Dems Go Ballistic Over Third Way Involvement at Retreat

Here is more from The Washington Post:

The House Democrats gathered here for their annual policy retreat are scheduled to attend a session Wednesday on “Rumors, Truths and Reality.” Later, they’ll discuss “Fighting for Our Principles” with leaders of major activist groups. And then they’ll hear “Perspectives” from the vice president of Third Way, a prominent centrist think tank.

That last session, showcasing a wing of the party that dominated Democratic politics for much of the past two decades, would not typically gain much notice. But those days are over: Progressive groups are incensed that lawmakers will be hearing “perspectives” that they argue have been thoroughly discredited in the wake of last year’s election.

“For House Democrats to seek advice from a Wall Street-funded think tank that preaches timidity, that shows them learning the exactly wrong lesson in the Trump era,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “I think Democrats need to fight more strongly, with backbone, and not let Trump steal the mantle of economic populism.”

Jim Kessler, Third Way’s senior vice president for policy, is set to address the retreat Wednesday evening during a half-hour session where, according a senior Democrat familiar with his planned remarks, he will make the case that the Democratic Party needs to grow geographically, demographically and ideologically — not move decisively to the left — to regain power. That is a strain of thought that represented Democratic orthodoxy in the 1990s, when the business-friendly Democratic Leadership Council held sway.

But it has since fallen out of favor, especially among progressives who believe Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would have better captured voter anger toward the political establishment as the 2016 Democratic president nominee. And now, they say, Third Way’s politics are not what Democrats need to hear.

As noted in the article, other Democrats who spoke at the retreat include think tank scholars from the Center for American Progress (CAP) and Demos.

Here is more about Third Way's presentation at the retreat from CNN.  Here is what Politico had to say about Third Way's presence at the retreat.

Politico recently wrote a piece about Third Way's launch of a campaign to reconnect Democrats with voters who abandoned them.

Democrats Finding Think Tank Market Tight

As the Obama era comes to a close and staffers pore out into the Washington job market, many are finding that their desire to score a cushy think tank job may not necessarily be a piece of cake.  Here is more from Politico:

The job market is about to get even more crowded for Washington Democrats, as thousands of Obama appointees join the hundreds of Clinton campaign staffers looking for employment.

There’s rarely been less demand for their services.

The Trump tornado is tearing up post-election planning around the Beltway. It’s not just that those 4,000 administration jobs are no longer available to Hillary for America alumni, or that failed Senate candidates like Russ Feingold and Katie McGinty won’t be able to hire their staff on the Hill. There are also the lobbying firms, trade associations and corporate government affairs offices that are pitching senior Obama aides’ resumes into the round file while scrambling to hire operatives with Republican connections.

It’s insult to injury for a generation of young operatives who are still managing their shock and grief from Hillary Clinton’s loss. And for those who want to fight to keep President Barack Obama’s legacy from being erased, there aren’t a lot of places ready to pay them to do it.

Making the navigation of the think tank scene even trickier is the fact that many Democratic think tanks have been tweaking their missions as the Trump Administration moves into Washington.

Moreover, fewer positions are opening for Democrats as many Clinton supporters at think tanks have decided to remain in place for the next four years, hoping for better luck in 2020.

But those that can score a coveted full-time think tank position will find salaries and benefits fairly robust, as money continues to pore into think tanks from corporations and foreign governments.

Nevertheless, the think tank outlook has been getting bleaker, particularly as more people have begun to question the independence of think tank research, the abundant pay-for-play schemes that have clouded think tanks, and the fact that Donald Trump does not seem to care much for think tanks.