Almost every progressive blog I've read has taken on the Democratic Leadership Council because the DLC continues to attack Howard Dean and anyone else who embraces any kind of progressive policy. The DLC is widely credited with helping elect Bill Clinton in 1992, but hasn't done much since other than scream that the party is doomed to irrelevance unless it embraces a "centrist" agenda of tax cuts and increased militarism.

Bloggers like Jesse Taylor really can't understand how the DLC can continue to advocate running on a platform that's basically "Republican Lite." Tom Tomorrow said, "You see, the only way for Democrats to win is to embrace fiscal irresponsibility and wars based on lies. In other words, to behave like watered-down Republicans. As far as the DLC is concerned, the debate isn?t really over liberal or conservative ideas anymore. It?s about how many conservative ideas to adopt, and how forcefully." Daily Kos says, "I think its only fair to ask [DLC co-founder Al] From and the DLC what exactly are their goals? To elect the next President of the US or their next president."

The problem is the continued perception that the Democratic Leadership Council is "centrist" or "moderate." This is only true in a world where nutcases who want a theocratic government are "mainstream conservatives" - that is, the world our media describes. The DLC believes in lower taxes, higher defense spending, privatizing public programs, and that the role of government is more to enable business than to ensure equality.

The DLC is conservative. This is a classic conservative agenda. Just because it's too progressive for Tom DeLay and his corporatist agenda does not make it "centrist" or "moderate." What today's media calls "conservative," the media of 30 years ago would have called "John Birch Society member."

The DLC believes the only real choice in America is one between a conservative agenda and an insanely conservative agenda. Even though the vast majority of Americans agree with progressive principles in most polls, the DLC's sole job is to sell Democrats on a conservative agenda, so of course they're going to attack anyone who is not hewing the conservative line. That's why they exist.

It turns out the Democratic Party is really the one with the big tent, where both conservatives and progressive can find a home, and I think that's a good thing (I think it would be better if both parties had big tents, but that's unlikely in the near future). But to wring your hands wondering why the DLC is attacking progressive candidates is a waste of time. They do it because they're a conservative organization and they want a conservative Democratic president who looks like a less-insane Republican. It's who they are.

For a more thorough treatment of the DLC's place, check out this Salon article.