse some of the stuff the DLC said and published about the Iraq War (where there was a lot less internal agreement than you might imagine) and those perceived as intra-party foes (though Lord knows the demonization of the DLC itself often got out of hand), though I did very little of either myself. We were all far too enthusiastic about the New Economy, and I regret that a lot. But we did a lot of good analysis of the terrible trends in the GOP and the conservative movement, and published an awful lot of good progressive policy work (much of it through the DLC’s think tank, the Progressive Policy Institute, which still thrives and with which I am still affiliated, writing a weekly column called “Wingnut Watch”).
I wasn’t necessarily the typical DLCer; for one thing, I was always friendly with the blogosphere (one of my strangest duties was to accompany Markos Moulitsas to a DLC annual meeting, and also accompanied then-chairman Harold Ford to a Yearly Kos meeting). But that’s kinda the point: it was a far less monolithic institution than its detractors typically thought. As a heavy provider of daily content for the DLC web-page, I was never told or even asked to write anything at the behest of those sinister corporate donors we supposedly served—and whom we actually lost regularly for taking positions they didn’t like—and like most people there, was mainly interested in the success of the Democratic Party. I was particularly proud of the work we did—which got virtually no attention—with helping state and local elected officials and battling the nefarious influence of ALEC, a rare thing among national Democratic groups then and even now.
I finally parted ways with the DLC in part because of growing differences of opinion with its leadership, but I’m certainly not ashamed of having worked there. My thoughts on its ultimate legacy can be found in a “requiem” I wrote for TNR after the DLC finally closed its doors last winter.
Hope that answers “low-tech cyclist,” and anyone else interested in this increasingly ancient history.
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Ron Byers on December 30, 2011 3:14 PM:
Oh, so you really are that Ed Kilgore. Don't worry we won't let your past sway our judgement of your present work. It is quite good by the way.
Is it true that the DLC owns Captcha?
JW on December 30, 2011 3:15 PM:
"I was particularly proud of the work we did—which got virtually no attention—with helping state and local elected officials..".
"Virtually no attention" still beats being bum-rushed and kicked to the curb, as happened to Howard "friend of the hippy" Dean.
Ron Byers on December 30, 2011 3:30 PM:
You will find a lot of Howard Dean supporters here, not just Deaneacks but people like me who think he is the last hardworking chair of the DNC. Had he been chair in 2010, I don't think the tea party would have been nearly as successful and we wouldn't be putting up with a totally disfunctional house right now.
DAY on December 30, 2011 3:35 PM:
I second Ron Byers on Howard Dean!
As to the DLC: Democracy is messy. So are Democrats. But a helluva lot more fun that the "Other Side of the Aisle". . .
Blue Girl on December 30, 2011 3:43 PM:
Okay, we can accept that. Most of it anyway. But you gotta understand just how fierce, passionate and consummate is our absolute loathing of Harold Ford. He ruined the DLC brand for everyone ever associated with it, right down to the mailman who delivered their pleas for money.
Also, what Ron Byers said, too. All of that.
Speed on December 30, 2011 3:44 PM:
Keep up the good work, Ed. I hope Steve lets you do more guest posts in the future.
James on December 30, 2011 4:12 PM:
I mainly objected to the propensity of the DLCers to kneecap loyal Dems in favor of the "Third Way" which seemed to mean teaming up with rightwingers and corporate hacks against labor and liberal Democrats. You all seemed to consider us part of the Greenie-Naderite left, and that was anything but the case. You (broadly) didn't seem to know the difference, and that was extremely maddening. And you (broadly) were insufferably arrogant in your apostasy. Kowtowing to the likes of Lieberman when he went independent, and then campaigning for McCain, and then rewarding him with a committeeship was demoralizing and an irreparable breach of trust. I despise the Carville-Ford branch, particularly because they dominate the Democratic Spokesman Media Hound positions to the exclusion of those of us who aren't (literally) sleeping with the enemy.
Ed on December 30, 2011 4:12 PM:
For the record, I liked Dean as DNC Chairman quite a bit, and said so at the time. And there's no question Harold, for all his personal charm, reinforced a lot of the negative stereotypes about the DLC, particularly during his bizarre feint towards running for senator in New York. Having tried to staff him on occasion (long before that episode, I might add), I can attest the man is unmanageable, for better or (mostly) for worse.
QuestionEverything on December 30, 2011 4:20 PM:
I like your style EdK. Is Wingnut Watch the only place we can find your work?
Kathryn on December 30, 2011 4:30 PM:
If anybody epitomizes a DINO, it's Harold Ford, Jr. Sincerely hope he never runs for elected office again. When he's a guest on political news forums to represent the Democratic view, I feel sick and change the channel. Better a sworn enemy than a Judas like Harold.
Thank you Ed for your commentary these past three days, well done.
Kane on December 30, 2011 4:45 PM:
Well, at least you are not denying your newsletters.
SW on December 30, 2011 4:51 PM:
No one is beyond redemption. And mistakes in the past shouldn't disqualify folks from making positive contributions in the future. But shrugging off the DLC's embrace of the corporate agenda and its re-engineering of the economy under of the rubric of 'the new economy' as some sort of incidental aberration rather than the central distinction that made the DLC palatable to large corporate donors doesn't reflect well on you. This is the primary concept that worked to blur the lines between the parties and made Nader's bullshit resonant. It is what made both parties at least partially responsible for the financial meltdown that we just experienced instead of providing the easy to understand black and white teaching moment that it otherwise would have provided. It in short, did irreparable damage to the country and democratic brand that we are still struggling to recover from.
Doug on December 30, 2011 6:47 PM:
All it takes for all the good done to be forgotten is to make one error in judgement.
Of course, when that error in judgement is supporting financial deregulation...
Ed on December 30, 2011 7:14 PM:
Don't know if anyone is still following this thread, but do want to mention that DLC fondness for Lieberman is vastly overrated. All the senior staff other than Al From backed somebody else in 2004. When Joe went indie in 2006, the DLC's chairman promptly endorsed Lamont. And though I wasn't at the DLC anymore when Joe endorsed McCain, I certainly wrote and even did radio appearances saying he should be stripped of his committee positions regardless of the cost.
As indicated in the post, I do regret the enthusiasm about the New Economy, but that was hardly the defining characteristic, or even particularly unique, for the DLC. The analysis that Hacker and Pierson did on the subject in a recent book suggested that Dem electeds all across the spectrum supported financial dereg, with the main factor being the nature of their districts (e.g., New Yorkers). In any event, I wrote a big share of the daily content for the group at the time, and never wrote a word specifically backing financial dereg, so I sorta doubt that's why we got donors.
It's all in the books now, and if anyone active in the Democratic Party back then is free from sin, let's run them for something.
Ed on December 30, 2011 7:39 PM:
OMG, forgot to answer QuestionEverything's query: I write regularly for TNR, manage The Democratic Strategist, and can be followed on Twitter at @ed_kilgore.
Didn't get paid for this guest gig, so gotta do some self-promotion.
exlibra on December 30, 2011 8:41 PM:
Unpaid subbing? That's as bad as unpaid internships. Is that what the New Economy is all about? Slave labour?
Col Bat Guano on December 31, 2011 12:49 AM:
The gradual shift of the Democratic Party to dependence on Wall Street cash has been disastrous for the entire country, a mistake we may not recover from. While there were many willing partners in that crime, the DLC has to shoulder a lot of the blame.
KC on January 04, 2012 1:25 PM:
Both 'parties' don't represent anyone through 'core beliefs' anymore. They are the 'party of corporations'. This is my story..and is all true..
http://kcshoen.blogspot.com/2012/01/todaythe-first-day-of-my-new-reality.html