Third Way Dems’ new war on Elizabeth Warren progressives

In case you forgot who Third Way is and what they stand for here's a good article to refresh your memory:

Third Way Dems’ new war on Elizabeth Warren progressives: Why their centrist pitch is a political loser

By Jim Newell - TUESDAY, AUG 11, 2015 07:00 AM CDT

The dream of the ’90s is alive among a modest collection of House Democrats. The whittled-down number of House Democrats comprising the New Democrat coalition is pushing back against Nancy Pelosi and the scatterbrained leftists she keeps under her thumb to “force the Democratic Caucus to the center” as a means of retaking control of the chamber, Politico reports.

Moderates are tired of being overshadowed in a party where liberals have long dominated the agenda, even as Democrats slipped further into the House minority after the 2014 midterm elections. They’ve accused the White House and party leaders of focusing too much on niche economic issues like the minimum wage and pay equity — policies, moderates argue, that turn off suburban voters Democrats need if they want to take back the House. And top Democratic leaders have released them to break with the party’s liberal base, in many cases an acknowledgement that many moderates come from tightly contested districts.

~Snip~


The floor’s all yours, New Democrats. What policy ideas would sharpen House Democrats’ appeal to moderate voters?

• Trade deals. “When Obama needed support from his own party to pass landmark trade legislation, he turned to the New Democrat Coalition. The group mustered just enough votes — 28 in total — to clear fast-track trade authority through Congress, despite opposition from the party’s left, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California.“

• Dynamic scoring. “Reps. John Delaney of Maryland and Scott Peters of California introduced a ‘dynamic scoring’ bill — an issue normally favored by Republicans — that would encourage budget scorekeepers to score tax cuts favorably to reevaluate how Congress spends money on infrastructure, research and education.”

• “Reforming” Dodd-Frank. “Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes is one of the most outspoken advocates for reforming the Dodd-Frank financial regulations bill.” [Jim Himes seems like a nice fellow and has a good-by-congressmen-standards Twitter account. He is also owned by the banks.]

• Corporate tax reform. “Lawmakers in the coalition repeatedly stressed that reevaluating how the U.S. taxes corporate profits from overseas operations could be an area of compromise between the moderate Democrats and Republicans.”


~Snip~


Full article:
http://www.salon.com/2015/08/11/third_way_dems_new_war_on_elizabeth_warren_progressives_why_their_centrist_pitch_is_a_political_loser/