Sirota Nails It (Again)

David Sirota has been hitting the nail on the head for awhile now, with his many blog posts and articles dissecting how the DLC is running on empty. Of course it's a very well-funded empty due to all the multinational-corporate ring kissing they've been doing. With so many so-called Democrats voting for things like the misguided Iraq War, CAFTA, the bankruptcy bill, an onerous energy bill and more, Sirota is calling on labor unions, working people, liberals and other mainstream Dems to demand a return to core Democratic principles, particularly economic ones.

In the face of continuing failures caused by the DLC branch of the Party, isn't it time to stop rewarding Republican-lite and all its sickly denominations? The grassroots movement is growing in numbers and strength and we're terribly tired of being stuck with corporate-apologists for candidates. In my mind, now's the time to stop supporting those who run as Democrats despite their backing so much of the Republican anti-middle class, anti-labor, anti-economic justice agenda.

If you only read a handful of articles this month, be sure to include this one by Sirota, "The Democrats 2008 Choice: Sell out & Lose, Or Stand UP & Win," and take the time to click through to the additional material linked within it.

Particularly educational for those unfamiliar with the roots of the DLC and who funds it, the link to Robert Dreyfuss's article from 2001, "How the DLC Does It," is particularly enlightening. Excerpt:

For $5,000, 180 companies, lobbying firms, and individuals found themselves on the DLC's board of advisers, including British Petroleum, Boeing, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Coca-Cola, Dell, Eli Lilly, Federal Express, Glaxo Wellcome, Intel, Motorola, U.S. Tobacco, Union Carbide, and Xerox, along with trade associations ranging from the American Association of Health Plans to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. For $10,000, another 85 corporations signed on as the DLC's policy roundtable, including AOL, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Citigroup, Dow, GE, IBM, Oracle, UBS PacifiCare, PaineWebber, Pfizer, Pharmacia and Upjohn, and TRW.

Ah yes, the people's party -- once upon a time. Can we move it in that direction yet again?