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Democratic Leadership Council

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The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was a non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation[1] that was active from 1985 to 2011. Founded and directed by Al From,[2] it argued that the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it had taken since the late 1960s. One of its main purposes was to win back white middle-class voters with ideas that addressed their concerns.[3] The DLC hailed the election and reelection of Bill Clinton as proof of the viability of Third Way politicians and as a DLC success story.[4]

The DLC's affiliated think tank was the Progressive Policy Institute. Democrats who adhered to the DLC's philosophy often called themselves "New Democrats." This term is also used by other groups who hold similar views, including the New Democrat Network[5] and Third Way.[6]

On February 7, 2011, Politico reported that the DLC would dissolve.[7] On July 5 of that year, DLC founder Al From announced in a statement on the organization's website that the historical records of the DLC have been purchased by the Clinton Foundation.[8] The DLC's last chairman was Representative Harold Ford of Tennessee, and its vice chair was Senator Tom Carper of Delaware. Its CEO was Bruce Reed.

  1. ^ "About the Democratic Leadership Council". dlc.org. Democratic Leadership Council. 1 January 1995. Archived from the original on 20 November 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  2. ^ Michael Kazin. What it took to win: a history of the Democratic party (2022) p.277.
  3. ^ Paul West (18 November 1991). "The numbers from Louisiana add up chillingly Duke's claim on white vote shows depth of discontent". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 25 January 2017.
  4. ^ For the history of the DLC see Lily Geismer, Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality (2022).
  5. ^ "NDN - A Progressive Think Tank and Advocacy Organization". ndn.org. NDN. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Third Way". thirdway.org. Third Way. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  7. ^ Smith, Ben (7 February 2011). "Democratic Leadership Council will fold". Politico. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  8. ^ From, Al (5 July 2011). "Statement from DLC Founder Al From". dlc.org. Democratic Leadership Council. Archived from the original on 11 June 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2016.