Dissing the DLC
Baffling. Not one single Democratic candidate can be bothered to attend the annual Democratic Leadership Conference event. The organization that catapulted Bill Clinton to stardom is now a pariah within its own party.
Sure, I can understand Hillary ducking out, as she’s vulnerable to accusations of being “too centrist”. Obama? He’s chosen to speak at a middle school instead–and for a candidate who portrays himself as the “candidate of inclusion” to reject dialogue with the center of his own party is frankly a bit irritating. Edwards, who’s trying to run as far to the left as he can–well, there was never a chance at getting him, however much he may have gained from the organization in the past.
But it bears repeating: NOT ONE of the candidates is going. The top three might have lost more than they gained from DLC associations–but can anyone persuade me that the likes of Joe Biden or Chris Dodd wouldn’t have benefitted from having the DLC stage all to himself? In a situation where one is desperately trying to stand out from the field, why not take a chance of this sort? Even given that most Dem primary voters are on the left–NOBODY in the second tier wants to make a play to be the solitary choice for centrists?
Bizarre.