Democratic Leadership Council

(noun)

A non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation founded in 1985 that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s; the corporation hails President Bill Clinton as proof of the viability of third way politicians.

Related Terms

Examples of Democratic Leadership Council in the following topics:

  • The Clinton Administration

    • Democratic President Bill Clinton served two terms from 1993 to 2001, during a period of great economic growth in the United States.
    • Clinton was the first Democratic president since Franklin D.
    • Clinton considered himself a "New Democrat" and was a founding member of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist group of Democrats who promoted moderate policies.

  • Women of the Civil Rights Movement

    • Though often overlooked, many women played integral leadership roles in the advancements of the civil rights movement in the United States.
    • In the summer of 1964, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, or "Freedom Democrats" for short, was organized with the purpose of challenging Mississippi's all-white and anti-civil rights delegation to the Democratic National Convention, which failed to represent all Mississippians.
    • She was a critic of professionalized, charismatic leadership and a promoter of grassroots organizing and radical democracy.
    • Height was also a founding member of the Council for United Civil Rights Leadership.
    • Height was the president of the National Council of Negro Women from 1957-1997.

  • Clinton's Promise of Change

    • Bill Clinton epitomized the New Democrat ideology with his focus on improving the economy and economic deregulation.
    • Bill Clinton was the single Democratic politician of the 1990s most identified with the New Democrats.
    • New Democrat and Third Way successes under Clinton, as well as the writings of Anthony Giddens, are often regarded to have inspired Tony Blair in the United Kingdom and his policies.
    • The New Democrats were more open to deregulation than the previous Democratic leadership had been.
    • The New Democrats and allies on the Democratic Leadership Conference were responsible for the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

  • The Religious Right

    • By the 1980s, the Religious Right made substantial gains in United State politics, as conservative Democrats were alienated by their Party's support for liberal social views.
    • In the 1960 presidential election, the alienation of Southern Democrats from the Democratic Party, as well as the fear of social disintegration provoked by the counterculture and social movements of the 60s, contributed to the rise of the Right.
    • As the Democratic Party became identified with a pro-choice position on abortion and with nontraditional societal values, social conservatives, especially in the South, joined the Republican Party in increasing numbers.
    • Notable leaders and groups within the Religious Right are Robert Grant's advocacy group Christian Voice, Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, Ed McAteer's Religious Roundtable Council, James Dobson's Focus on the Family, and Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.
    • Under this leadership, the new Religious Right combines conservative politics with evangelical and fundamentalist teachings.

  • Industrial Freedom

    • In 1898, he transferred his allegiance to the new Social Democratic Party of America, headed by labor leader Eugene V.
    • In 1909, Ault became secretary of the Seattle Central Labor Council.
    • In 1910, the Central Labor Council established its own newspaper and Ault took over the role of editor in 1912.
    • Under Ault's leadership, the paper grew from a circulation of 3,000 to 50,000 to over 112,000 in 1919.
    • In 1936, Ault entered the Democratic Congressional primary election in Washington's 1st Congressional District, finishing with just over 3,400 votes, effectively ending his career as a candidate for elected public office.

  • The George W. Bush Administration

    • After two vote recounts, Democratic presidential candidate and incumbent Vice President Al Gore filed a lawsuit for a third recount.
    • The specific elements of neoconservative leadership have been discussed in policy papers by leading members of the Project for a New American Century (PNAC).
    • In September of 2000, the PNAC issued a report stating that, in order to maintain military leadership, the U.S. must be prepared to take military action.
    • Congress to lead an invasion of Iraq, asserting that Iraq was in violation of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1441.
    • In combination with increasing discontent over the Iraq War, these events handed Democrats a majority in both houses in 2006.

  • Tension with the USSR

    • Hungary became a communist state under the severely authoritarian leadership of Mátyás Rákosi.
    • The Soviet leadership had formulated contingency plans for intervention in Hungary several months before.
    • The rapid spread of the uprising in the streets of Budapest and the abrupt fall of the Gerő-Hegedüs government, left the new national leadership surprised, and, at first, disorganized.
    • Sporadic armed resistance and strikes by workers' councils continued until mid-1957, causing substantial economic disruption.
    • Responding to the plea by Nagy at the time of the second massive Soviet intervention on November 4, the Security Council resolution critical of Soviet actions was vetoed by the Soviet Union.

  • The People's Party and the Election of 1896

    • Some people—mostly Democrats—joined the far-left Populist Party.
    • Teller; he was immediately seen as a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination.
    • The 1896 Democratic convention opened at the Chicago Coliseum on July 7, 1896.
    • Silver forces were supported by the Democratic National Bimetallic Committee, the umbrella group formed in 1895 to support silver Democrats in their insurgency against Cleveland.
    • Gold Democrats looked to the President for leadership, but Cleveland, trusting few in his party, did not involve himself further in the gold efforts; he spent the week of the convention fishing off the New Jersey coast.

  • The Rise of the Assemblies

    • Each colony had a system of governance including a governor, a council of officials appointed by the governor, and an elected assembly.
    • The Governor's Council or the Governor's Court were the senior advisors to the governor.
    • Council members were ex-officio members who served by virtue of holding another public office.
    • For example, the head of the militia, the chief justice, and the king's attorney were also council members.
    • Historians sometimes refer to perennial struggles between governors and their assemblies during the 1600s and 1700s as symptoms of a rising democratic spirit in the thirteen colonies.

  • Italy and Germany

    • The Fascists, under the leadership of Mussolini, demanded Prime Minister Luigi Facta's resignation and that Mussolini be named Prime Minister.
    • Local autonomy was swept away, and appointed podestas (persons appointed to serve as mayors) replaced communal mayors and councils.
    • Soon after all other parties were banned in 1928, parliamentary elections were replaced by plebiscites in which the Grand Council nominated a single list of candidates.
    • On 10 May the government seized the assets of the Social Democrats; they were banned in June.
    • Under their leadership, Italy and Germany turned into fascist dictatorships.