-And over 100 years after Gompers decidedto throw the AFL in with the Dems, -and 65 years after John Lewis threw the AFL-CIO in with the Dems, and 50+ -years since the Treaty of Detroit, we have a Democartic party that is to the -right of the mainstream Republicans of Eisenhower's and even Nixon's time.
Gompers didn't throw in with the Dems-- he was the proponent of the "reward our friends, punish our enemies" of any party. Lewis did make a real alliance with the Dems, but wanted it to be with independent campaigns run by labor's Political Action Committee. With the merger, the independent part of the campaign largely collapsed into checks written to the party. The more recent strategies that labor has been developing under Steve Rosenthal (now leaving his job) has emphasized large-scale registration and turnout drives independent of the Democras even where it may benefit them.
What progressive legislation was passed by Eisenhower Republicans or Democrats of the 1950s? Read Caro's book oh Johnson's Senate years-- it makes Daschle's Democrats look like socialists. I doubt you can point out one issue where the majority of Democrats are not far MORE progressive today than the majority of Democrats were back then-- and on issues ranging from gay rights to abortion rights, they are far far better today. And even on "old Democrat" issues like labor unions, Democrats vote more consistently pro-labor than back then. Just look at Homeland Security where the Senate Dems are defying Bush on as popular issue as it comes in order to protect labor rights for government workers.
So-- point out the issue where Eisenhower Republicans (not a particular one, but the party as a whole) are better than today's Dems, or even an issue where the Senate Democrats of the 1950s were more liberal than Daschle's Democrats?
And that's today-- the point is that the progressive groups are mobilizing to further increase their influence, largely by not just carping about bad candidates but doing the grassroots outreach to mobilize the millions of voters necessary to really change politics. Not just holding rallies among the faithful, as Nader has been doing.
-- Nathan Newman