-Huh? Prominent DLC members include the former president and -vice-president, the most recent vice presidential nominee. And, from -the ndol.org website:
You quoted the PPI's study on social security, which is not necessarily the same as the DLC which is not necessarily the same as even many of the politicians who state they are members, since notably even Al Gore managed to be attacked by his supposed DLC buddies.
>Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is Chair of the DLC's
>Statewide Officials Advisory Board; Houston (TX) City Councilman
>Carroll Robinson is Founding Chair of the DLC's Local Elected
>Officials Network; U.S. Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) is Vice Chair of
>the DLC; U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) is Chairman of the DLC; and
>Wisconsin State Rep. Antonio Riley is Chairman of the DLC's State
>Legislative Advisory Board. Not Pictured: Detroit (MI) Mayor Kwame
>Kilpatrick is Chairman of the DLC's Local Elected Officials Network
.>-I love EPI, but what do they have to match this?
The House Majority Leader and House Whip, who side far more with everything EPI writes than with the DLC. Daschle is a bit more in the middle, but he's railed against social security privatization repeatedly. From the Cato Institute earlier this year (first thing that came up on google):
"Daschle criticized what he called the president's "hand-picked Social Security commission," and warned that privatization means "drastic cuts in benefits." He continued, saying:
"I support private accounts to supplement-but not replace-Social Security. But to create private accounts with revenues that drain Social Security will only hasten the day when the system becomes insolvent. We don't have to choose between private accounts and a healthy Social Security system. We need both, and we can have both. What we cannot afford is to weaken this vital program at the time when America needs it the most.""
So the DLC has some second-tier folks lik eTownsend (who looks ready to accomplish the impossible feat of losing to a Republican in Maryland) and boring stiffs like Bayh, most of whom won't even endorse their social security views, while EPI has the actual legislative leadershp of the two chambers of Congress deadset against privatization.
I'd say EPI has the better part of that deal.
-- Nathan Newman