Al From

Last updated
Al From
President Clinton meeting with advisers on Air Force One.jpg
From (far right) with Bill Clinton on Air Force One, 1999
Personal details
Born
Alvin From

(1943-05-31) May 31, 1943 (age 81)
South Bend, Indiana, U.S.
Political party Democratic
SpouseGinger From
Education Northwestern University (BS, MS)

Alvin "Al" From (born May 31, 1943) is the founder and former CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council. His ideas and political strategies during the past quarter century played a central role in the resurgence of the modern Democratic Party. From is the author of The New Democrats and the Return to Power, released in December 2013. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Born in South Bend, Indiana, From earned a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and was editor of the Daily Northwestern . [5]

While serving as a reporter and editor for the Daily Northwestern, From conducted an investigation on discriminatory admissions. From, who was Jewish, uncovered an unofficial quota system that limited the number of minority students admitted to the program. According to the magazine North by Northwestern , From quoted admissions director, C. William Reiley, "making discriminatory statements and the day after the story was published, the student senate stated that Reiley's actions were inappropriate. Reiley was later reassigned as the dean of administrative services." The removal of Reiley and exposure of the quotas ended the discriminatory practice. [6]

Career

In 2000, at a speech at Hyde Park, President Bill Clinton said, "It would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From." [7]

Early career

From began his career working for Sargent Shriver's War on Poverty right out of graduate school, assigned to the Southeast region including Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia. [8]

Before founding the DLC, From was executive director of the House Democratic Caucus from 1981 to 1985, chaired by Representative Gillis William Long from Louisiana. For two years—1979 and 1980—he was deputy advisor on inflation to President Jimmy Carter and from 1971 to 1979, he directed the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations, chaired by Senator Edmund Muskie. As staff director, he worked on the Congressional Budget Act, helped shape the stimulus package during the 1973-74 recession and was called a "legislative genius" by Washingtonian magazine. [9]

Democratic Leadership Council

From led the DLC from its inception in 1985 until he stepped down as CEO in April 2009. [10] [11] [12]

He founded the DLC in 1985, at a time as Roll Call writes, "Democrats appeared to be on the brink of a permanent excursion into the political wild following Walter Mondale's 49-state drubbing by incumbent President Ronald Reagan in 1984." [13]

In 1991, the Reverend Jesse Jackson called the DLC "Democrats for the Leisure Class", and in 2003, former Democratic National Committee Chair and Vermont Governor Howard Dean sharply criticized From and the DLC as the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. [14] [15]

Al From greets Hillary Clinton the day after Bill Clinton's 1992 victory Al From 1992.jpg
Al From greets Hillary Clinton the day after Bill Clinton's 1992 victory

From played a prominent role in the 1992 election of President Bill Clinton – and served as domestic policy advisor to the Clinton Transition – prompting USA Today to write: "The ideas at the crux of the Clinton candidacy were largely drafted by the DLC." [16]

Today, many of the ideas that comprise the core of the agenda of the Democratic Party's conservative wing come from work done under From's leadership at the DLC. National service, an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, welfare reform, charter schools, community policing, expanded trade and re-inventing government were all championed by scholars and analysts at the DLC before becoming public policy. [17]

In 1998, with First Lady Hillary Clinton, From began a dialogue with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other world leaders, and the DLC brand – known as The Third Way – became a model for resurgent liberal governments around the globe. [18]

In April 1999, he hosted a Third Way forum in Washington with President Clinton, Prime Minister Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Prime Ministers Wim Kok of the Netherlands and Massimo D'Alema of Italy. [19]

In November 1999, joining President Clinton, From moderated the first-ever live presidential town hall meeting on the Internet. [20]

Recent work

In 2013, From authored The New Democrats and the Return to Power. President Bill Clinton authored the foreword. In the book, From "outlines for the first time the principles at the heart of the [New Democrat] movement… and why they are vital to the success of the Democratic Party in the years ahead." The book received praise from President Clinton, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who said, "it should be read, re-read and underlined by anyone who wants to know what it takes to be successful in American politics today." [21]

From is currently an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins University in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Advanced Academic Programs. [22] His new venture, the From Company, LLC, offers strategic advice to private clients.

From serves on the Board of Advisors of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce National Chamber Foundation, the Board of Trustees of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, the National Advisory Board of the Roosevelt Institution, and the Executive Board of the University of Maryland's Center for American Politics and Citizenship. [23] He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors in 1999, and served as chairman until December 2002 when his term expired. His writings have appeared in numerous national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Atlantic, U.S. News & World Report, and Politico.

Personal life

From lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife, Ginger.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph Medill</span> American newspaper editor, publisher, and politician (1823–1899)

Joseph Medill was a Canadian-American newspaper editor, publisher, and Republican Party politician. He was co-owner and managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and he was Mayor of Chicago from after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 until 1873.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Gephardt</span> American attorney, lobbyist and politician (born 1941)

Richard Andrew Gephardt is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who represented Missouri's 3rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was House majority leader from 1989 to 1995 and minority leader from 1995 to 2003. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 1988 and 2004. Gephardt was mentioned as a possible vice presidential nominee in 1988, 1992, 2000, 2004, and 2008.

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was a non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation that was active from 1985 to 2011. Founded and directed by Al From, it argued that the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it had taken since the late 1960s. One of its main purposes was to win back white middle-class voters with ideas that addressed their concerns. The DLC hailed the election and reelection of Bill Clinton as proof of the viability of Third Way politicians and as a DLC success story.

The Third Way, also known as Modernised Social Democracy, is a predominantly centrist political position that attempts to reconcile centre-right and centre-left politics by synthesising a combination of economically liberal and social democratic economic policies along with centre-left social policies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Coelho</span> American politician from California (born 1942)

Anthony Lee Coelho is an American politician from California who served in the United States House of Representatives. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the primary sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act and is a former chairman and current member of the board of directors of the Epilepsy Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Clyburn</span> American politician (born 1940)

James Enos Clyburn is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 6th congressional district. First elected in 1992, Clyburn's congressional district includes most of the majority-black precincts in and around Columbia and Charleston, as well as most of the majority-black areas outside Beaufort and nearly all of South Carolina's share of the Black Belt. Since Joe Cunningham's departure in 2021, Clyburn has been the only Democrat in South Carolina's congressional delegation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign

The 1992 presidential campaign of Bill Clinton, the then-governor of Arkansas, was announced on October 3, 1991, at the Old State House in Little Rock, Arkansas. After winning a majority of delegates in the Democratic primaries of 1992, the campaign announced that then-junior U.S. senator from Tennessee, Al Gore, would be Clinton's running mate. The Clinton–Gore ticket defeated Republican incumbent President George H. W. Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle in the presidential election on November 3, 1992, and took office as the 42nd president and 45th vice president, respectively, on January 20, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Democrats (United States)</span> Ideological faction within the Democratic Party

New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturally liberal on social issues while being moderate or fiscally conservative on economic issues. New Democrats dominated the party from the late 1980s through the mid-2010s, and continue to be a large coalition in the modern Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Caputo</span> American businesswoman

Lisa Caputo is the executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for The Travelers Companies, Inc. She joined Travelers on June 1, 2011. At Travelers, she is a member of the Management and Operating Committees and the Travelers Foundation Board. She leads the company's marketing, research, branding, corporate communications, customer experience and creative services functions and works closely with investor relations and government relations. Previously she was executive vice president of global marketing and corporate affairs for Citigroup. She was the founder, chairman and CEO of Citi's Women & Co. business from January 2000 until 2010. She was a member of Citi's senior leadership committee and is the co-head of Citi's Women's Initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Policy Institute</span> Centrist American think tank

The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that serves as a public policy think tank in the United States. The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) founded it in 1989. The Washington Post has described it as "a centrist Democratic institution."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triangulation (politics)</span> Using ideas of the opposition

In politics, triangulation is a strategy associated with U.S. President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. The politician presents a position as being above or between the left and right sides or wings of a democratic political spectrum. It involves adopting for oneself some of the ideas of one's political opponent. The logic behind it is that it both takes credit for the opponent's ideas, and insulates the triangulator from attacks on that particular issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Governors Association</span> Organization of U.S. Democratic governors

The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is a Washington, D.C.-based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial governors affiliated with the Democratic Party. The mission of the organization is to provide party support to the election and re-election of Democratic gubernatorial candidates. The DGA's Republican counterpart is the Republican Governors Association. The DGA is not directly affiliated with the non-partisan National Governors Association.

The term liberal hawk refers to a politically liberal person who supports a hawkish, interventionist foreign policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave McCurdy</span> American politician

David Keith McCurdy is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former politician who was the Democratic U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 4th congressional district, in office from 1981 to 1995. Described as a moderate or conservative Democrat, McCurdy was a chair the centrist Democratic Leadership Council. In 1994, he ran for the U.S. Senate, but lost to fellow Representative Jim Inhofe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Jacobson</span> Founder and CEO of political organization No Labels

Nancy Jacobson is an American political activist. A former fundraiser for the Democratic Party, she later became founder and CEO of the centrist organization No Labels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Reed (political operative)</span> American political advisor (born 1960)

Bruce Reed is an American political advisor and non-profit administrator who was the president of the Broad Foundation. Prior to assuming that role in December 2013, he served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and as CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). On December 22, 2020, it was announced that Reed would serve as a White House deputy chief of staff in the Biden administration, along with Jen O'Malley Dillon.

Mary Anne "Mame" Reiley was an American political activist and business leader.

Joie Chen is a Chinese American television journalist as well as an Asian American broadcast journalist. She was the anchor of Al Jazeera America's flagship evening news show America Tonight, which was launched in August 2013. In January 2016, the channel announced it would close on 12 April 2016.

The College Democrats of America (CDA) is the official college outreach arm of the Democratic National Committee. It claims over 100,000 college and university student members in College Democrats chapters across the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Kuhn, David Paul. "Al From Won." RealClearPolitics. 16 June 2009
  2. ↑ Davis, Lanny (29 June 2009). "Al From, a founder of today's Democratic Party". The Washington Times.
  3. ↑ Grove, Lloyd (24 July 1992). "Al From, the Life of the Party". The Washington Post: D01.
  4. ↑ Brownstein, Ronald (5 December 2013). "Democrats' Advantage With Women and Minorities Isn't Enough". The National Journal.
  5. ↑ DLC.org Archived 29 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ Thornton, Paul (28 February 2008). "Twenty things you never knew that you never knew about NU". (archived from the original 7 March 2017)
  7. ↑ "Speech by President at Democratic Leadership Council Retreat." William J. Clinton Center Online Library Archives. 21 May 2000 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ Politico
  9. ↑ Elder, Shirley. Washingtonian. October 1978.
  10. ↑ "The DLC: Changing the Face of American Politics." DLC Video. 16 June 2009. "DLC: A Tribute to DLC Founder al from". Archived from the original on 2010-12-03. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  11. ↑ "A Tribute to Democratic Leadership Council Founder Al From." C-Span Video Library. 16 June 2009. "Redirecting". Archived from the original on 2012-09-16. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  12. ↑ "Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) - Tony Blair's Remarks To Al From Tribute Dinner." 16 June 2009 on YouTube.
  13. ↑ Murray, Matthew. "A Moderate Superstar Retires From the DLC." Roll Call. 12 March 2009
  14. ↑ Transcript: NBC Today Show. 6 May 1991 Archived 18 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Gold, Matea. "Dean, Centrist Branch Spar." Los Angeles Times. 23 December 2003.
  16. ↑ Adam Nagourney. "Democratic Council to Play Key Role in Administration." USA Today. 4 December 1992:A4
  17. ↑ Kramer, Michael (4 May 1992). "The Brains Behind Clinton". Time .
  18. ↑ Branegan, Jay (18 May 1998). "The Third Way Wonkfest". Time.
  19. ↑ Various authors "The Third Way Goes Global: From New Democrat to New Labour to New Middle". The New Democrat. 1 May 1999. "DLC: The Third Way Goes Global". Archived from the original on 2010-07-10. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  20. ↑ Lacey, Marc. "History is Made by an Old-Fashioned chief.gov." New York Times. 9 November 1999
  21. ↑ From, Al; McKeon, Alice (3 December 2013). The New Democrats and the Return to Power. ISBN   978-1137278647.
  22. ↑ "MA in Government Faculty Member al from Featured in Washington Post | Advanced Academic Programs | Johns Hopkins University". Archived from the original on 2018-01-19. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  23. ↑ "Medill Board of Advisors". Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.