Reply #4: Debunking "Debunking Centrism" and other responses [View All]

Debunking "Debunking Centrism"

It seems to me that David Sirota's latest attack on the DLC and other "centrists" is in need of a response. The problem here is not that the things he says are popular are not, in fact, popular. Rather, the problem is that he's gone off and created a straw man here, attacking the nefarious DLC for positions it doesn't hold... there are some real disagreements about policy and tactics here, but they deserve to be debated calmly and, above all, honestly. Sirota's attacks are growing increasingly vitriolic and wind up having increasingly little to do with the actually existing DLC and its real merits and flaws.


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http://yglesias.typepad.com/matthew/2004/12/debunking_debun.html

Ready... Aim... Fire

I can think of a million better things for Democrats to engage in this political off-season, but allow me to highlight what a complete horses-ass David Sirota is. Since he wishes to engage in not a mere crank on the DLC, I think it's incumbent upon me to inflict as much damage as possible.

Source Doc: Debunking 'Centrism'

CLAIM: The CEO of the corporate-sponsored Democratic Leadership Council and his wealthy cronies are in their regular postelection attack mode.

FACT: Here's a challenge for Dave ... identify one segment of the party the DLC has frothingly attacked after November's loss. Secondly, as one who is ideologically predisposed towards more than a handful of policies pushed by the DLC/PPI, I have to seriously take offense at the phrase "wealthy cronies." I'll offer a dare to Sirota to compare tax returns in a few weeks and then we can see who the wealthy crony of whom is. Up for it, Dave?

CLAIM: From's group is funded by huge contributions from multinationals like Philip Morris, Texaco, Enron and Merck, which have all, at one point or another, slathered the DLC with cash.

FACT: David Sirota is coming off a stint with Center for American Progress, where he started the daily email notices. Actually, better than average fare for the ideological among us. But for anyone to hail from a Soros-funded think tank to call another group into question for large contributions is utterly ridiculous. Still, here's a few contributor-to-candidate pairings I'll offer as a counterpoint to this silly point (all from a quick scan of OpenSecrets.org):



Nancy Pelosi - Edison International, PG&E, Charles Schwab, UBS Americas, Nat'l. Assn. of Realtors
Barbara Lee (California's most liberal Representative) - Clear Channel, PG&E, Nat'l. Assn. of Realtors
Jesse Jackson, Jr. - Nat'l. Assn. of Realtors
Sheila Jackson Lee - Ken Lay's personal choice to overtake then-incumbent Craig Washington over a decade ago.
Want more? Send me a check for my time. Oh, and if you really want an eye-opener, check the DCCC's contributor list.

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http://www.gregsopinion.com/archives/005332.html

The Sound And The Fury

Matt's debunking of Sirota's article on the DLC's irrelevance and wrongheadedness is almost cruelly efficient. But Sirota doesn't really mean what he argues, he means what he says. To say it in a form that's not a zen koan, Sirota's aim is clear and honest, but his facts and argument far less so. He, along with many on the left, hates the DLC. He thinks they represent what is wrong and what's been wrong with the party. That's all fine. But in order to prove the point, he's accusing the DLC of being too far right and actively hostile towards progressive policies. And there Sirota's analysis falls apart as, generally speaking, the DLC's policies are in the mainstream of progressive politics.

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http://www.pandagon.net/mtarchives/004249.html

Sirota's editorial, on careful examination and exploration of the links provided to actual DLC statements in the three above responses, shows Sirota to actually be a little off in his claims. Of course, that won't stop people from believing him because some people need confirmation of their beliefs, whether that confirmation is exaggerated or made up.