Democratic Talk Radio Blog

January 26, 2007

Dear Stephen,

The seriousness of my purpose to win the Senate seat in Tennessee fell narrowly short. But the seriousness of my purpose to help our country and my state of Tennessee promote an agenda of reform, innovation and progress remains as strong as ever. So, today I am writing to let you know that I have accepted an offer to become the Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), one of the leading Democratic think tanks in the country.

Over the last 15 years, starting with helping Bill Clinton become President in 1992, the DLC has been at the forefront of leading an effort to re-brand and modernize the Democratic Party. I would like to continue this work over the next two years by developing an agenda around a set of ideas and lasting values that address the defining challenges of our time. We need an American agenda – not a partisan agenda – that offers lasting and effective solutions to strengthen our economic competitiveness around the world and defeat global terrorism and keep America safe.

We have an opportunity to build on the gains we made in the 2006 election and shape the debate as we begin the 2008 Presidential contest. But we will only succeed in this endeavor if we win the contest of ideas and convince the American people that we are ready to lead the nation. It is my hope to offer an agenda of national purpose that works toward reviving the American Dream, providing affordable health care to all those who seek it, energy independence over the next decade, balancing our budget and tackling entitlement reform and bringing peace and stability to Iraq and the Middle East.

Public service is at the core of my life. While I will also be working in the private sector and teaching at Vanderbilt University, I will continue to find ways to help the country move boldly and confidently into the future. The DLC will be a part of my life over the next two years, and I invite your thoughts and ideas on how, together, we can positively influence the direction of the Democratic Party and the country over the next two years.

Thank you for your continued support and friendship. If you need to reach me, please call the DLC at (202) 546-0007.

Sincerely,

Harold

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 28th, 2007 at 8:02 am and is filed under Democratic Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.