Democratic Leadership Council

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was co-founded in 1985 by Will Marshall, who served as its first Policy Director and who is the founder and President of DLC's think tank, the Progressive Policy Institute. DLC counts among its past chairs former President Bill Clinton, Congressman Richard Gephardt, and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman. Current chairman is Senator Harold Ford.

Personnel

 * Chairman: Harold Ford, Jr. Harold Ford
 * Founder and Chief Executive Officer: Al From
 * President: Bruce Reed
 * Vice President and Political Director: Holly Page
 * Chief of Staff: Debbie Cox

Source

Trustees?

 * Bernard L. Schwartz

Publications
"The DLC publishes a daily newsletter, the New Dem Daily [currently links to the New Dem Dispatch], and a periodical called Blueprint Magazine (published four to six times per year), which advocate moderately leftwing social, political, and economic agendas for America. Despite its open hostility to Republicans and its open cheerleading for Democrats in both the New Dem Daily and Blueprint Magazine, the DLC identifies itself as a tax-exempt nonprofit that is 'not a political committee and not set up to influence elections.'"

New Donkey .com
The NewDonkey.com website is "an unofficial weblog sponsored by the Democratic Leadership Council, written by a veteran operative with one foot in the world of ideas and another in the world of practical politics -- in other words, a two-legged New Democrat, or new donkey." 

"So here's the deal: New Dem Daily -- think authoritative, institutional voice, magisterially surveying the political and policy landscape and delivering, on schedule, op-ed length gems of wisdom; NewDonkey.com -- think pithier, and more irregular posts, often simply linking to material of interest, varied by the occasional smart-ass riposte or high-dudgeon tirade." 

"Founding"
"Freeing Democrats from being, well, Democrats has been the Democratic Leadership Council's mission since its founding 16 years ago by Al Gore, Chuck Robb, and a handful of other conservative, mostly southern Dems as a rump faction of disaffected elected officials and party activists. Producing and directing the DLC is Al From, its founder and CEO, who's been the leader, visionary, and energizing force behind the New Democrat movement since Day One." --Robert Dreyfuss, The American Prospect, April 23, 2001.

Funding
An August, 2000 Newsweek story on Joe Liebermn, The Soul And The Steel reveals that some of the early funding came from ARCO, Chevron, Merck, Du Pont, Microsoft, Philip Morris and Koch Industries: "His selection may also complicate Gore's efforts to depict Bush as a patsy for big business. Since 1995 Lieberman has chaired the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), the centrist think tank that eschews liberal dogma and promotes market-oriented approaches to policy. Like many similar groups, the DLC (of which Gore is a founding member) has never disclosed its funding sources. But last week, in response to requests from NEWSWEEK, it turned over a list of top donors. If Gore still hopes to score populist points by bashing Big Oil and pharmaceutical companies that oppose his plan to add a prescription-drug entitlement to Medicare, he may have some explaining to do. Among the DLC's biggest benefactors last year (contributions of between $50,000 and $100,000) were ARCO, Chevron and the drug giant Merck. Other big underwriters include Du Pont, Microsoft and Philip Morris (which has kicked in $500,000 since Lieberman became DLC chairman). There is no evidence that the DLC has trimmed policies to accommodate its patrons, but some contributors say the money has helped ensure an open door to Lieberman. 'We've been able to have a dialogue with the senator and his staff,' said Jay Rosser, spokesman for another DLC benefactor, Koch Industries, an oil-pipeline firm that is also a big GOP donor."

Mission
"The DLC characterizes itself as the 'founding organization of the New Democratic movement,' the goal of which is to 'modernize the progressive tradition in American politics.' The DLC further highlights its commitment to a 'Third Way' agenda that includes some apparently conservative as well as leftwing guiding principles." 

Contact details
Website: http://www.dlcppi.org/ (Democratic Leadership Council) redirects to http://www.ndol.org/, New Democrats Online, "The Democratic Leadship Council's Online Community."

Critics

 * Ralph Nader: described them as "corporatist" and "soulless."
 * Joan Walsh, Salon.com,"The Democratic Weaselship Council", July 2003 "Has Karl Rove taken over the Democratic Leadership Council?"

Former Chairs
* 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)

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Blue Dog Democrats
 * House Centrist Coalition
 * New Democrat Coalition
 * New Democrat Network (NDN)
 * New Democrats
 * Senate Centrist Coalition
 * Third Way Foundation
 * Third Way organization

Websites

 * Armenian-American Democratic Leadership Council website.
 * Colorado Democratic Leadership Council website.
 * S C Democratic Leadership Council (SCDLC) website: "The New Democrats."

Profiles

 * Neocon Europe profile.
 * Follow the Network profile.
 * Rightweb profile.
 * Wikipedia profile.

Articles & Commentary

 * Issue Ads 97-98: "Democratic Leadership Council," Annenberg Public Policy Center, October 7, 1998.
 * John Nichols, "Behind the DLC Takeover," The Progressive, 2000.
 * Joe Lyman, "The Democratic Leadership Council: An Explanation of the Organization through an Examination of Education Policy," Hinckley Journal of Politics, Spring 2000, Vol 2, No. 1 pp. 47-54.
 * Will Durst, "The Democratic Leadership Council," AlterNet, April 21, 2000.
 * Steve Inskeep, "Democratic Leadership Council," NPR, January 25, 2001. Re "election post-mortem held by The Democratic Leadership Council, a group of moderate Democrats, who met yesterday in Washington. They talked about how their party might have done better in the election and disagreed fundamentally on the campaign strategy pursued by their Presidential candidate."
 * Robert Dreyfuss, "How the DLC Does It," The American Prospect, April 23, 2001.
 * Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, "'Third Way' Democrats Label Themselves the Only Way," Fox News, July 26, 2003.
 * Adam Nagourney, "Moderate Demos warn of leftist yearning," New York Times, July 29, 2003.
 * "The Corporatist Democratic Leadership Council," The Nader Page, August 1, 2003: "Al From, the founder and soul of the soulless Democratic Leadership Council(DLC), assembled his flock in Philadelphia recently and warned his comrades about a takeover of the Democratic Party by 'the far left.' Launched in 1985, the 'far right' DLC grew to have a controlling interest in the Party through the efforts of then-Governor Bill Clinton, Senator John Breaux, Senator Al Gore and Senator Joseph Lieberman."
 * David Leaf, "Someone Better Blow Reveille for the Democratic Leadership," BuzzFlash, October 28, 2003.
 * Donald Lambro, "Democrats urged to move to center," Washington Times, October 30, 2003.
 * Mike Recht, "Lieberman criticizes Dean for comment about Democratic Leadership Council," December 23, 2003: "Howard Dean says he was only having some fun when he described the centrist Democratic Leadership Council as the 'Republican' part of the Democratic party. But Joe Lieberman, a former chairman of the group, says he did not see anything to laugh about."
 * Tom Barry, "Liberal Hawks: Flying in Neocon Circles," Right Web News, May 12, 2004.
 * Matt Taibbi, "No More Moore: The DLC Joins the Witch-Hunt," New York Press, December 3, 2004.
 * Ronald Brownstein, "Democratic Groups to Oppose Bush Social Security Plan," Los Angeles Times, January 5, 2005.
 * Donald Lambro, "Centrist Democrats warn liberals," Washington Times, April 4, 2005.
 * Bob Brigham, "Democratic Leadership Council Exodus," SwingStateProject, April 8, 2005.
 * Bob Brigham, "Democratic Leadership Council obit," SwingStateProject, April 10, 2005.