The Suckering of Howard Dean

[whirlygigspin]

The Establishment Corrals the Deaniacs
By JOSHUA FRANK

"So it looks like Howard Dean is going to become the next leader of the Democratic National Committee (DNC)...(snip)

Many Democrats seem to think Dean's future ascendance to the throne of the DNC will breathe new life into their dead party. They are right about one thing -- the party is out cold -- even so, Dean is not likely to resurrect its corpse.Washington insiders are ecstatic that Dean will rush his grassroots enthusiasts right through the stodgy gates of the Democratic establishment. They hope the ex-Vermont Governor can corral these anti-war Deaniacs, and keep them well situated within the confines of the party.Letting them flee would be the worst mistake they could make. The Democrats need their money and party loyalty -- indeed they are the Democrats only life-support. The Democratic loyalists who will cast their vote for Howard Dean realize the DNC chair post is the best place to situate the mangy pest. Slap ol' Dean in a position that has little to do with policy, and much to do with corporate fundraising, they say -- we'll at least get his grassroots cash.

Best of all it'll shut the guy up. No more tangents. No more unscripted interviews. He'll have to tout the party line at every turn. Which is all any of the party elite ever wanted anyway."

--Joshua Frank is the author of the forthcoming book, Left Out!: How Liberals Helped Reelect George W. Bush, to be released in early 2005 by Common Courage Press. He can be reached at: [e-mail]

http://www.counterpunch.org/frank02022005.html

[Liberty Belle]

1. I think Howard forgot to read that script...

Something tells me he's not going to roll over and play dead like the neocons want.

[NEOBuckeye]

8. They tried to break Dean once; He's back

I also think that the NeoCons are in for some big surprises if they continue to take him lightly. Dean through DFA has been building a grassroots coalition that could prove to be a very formidable force against the GOP on all levels by as early as 2008. The national Democratic Party leaders are nervous, as they should be. The Democratic wing of the Democratic Party has come to take the reigns out of their corporate-beholden hands and reclaim them for the common people. This is where the NeoCons will eventually fail: The Straussians hate the common people, as should be plainly evident by their rape and sacking of social programs, public and higher education and environmental standards.

People are realizing through Dean that they really do have the power to make a difference. That message, when widespread, will mean big trouble for the establishment Republicans and Democrats alike.

Please, watch your back, Doc.

[autorank]

2. What is your major malfunction, CounterPiunch?

These people are part of the perpetual loser, masochist class of leftist politics. Losing, being victims is their life blood. Nothing good ever happened, is happening, or will happening. Perpetual suffering for perpetual self-punishment.

I think Dean's win is great. He built DFA in record time and showed in this campaign that he learned from the last. He will re-tool the party. The things to watch are:

--who does he take on board (Rosenberg and Webb would be two good choices)?;
--does he go south and talk to people in a way that shows we care?;
--will he work with Reid and Pelosi (vital for success)?; and
--can he show some fund raising prowess right out of the gate?

This is great news. We have new leadership in the party, lets support them all and leave the professional negativists to moan in their own soup of tears.

[Strawman]

7. you said it better than I could autorank

that's exactly right. these are the same kind of people who get pissed off when more than six people start liking their favorite band. Granted they probably never liked Dean's music at Counterpunch, but they're always just waiting to point out that your favorite band is a sellout.

Maybe we should nominate Ward Churchill for party chair, eh Counterpunch? Is that outsider enough for you guys?

[autorank]

14. Stawman, you've got it.

In CounterPunch world Churchill would be the perfect spokes model. Yikes!

[jpgray]

3. So Dean is either sabotaged into losing by the establishment

Or allowed to win so he can be defanged or corrupted? I'm starting to think some people just want to use Dean as a blunt object to bludgeon the party establishment with--whatever happens to him is used to justify their theories, win or lose.

At any rate, I think he will rejuvenate the party--think of all those times you winced watching Terry McA as our spokesman. Think of Dean speaking for us on those occasions. That alone is good enough for me.

[Erika]

4. Who is this author?

Democrats out cold? If the election was even honest, and many of us don't think so, Bush won only by 3%. He catered to the far right-wing base to do so and many centrist Republicans are uncomfortable with that. Their party has been hijacked and they don't know how to deal with it, but projecting it to the democrats won't work.

I'll take Dean over the Pavlovian Rove any day.

[KissMeKate]

5. if Dean starts towing the party line-

I will still stick to my beliefs- I hope this doesnt tame Dean too much- but even if it does, then he will be held accountable by the grassroots also.

[Strawman]

6. His people can smell establishment bullshit

That's what attracted them to Dean in the first place. It won't shut anyone up. Not if he wants to stay credible. This is an easy argument to make. He's not going to be able to change everything overnight and anytime he appears on a stage with someone who doesn't have the most impeccable progressive cred some "I'm more liberal than thou" critic can pull out that canard. Ultimately, it's the DFA people who will need to organize take over local parties and get themselves into leadership positions for any of this to matter, but I don't see how him becoming chairman over some mealy mouthed Republican lite Democrat is a bad thing. DFA people need to have the same outlook that the religious right had toward changing the Republican party. Take it over inch by inch and keep raising demands as their power increases.

[98geoduck]

11. Great point! I feel Dean is in politics for the right reasons.

[Erika]

9. If I read Dean Right

he will show that the Christian far right wing was used and abused by Bush as they shoved the party to the far right. Many republicans are uncomfortable with this hijacking.

[sellitman]

12. I agree. Many Republicans are angered by the Neo-Cons.

I hear from them often. Even people who voted bush are angry about the war or the budget. Only the wacko's support this turd 100% I think Dean is just the right man at the right time. The party needs some juice right now and who else is better suited to provide it?

[EFerrari]

10. That would be the cynical view. Next?

I'm not a Deaniac because I think the guy has warts. (Okay, so shot me.)

But to first call the resurgent Democratic Party a dying thing and then to dis Dean with all the right wing talking points seems, ah, sort of out of touch.

It's Friday, so I'll be kind.

[Me.]

13. There's A Reason For All This Nay saying About Dean

It's called fear. They're all afraid he will change the status quo and that is really the last thing they want. What they don't realize is that it's out of their hands now. There will be change whether they like it or not, so they can either get on board or lose their place in line. Grassroots people have had a taste of the power they have as a united group and now that that genie is out of the bottle it can't be stoppered again.

[TygrBright]

15. Exactly...

....Dean scares two groups absolutely white-livered. One is the GOPpies (of any ilk) and the other is the DC-based Democratic Party power structure that the Big$ interests have nurtured for years to carry their water and keep them safe.

Dean terrifies them both. Even if you have doubts about him (and, frankly, I have a few,) that's reason enough to want to watch what happens when he gets his hands on the reins. And the notion that becoming DNC Chair is equivalent to being shunted onto a siding to blather harmlessly in obscurity is horse puckey, especially given the promises Dean has already made regarding restructuring the Party's decision-making process and power base.

The key issue here that a lot of people have missed, apparently, is Dean's long and careful and VERY strategic build-up to the campaign for the Chairship. Oh, so quietly, he called in the chips he accumulated on his graceful exit from the primary race and his staunch support of the anointed ticket. Oh, so quietly, he stayed in touch with and kept energized his grassroots base, directing them to support K/E AND stay involved in politics. Oh, so quietly, he started having discussions with people he met during his primary campaign, from the state-level committees and other sources.

He focused on a few strategic high-profile (but not very powerful) endorsements early in the game, to get his name in and keep it in play. He carefully avoided the traps set for him by the Big $ interests. He stayed out of the scrum, standing back and allowing all the "anti-Dean" candidates to destroy each other and, ultimately, self-destruct, while he garnered an ever-increasing avalanche of more and more strategic and powerful endorsements. He used his contacts in the state committees to build a base of support in almost every single state--not necessarily the top-level folks but the second-tier movers and shakers who do so much of the real work. Together, they quietly planned a nationwide rebellion against The Powers That Be in the Party.

But that rebellion is focused on far more than simply getting himself elected chair, and that's why it will be so effective. He understands that if the Party is to revitalize itself, it HAS to quash TPTB and re-inject the state and local party activists back into the policy-making and decision-making processes. There HAS to be a stake on the national level for the folks outside the Beltway. He's already committed to making that happen, and that's why the final avalanche of support has picked up so much momentum. He has made people believe he can deliver.

Can he? I don't know. He's up against some pretty vicious and unprincipled opposition, from within the Party as well as among the GOPpies. But I'm willing to go out on a limb and intuit his workplan:

Year 1: Concentrate on two things: Re-aligning the infrastructure of the Party to get the state and local activists integrated into the process, and act as high-profile PR matador to the GOPpie bulls. The infrastructure realignment task is formidable and he won't have the resources for much more than that.

Year 2: Use the gains he's made in the State relationships to build a powerful midterm elections effort, using the effort to bring the Party together on a national basis, replicating some of the successes the GOPpies have had mobilizing nationally around key local races. Target will be to oust a few vulnerable House GOPpies and at least two Senators, but the main issue will be to grab all the Gooberships possible.

Year 3: Ratchet up the pressure on the GOPpies--this is about when you can start seeing serious endoskeletal development among House/Senate Dems in blocking GOPpie maneuvers, calling for investigations of GOPpie dirty tricks, etc. They won't do it willingly, but he'll apply strategic pressure based on how much they'll need Party support in '08. During this period he'll also be examining the possibles for the '08 ticket, and identifying the best bets, who will get spotlighted so the whole Party can have a chance to look them over.

Year 4: Ramp up a POWERFUL grassroots, unified, national campaign behind a viable, well-known, already-established favorite candidate.

Please... "shut the guy up?" "tout(?) the party line?"

Howie isn't my favorite Dem, but even I know better than that. Unless he's kneecapped from within (which could still happen,) just having him giving them the beady eye will cause the GOPpies to run around in circles with one wing dropped...

cynically,
Bright

[Eric J in MN]

16. The third category is Joshua Frank, who probably

is sad to see Howard Dean on his way to becoming DNC Chair because Dean might succeed in connecting the party to the grassroots, and make it more difficult for Joshua Frank to complain about how the party only cares about corporations.