Replete with usual nonsense, which is left to the reader to refute. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JUL 17, 2001
Moderate Democrats Seek Unity and a Leader
By RICHARD L. BERKE
NDIANAPOLIS, July 16 — Senator Tom Daschle, the
Senate Democratic leader, was so eager to appeal to moderate Democrats meeting here today that he made special mention of his role in persuading Senator James M. Jeffords of Vermont to defect from the Republican Party, a move that shifted control of the Senate to the Democrats.
"I've got to leave a little bit early," Mr. Daschle said. "I've got to mow Jim Jeffords's lawn this afternoon."
Not to be outdone, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, one of the most liberal senators from one of the most liberal states, then took the stage to prove her allegiance to centrists. Mrs. Clinton told the audience that she woke up at 4 a.m. to fly to Indianapolis to appear before them.
Senators Daschle and Clinton were among a parade of Democrats who paid their respects to the Democratic Leadership Council, the most influential organization of moderate Democrats. The group's annual gathering has special significance this year as Democrats continue to seek the party's ideological footing now that the Republicans control the White House.
The moderate Democrats here said that the Bush administration's rightward tilt gave them an opportunity to seize the political center by concentrating on values issues.
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut, who last year became the first Jewish candidate to run as a major party's vice-presidential nominee, said Democrats had been too timid to address the role of religion in public life.
"We have sometimes seemed too worried about offending our friends in Hollywood when they do not seem to be worried enough about offending our values and harming our children," Mr. Lieberman said. "And we have too often dismissed and disparaged the importance of faith in American life, and I fear that we have sometimes made the faithful feel unwelcome in our party, particularly if they are open and outspoken about their religion."
Al From, who founded the Democratic Leadership Council 16 years ago, said the lineup of speakers underscored how his group had broadened considerably.
"Think how far this movement's come," Mr. From said, "since we were called the Southern White Boys Caucus."
Yet despite the united front at this gathering of more than 600 council loyalists, there are deep questions about whether this group retains its influence after Bill Clinton's departure from the White House. Democrats continue to be divided over whether a message of moderation is the key to party victory.
Democrats are still arguing over whether Vice President Al Gore, in presenting himself as a fiery populist in the presidential campaign last year, squandered his chances by not hewing to a more moderate theme.
While Mr. Daschle, the Senate leader, was front and center today, it was no accident that his Democratic counterpart in the House, Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri, did not participate. Mr. Gephardt, who is close to organized labor, has broken with the leadership council on trade and other matters.
Seeking to play down Mr. Gephardt's absence, Mr. From insisted that most speakers here were state and local officials. Why, then, were Washington luminaries like Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Daschle and Mr. Lieberman the featured invitees?
"We want to get a little pizazz," Mr. From said as he tapped his hand on Mr. Lieberman's shoulder.
The inclusion of Mrs. Clinton was notable because in the past, members of the leadership council sometimes sounded more Republican than Democratic on issues like gun control and abortion and cutting taxes.
But more recently, the organization has sought to avoid divisive issues within the Democratic fold and to reach out more to the party's left. As an example, participants here were greeted at the welcoming ceremony by Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
It was a rare sight to have any union members at a council conference, and there were several here. In keeping with the drive for inclusiveness in the party, the theme of the conference was cultural values, an issue that, while controversial, is far less touchy among Democrats than matters like abortion. Democrats here also found common ground by ganging up on the Bush White House. If anything, the speakers sought to prove that the legacy of Mr. Clinton, a prime mover behind the early years of the leadership council, was alive and well.
After recounting famous Democratic presidents in American history, Mr. Daschle said, "And, yes, we are the party of Bill Clinton and Al Gore."
Mrs. Clinton, who often went out of her way to move beyond her husband's shadow in her Senate campaign last year, paid tribute to his administration several times in her speech. Early council agendas, she said, "shaped the Clinton-Gore administration for the betterment of our country and our world."
The gathering here was also an early audition of sorts for would-be presidents to begin winning over the party faithful. Mr. Lieberman, for one, said he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 if Mr. Gore tried again. But he is widely viewed as taking steps to position himself for a presidential run, and he was hardly going out of his way to elevate his former running mate.
Asked to name the leader of the Democratic Party, Mr. Lieberman did not immediately mention Mr. Gore, the standard bearer from 2000, who beat George W. Bush in the popular vote.
"There is no obvious and natural leader," Mr. Lieberman said. Then he named Mr. Daschle and Mr. Gephardt. And then he said, "Obviously President Clinton."
Only then did Mr. Lieberman suggest "former Vice President Gore."