Washington D.C. -- Election eve brings fresh evidence that the greatest challenge to the Democratic Party
comes not from Republicans but from Democrats themselves. Through the mail has come the premier issue
of Blueprint: Ideas for a New Century, a new quarterly journal of the Democratic Leadership Council
(DLC). All of the usual DLC suspects are here--Al From, Will Marshall, Elaine Kamarck, and Bill Galston--and
they are ready to proclaim that the Era of the New Democrat has begun.

The DLC has been struggling mightily for more than a decade to mitigate the suicidal tendencies that the
Democratic Party exhibited in the 1980s. Their efforts finally paid off in 1992, when Bill Clinton ran as the
first self-professed "New Democrat." But his first two years in office suggested that there were only about
six New Democrats to be found in the entire party, and none of them had White House jobs. (The few who had
administration jobs, such as Kamarck and Galston, bailed out before the first term was over.) Clinton’s
"new" Democratic philosophy was reminiscent of the famous Mal cartoon that appeared in National Review
many years ago, where a character holding a soap box with the word "New!" emblazoned on the side asks: "So
what’s ‘new’ about it?" To which comes the reply: "The ‘New!’ is what’s new about it."

It is really easy to like these guys, especially when you see them saying (as they do in this premier issue)
that "the private sector, not government, is the primary engine for economic growth," and that Democrats
should have "a commitment to equal opportunity for all and special privileges for none." Even more compelling:
"It is a mistake to believe that Democrats can construct majorities based on a swelling pool of poor and near-poor Americans waiting to be mobilized by an old-fashioned politics of redistribution." (In other words: Jesse, shut up.) And finally: "The New Deal era has ended."

Now, back in the good old days of Democratic political dominance, people who held these views weren’t called
"New Democrats." They were called Republicans. And Republicans came to these ideas the old-fashioned
way--by convictions borne of principles. Here is where the suspicion of the New Democrats arises. Most of the
first issue of Blueprint is devoted to analyzing public opinion surveys, all of which show that the public has moved decisively away from "Old Democratic" thinking. Have "New Democrats" arrived at their views out of principle, or are they reacting in the same spirit of the fellow who, walking behind a parade, says: I am their leader; I must follow them?

Most decisive is a Harris poll finding about the question, Do you agree or disagree: The best government
is the government that governs least? In 1973, 56% of the public disagreed with that proposition. Today, 56%
agree with that proposition. No wonder our poll-driven President felt compelled to say, "The era of big government is over."

I don’t doubt that Galston, Kamarck, From, and Marshall are sincere in their moderate views. What is more
doubtful is whether any of the elected officials in their party really share their views. Keep your eyes on
Blueprint, and compare its language with what you see on C-Span.

--By Steven Hayward