MoveOn.org: Momentum or Menace?
THE FIX BLOG
The biggest news yesterday came before General David Petraeus or Ambassador Ryan Crocker uttered a single word in the hearings on progress in Iraq.And it came in the form of a newspaper ad, paid for by MoveOn.org.
The ad, which accused Petraeus of "cooking the books for the White House", was roundly condemned by Republicans who time and again in the hearings held up the ad in the New York Times and called on Democrats to condemn it. The statement from RNC spokesman Mike Duncan was typical of the rhetoric: "Will Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and the rest of the Democrats make it clear that they support our men and women in uniform by denouncing the MoveOn ad, or will they once again bow to the radical liberals who now seem to be controlling the Democrat Party?"
"Simply put the MoveOn people are a gift to the GOP," said Republican direct-mail consultant Dan Hazelwood. "MoveOn are heirs to the same people who called the 19-year old soldiers drafted into Vietnam 'baby killers'."
Democrats pushed back that Republicans were trying to drum up a controversy by focusing on MoveOn rather than the substance of Petraeus' testimony. But, privately, the controversy over the ad highlighted the real disconnect between how the party's base views the war and how the party establishment sees it.
Time and time again, Democratic lawmakers have acknowledged that many in the party's base expected or believed that the day after the party regained control of the House and Senate, following the November 2006 election, the U.S. would begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. That, of course, is impossible given the rules of the Senate where 60 votes are required to close off debate, and Democrats remain unable to garner that sort of support for any legislative vehicle. (As California Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher told me last week: "We have a Senate that has difficulty getting 60 votes to go to lunch on any particular day.")
Of course, explaining the arcane rules of the Senate -- and the need to invoke "cloture" -- don't quiet the rumbles on the left for movement and action on the war from their own party.
This episode is simply the latest in an ever-changing relationship between the party's liberal base (as symbolized most vocally by MoveOn) and its establishment (as represented by people like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi).
At the start of this decade, the relationship was testy. Party leaders watched as Republicans used MoveOn's alleged opposition to the war in Afghanistan as a club against Democrats in the 2002 election, radicalizing the party in the eyes of many independent voters and leading to Republican gains.
But, as MoveOn proved itself a fundraising dynamo with significant support within the grassroots of the party, it found more and more access to the inner sanctums of the Democratic party. As the war in Iraq grew less and less popular with the American public, MoveOn's early and outspoken opposition to it became more and more of the mainstream Democratic position -- making it easier for Democratic leaders to embrace the group and be rewarded with money and support from the grassroots.
This latest ad by MoveOn, however, shows that the left's goals and the party's goals are not always in coordination. There's no question that yesterday was a GREAT day for MoveOn; its ad was shown and referred to not only in the hearings but on the wall-to-wall cable television coverage. And, the ad accurately reflected the sentiment of its consitutency; liberals do not trust Petraeus and view him as yet another tool of the Bush Administration's attempt to deceive the American public when it comes to the conditions on the ground in Iraq.
It was not such a great day for the Democratic Party as the ad gave Republicans a chance to play offense of the war. Republicans have been back on their heels for months (if not years) when it comes to Iraq and the combination of Petraeus' plan to draw down 30,000 troops by next summer and the MoveOn ad gave Republicans a foothold to get back into the debate.
It's politically dangerous for Democrats to have the Iraq debate shift -- even for a day or two -- from a referendum on President Bush to a referendum on Petraeus; most Americans -- including many independents and even some Republicans -- disapprove of the job Bush is doing in office, particularly when it comes to Iraq. But Petraeus remains quite popular. A USA Today/Gallup poll in the field on Sept. 7-8 showed 52 percent of those polled views Petraeus favorably while just 17 percent viewed him unfavorably.
As the 2008 campaign continues, watch for more examples of the Democratic base getting out in front of its political leaders. Will the eventual presidential nominee embrace MoveOn as a force for good in American politics? Or will he/she seek to create space with the left, allowing it to drive messages to motivate its base without alienating voters in the middle who might disagree?
Keep watch. It's a crucial question awaiting the eventual Democratic nominee
Hollywood Players Form Political Production Company
A group of Hollywood executives have teamed with a veteran Washington Democratic hand to create a political production company with an eye toward playing a major role in the 2008 election.
Among those affiliated with First Tuesday Media, as the group is known, include Chris Moore, executive producer of "Project Green Light" as well as the "American Pie" movies, Katie McGrath Abrams, a public relations exec and wife of "Lost" executive producer J.J. Abrams, Jenno Topping, executive producer of the two most recent "Charlie's Angels" films, and Chris Keyser, a television executive whose credits include "Party of Five." Laura Nichols, a longtime aide to Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) who serves as a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, is the face of the group in Washington.
The goal of the company, which was created last year but whose existence has not previously been reported, is to use the creative minds of Hollywood to create content -- Web and television -- designed to move a political or policy message.
An example: First Tuesday Media was recently commissioned by the Center for American Progress to produce an energy video. The script was written by George Nolfi, the screenwriter for "Ocean's Twelve" and "The Bourne Ultimatum," in conjunction with Jeff Nachmanoff, screenwriter for "The Day After Tomorrow."
All told, First Tuesday has done eight to ten "projects" since its inception including for groups like Sierra Club, Defenders of Wildlife and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The company remains in its infant stages but is already in discussions with donors about future financing with an eye on 2008 and beyond. The true potential for First Tuesday would be as the prime vendor for some iteration of 2004's Media Fund, which spent $58 million on television ads in the 2004 election cycle, and was run by another Gephardt operative, Erik Smith.
Those familiar with the discussions surrounding First Tuesday insist, however, that unlike the Media Fund their company is not simply an election vehicle but a longer term politics and policy venture aimed at re-branding the look and feel of online and television communications of the Democratic Party and the overall progressive movement.
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