"Democrats to Get New Think Tank
Do the Democrats need another think tank to help them figure out their future? A coalition of liberals and centrists believes so, but with a twist: It will be a think tank for politics, not for policy.
The New Politics Institute (NPI) will leave it to others to develop a future policy agenda for the party. Simon Rosenberg, founder of the New Democrat Network and the inspiration behind the new institute, said the new group will study what the rise of the conservative movement, anticipated demographic changes in the country and the "post-broadcasting" world of new media mean for Democrats' hopes of winning elections.
"Until we can really get our act together and win elections, all the policy white papers aren't going to do us a lot of good," said Markos Moulitsas Zuniga, whose Daily Kos is one of the most popular political blogs on the Internet and who is an adviser to the institute.
The NPI will have a budget of $1.5 million to $2 million, and funding will come primarily from Andy and Deborah Rappaport, California philanthropists. Other advisers include a cross section of centrists and liberals, among them Joe Trippi, who was for a time Howard Dean's presidential campaign manager; Gina Glantz of the Service Employees International Union; pollster Mark Penn; organizer Cecile Richards, president of America Votes; and pollster Sergio Bendixen, an expert on Hispanic trends."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/13/AR2005051301359.htmlScroll down. This part is after the first section about biker Bush's blissful ignorance. This is also all of the text about the new think tank.
I think it is a good idea to have some things focused just on the politics not the policy.
Like Clinton said, we need to start getting tougher. We need to win.
edit to add - if anyone missed what Bill said, here it is and it was on TACTICS, not policy.
"Bill Clinton wants Democrats to stop being wimps.
He reminded the power crowd at Time Warner's Conversations on the Circle, at the media giant's corporate headquarters Tuesday night, how Bush supporters, masterminded by Karl Rove, ran ads picturing Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein alongside former Georgia Sen. Max Cleland, a triple amputee, because he voted against the Homeland Security Act.
"The guy left half his body in Vietnam," he said. "They're in the business to beat us. When they come out after you, it is a contact sport.
"Get better tactics. Don't wuss around. And quit saying, 'They're so mean and vicious.' They only do it because it works. When they don't do it anymore, we can go back to a more civilized way of doing business."'
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/308675p-264126c.html