Those who speak of the DLC and its influence need to know who shaped it.

The DLC was formed in 1985 by Al From in response to Water Mondale’s landslide defeat by Reagan. It was based on the same model and involved many of the same members as the Coalition for a Democratic Majority, Scoop Jackson’s 1970s endeavor to move the party away from the FDR-LBJ trajectory and avoid a repeat of George McGovern’s landslide loss.

The CDM not only helped the political careers of economically-conservative Democrats, but also helped Democrats who later joined the Republican Party and the GW Bush administration. Yes, including the neoconservatives.

The DLC is formally dead as of 2011. Hillary in 2016 was the first non-incumbent Democratic candidate to stand for the presidency since the DLC’s collapse. Some of their vestiges remain, such as the New Democrat Coalition – a moderate, pro-growth caucus in the House – and the Progressive Policy Institute – a moderate think tank. The DLC’s past victories at the ballot have been hollowed out.

The centrist trajectory that has been built since Scoop Jackson’s CDM in 1972 needs a response of equal force and endurance from the resurgent New Left figureheaded by Sanders.

The winning issue at this time is economic populism. Economic feelings matter more than academic facts.

Don’t give Trump a chance. Give economic populism a chance.