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Wednesday, July 18, 2001

With the sting of the 2000 presidential election defeat still fresh, Democrats vowed to move toward more middle-of-the-road politics to "regain the public's confidence."

Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who has just stepped down as chairman, said Democrats needed to change their tone and make their stances for gun control and abortion less threatening.

"We have sometimes seemed too worried about offending our friends in Hollywood when they do not seem to be worried enough about offending our values and harming our children," Lieberman told the group Monday.

Lieberman said that too often the devout feel out of place in the Democrat party. He noted that during his failed vice presidential campaign he was sometimes referred to as "Holy Joe" because of his stated adherence to Orthodox Judaism.

"We have too often dismissed and disparaged the importance of faith in American life," Lieberman said. "I fear that we have made the faithful feel unwelcome in our party, particularly if they are open and outspoken about their religion."

He said Democrats must "earn back the people's trust on matters of culture, values and faith."

Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who took over the group's leadership from Lieberman, said that too often Democrats have allowed themselves to be defined by their critics. He called on Democrats to talk about the issues of concern to mainstream Americans.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said, "It is not enough to merely repeat the same old rhetoric."

"During this year's National Conversation, we show that values matter and a cultural divide does exist within the electorate," said Al From, Democratic Leadership Council chief executive officer and founder, as he introduced the group's redesigned magazine, Blueprint, Tuesday.

"To become the majority party, Democrats must recognize this political fact and create an inclusive message, a progressive agenda, and a renewed commitment to reform government."

From said Democrats must learn to "avoid polarizing positions and provide an agenda that can close the cultural gap."

The Democrats called on President Bush to stand by the centrist rhetoric of his campaign.

Clinton said she hoped the administration would reconsider the direction it is taking and instead build on what she termed the advances of the 1990s.

"The new administration has missed such an opportunity to build, with variations of course, on what has worked. Instead they have chosen a very different direction. I hope it's just a temporary detour and that we get back on the track to positive, idea-driven policies," Clinton said.

The meeting, which began Sunday, was the first major Democrat conclave since the election loss. More than 700 Democrats from 40 states, most of them state and local officials, attended the gathering.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

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