New Democrats have distanced themselves from traditional Democrats and their programs. Hence, the name "New" Democrats and focusing on things like ending welfare as we know it, repealing Glass Steagall, pledging to cut "entitlements" after election, but before inauguration, "chained" OASDI, etc.

New Democrats and more conservative Democrats have been responsible for dismantling as much of the New Deal as they could without ruining the chances that any Democrat would get elected again.

For example, the Bankruptcy Code of 1978 replaced the Bankruptcy Act of 1934, which called for investigation, by an independent and powerful trustee, of the activities of a corporation, including its officers and directors, when a corporation that was publicly traded went bankrupt. The purpose was to help protect thousands of investors against possible corruption or actionable negligence by directors and officers. In 1978, Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. Granted, they were not technically New Democrats then, but that was not the kind of Democratic program Truman had in mind, either.

I try, I try.

The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don't want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign. Harry S Truman

Every American (Especially everyone in the Democratic Party) should see this video of Truman giving his 1948 Convention acceptance speech. It is about 26 minutes long. (Well worth the time!!) He rips the GOP a new one (begins talking about GOP at @9:45 mark and lists failures of Do Nothing Congess and then at @20:20 mark drops a nice one onto the Do Nothing Congress!!) And also makes the point how important it is for the Democratic Party to stay together (listen to this @3:45 mark).


http://www.c-span.org/video/?3389-1/harry-truman-acceptance-speech

The record the Democratic Party has made in the last 20 years is the greatest political asset any party ever had in the history of the world. We would be foolish to throw it away. There is nothing our enemies would like better and nothing that would do more to help them win an election.

I've seen it happen time after time. When the Democratic candidate allows himself to be put on the defensive and starts apologizing for the New Deal and the fair Deal, and says he really doesn't believe in them, he is sure to lose. The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don't want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign.

But when a Democratic candidate goes out and explains what the New Deal and fair Deal really are--when he stands up like a man and puts the issues before the people--then Democrats can win, even in places where they have never won before. It has been proven time and again.

We are getting a lot of suggestions to the effect that we ought to water down our platform and abandon parts of our program. These, my friends, are Trojan horse suggestions. I have been in politics for over 30 years, and I know what I am talking about, and I believe I know something about the business. One thing I am sure of: never, never throw away a winning program. This is so elementary that I suspect the people handing out this advice are not really well-wishers of the Democratic Party.

More than that, I don't believe they have the best interests of the American people at heart. There is something more important involved in our program than simply the success of a political party.

Their flagrant support of terrorism on this board is killing their golden goose and driving their customers away.