Populist Reform of the Democratic Party

I've read that in GD many times.

I would like to take issue with Isquith on this, though, on a couple of counts:

They already spend so much of their time trying to squeeze donations out of wealthy and corporate donors, who are naturally more inclined to support Republicans, the last thing they need is to have to simultaneously appease those on their left.

Pre-and post-Citizens United, Obama raised more money than McCain and Romney. Post-Citizens United Obama raised about .25 billion more than he did before Citizens United. What the deal was with soft money, I don't know. However, there is just so much airtime you can buy before people start hating you for the number of ads.

Moreover, a New Democrat passed the Telecommunications Act and the final nail went into the coffin of the Fairness Doctrine under another New Democrat. So, when are Democrats going to give up the story that

So, Democrats need to take take another look at this meme. Also:

The DLC's effort to win Meeks's vote was part of a vigorous campaign by New Democrats to assure legislators that business groups would replace campaign contributions from labor lost by a pro-business China vote. In The New Democrat, the DLC's monthly magazine, Washington's most powerful business lobbyist, Thomas J. Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wrote that even though some members of Congress risked losing the AFL-CIO's support, "business will stick by Democrats on the China trade vote."

Simon Rosenberg, the former field director for the DLC who directs the New Democrat Network, a spin-off political action committee, says, "We're trying to raise money to help them lessen their reliance on traditional interest groups in the Democratic Party. In that way," he adds, "they are ideologically freed, frankly, from taking positions that make it difficult for Democrats to win."

Putting aside the played out myth that voters love corporatists more than they do populists, New Democrats made an effort NOT to be dependent on money from unions and workers so they would not have to legislate for the benefit of unions or workers.

http://prospect.org/article/how-dlc-does-it

So, given all the above, it's time this whole issue of fat cat money gets put to rest.