Creating a Third Way

1
Creating a Third Way

• The Clinton/New Democrat Path
• to Victory in 1992

• Presentation by Al From
• The Democratic Leadership Council
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• January 30, 2003

• www.ndol.org

2
Redefining Democrats

• In 1992, Bill Clinton was faced with a dying
  Democratic Party.
• By redefining it, he not only won the White
  House, but rescued his party.
• Along the way, Clinton and the DLC shaped a
  political philosophy and governing agenda the
  Third Way that redefined and re-invigorated
  progressive parties all over the world.

3
The DLC/Clinton Strategy

• Reality Therapy
• The Philosophy The New Orleans Declaration
• The Governing Agenda the New Choice
  Resolutions
• The Market Test The 1992 Primaries

4
Reality Therapy
The Democratic Partys 1988 defeat demonstrated
that the partys problems would not disappear, as
many had hoped, once Ronald Reagan left the White
House. Without a charismatic President to blame
for their ills, Democrats must come face to face
with reality too many Americans have come to
see the party as inattentive to their economic
interests, indifferent if not hostile to their
moral sentiments and ineffective in defense of
their national security. -- Bill Galston and
Elaine Kamarck The Politics of Evasion Democrats
and the Presidency 1989
5
The Politics of Evasion

• The Myth of Liberal Fundamentalism
• The Myth of Mobilization
• The Myth of the Congressional
• Bastion

6
The GOP Lock
From 1968-1988 Republicans Dominated the White
House
7
Presidential Elections
The GOP Lock 1972-1988
8
Losing the Middle Class
Percentage of Electorate Won by Democrat
9
A Changing America
10
A Different America
How Our Country Changed in the Past Two Decades

• More Affluent
• More Educated
• More Suburban
• More Diverse
• More Wired
• More Two Parent Working Families

• More Non-Factory Jobs
• More Job Churning
• More Aged
• More Boomers
• More Moderates and Independents

11
The New Electorate

• PERIOD DOMINANT VOTERS
• Industrial Era Working Class
• -------------------------------------------------
  ---
• Information Age Rising Learning Class
• -------------------------------------------------
  ----

12
Campaign Premises

• Message Matters.
• In the Information Age, winning coalitions
• are built around ideas, not interests.
• The key to winning Presidential elections is
• not just maximizing your strengths its
• removing obstacles that prevent people from
• voting for you.

13
A Message Campaign
Because President Clinton believed
that Presidential campaigns should be about what
a candidate would do as President, we spent his
time as DLC chairman developing our agenda, not
traditional organizing or fundraising. During
that period we shaped the New Democrat
Philosophy.
14
The New Democrat Approach
The Philosophy and Governing Agenda
15
The New Democrat Approach
?New Democrats are the modernizers of the
Democratic Party ?We further our partys
enduring values with new and innovative ideas
16
The Traditions We Honor

• Jeffersons belief in individual liberty
• and the capacity for self government
• Jacksons credo of equal opportunity
• for all, special privileges for none
• Roosevelts thirst for innovation
• Kennedys summons to civic duty
• Clintons insistence upon new means
• to achieve progressive ideals

17
Core Principles

• Opportunity Growth

• Global Outlook

• The
• New Democrat Philosophy

• Traditional Values

• Mutual Responsibility

• Empowering Government

18
New Democrat Ideas

• National Service
• Earned Income Tax Credit
• Welfare Reform
• Fiscal Discipline
• Investment in People and Technology
• Expanded Trade
• Community Policing
• Charter Schools
• Reinventing Government

19
The Clinton Reversal
Picking the GOP Lock