"Inside scoop" on DNC Chair race by NR writer ....interesting

[moggie12]

It sounds like the drones who run the Party at the state and local level staged a coup ... they not only backed Dean, but forced more budget control down to the local level, too. Can't be anything but a good sign, in my opinion.

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?pt=GC1nbWBk1KawulpqPq3uRR%3D%3D

[ender]

1. good

cant be any worse than the last 6 years.

[davidwparker]

2. Dean is for that.

Your area knows more about what your area needs than D.C.

[NoodleBoy]

3. the next few elections will not be decided by swing voters,

but by which party can maintain their 2004 coalitions better.

If Dean drops the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" rhetoric (frankly, that turned me and alot of people I know off to him), I think he's the best choice we have.

[janx]

4. You misinterpet, I think.

The reason he said that was because he wanted to return democracy to the states, to the people, and to the communities--exactly what he proposes now.

[NoodleBoy]

5. it seemed more to me like he was saying the people who didn't support him

just weren't real Democrats.

[janx]

8. That's not what he meant--

and that's not what he has ever meant. It could have been clearer "way-back-when"--

but Dean (and those of us who support the principle) want a real return to democracy.

[NoodleBoy]

10. right... and not supporting him means you aren't supporting democracy

I still think he'll make a great DNC chair or President one day.

[janx]

13. He meant it. n/t

[NoodleBoy]

15. So you're agreeing, then, that every other person who ran for the

Democratic nomination other than Dean does not support democracy?

[janx]

19. Where on earth did you insinuate that?

What kind of logic are you using to even pose such a question? Dean is trying to go back, to retake democracy. Our federal government is corrupt. I don't know where you live, but I have lived west of the Mississippi most of my life. I have also lived on the east coast, and I have a host of relatives on the west coast. I lived in the South for a brief time, and I relish being down there.

I'm not saying that any nomination (I assume you are talking about DNC chair) does not support democracy, but I am saying that democracy is sorely lacking from our process right now. We have corruption in our voting systems, corruption in our primary process, and corruption in our general elections.

Come out! Come out from your partisan shell, turtle! We're going to be all right, but we have to do something instead of relying on some partisan D.C. people to do it for us.

[NoodleBoy]

20. I was referring to the 2004 candidates for the nomination

"right... and not supporting him means you aren't supporting democracy"

"he meant it!"

[janx]

32. The primaries of 2004 are over. n/t

[demwing]

52. If you insist on seeing things this way

then there's little anyone can say. And in fact, perhaps you are right, to some degree. I think that this all depends on who you side with on a very critical issue...

"I represent the Democraic Wing of the Democratic Party"

Howard Dean's presidential campaign, his run for the DNC chair, and his post primary activities all illustrate Dean's over-riding goal -- to shift the balance of power in the Democratic Party from the party elite to the party's grass-root base.

When decision are made at the top, without reflecting the will and intent of the base, then you don't have an actual democracy, you have an aristocracy. The Democratic Party has become an aristocracy in many ways, with Washington insiders, blow-hard consultants (whose ability to create wind is greater than than their ability to create wins), and corporate donors sitting in the seats of the party nobles.

Dean is trying to change that, first by showing that we need not abrter our principles in order to compete with the Republicans. Corpoprate money is fine, as long as we don't sell our souls in order to cash our checks. How can anyone claim to be a representative of the Democratic Party if they support corporate control and domination of the democratic process?

Second, Dean saw that the best way to affect change from the bottom up was to throw some cash towards worthy candidates running for local offices, candidates that may not have ever broken through the good-ole-boy network that the Party aristocracy maintains. Democracy requires a popular vote. How can anyone claim to be a representative of the Democratic Party if the choose top down selections over localized elections?

Third, Dean understands that the way to beat the Republicans is to provide Americans a Democratic Party that promotes itself as a different option to--not a close aproximation of--the Republican Party. How can anyone claim to represent the Democratic Party if they emulate Republican values?

When Howard Deans says that he represents the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party, he means that he stands in favor of all that which is democratic, and opposes that which is not. Whether you support Dean personally is irrelevant, but if you don't support democratic values, then you are NOT representative of the Democratic Party.

So the question is not whether you stand with Howard Dean, but whether you stand with democratic principles.

[janx]

53. Very well explained, Demwing.

:toast:

[demwing]

63. Cheers to you

I get frustrated when people purposefully avoid seeing a situation from a perspection that would challenge their bias.

[DirtyDawg]

65. Braveheart

Reading demwing's post reminded me of the story line of William Wallace's having to battle the Scottish Nobles (current party leadership) while the real enemy - Longshanks and the British (repig noise machine) - were undercutting his efforts through bribery and deceit. Well so be it. Paint your face Howard and we'll follow you...they may indeed kill us but they'll never take away our freedom...

Of course, we all know how that one ended...but, as was posted earlier, at least we'll have stood for something.

[ktowntennesseedem]

68. Welcome, DirtyDawg!!! nt

[Q3JR4]

76. You know what they say,

it's better to die on your feet, than to live on your knees.

[Johnny Noshoes]

88. I've always felt

that if you're in a battle where your outnumbered and the enemy has no intention to take prisoners that since your gonna die anyway you might as well take down as many of the bastards as you can before they get you. Now of course this isn't THAT kind of battle but hey I for one am tired of going into every fight and every election against the Repigs and NOT fighting with everything we've got and giving them all the hell we can muster. You can't get what you want done if you DON'T win. We don't give up what we stand for as a party, we "reframe issues" so that people know exactly where we stand and why and we FIGHT with everything we've got.


"When you trade your values for the hope of winning, you end up losing and having no values....so you keep losing." Howard Dean 2004

[ScreamingMeemie]

33. I love that line. Hope he never loses it. Turned my Libertarian husband

into a full fledged fighting Dem. :hi:

[PassingFair]

40. Hey, Punk!

I just e-mailed you this article! It was FABULOUS. Looks like things kinda got away from Brewer....hahahaha
So many knives, they couldn't tell who was stabbing who, and the truth walks straight down the middle!

[Maat]

62. Disagree, most respectfully.

I, for one, consider myself to be in "the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party." I loved that slogan.

[latteromden]

94. I figure the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party is better than the

Republican wing of the Democratic Party.

[BlueInRed]

95. LOL

[fujiyama]

98. I see no reason

why he'll continue to use that phrase. Most of that was campaign sloganeering, which at some point or the other all candidates did.


As far as I saw, he was the only realistic choice for chair. The others were mostly terrible choices (perhaps with the exception of Rosenberg, though his defending of war turned me off completely).
His goals and responsibilities will now change and I think he will do what is necessary to be forceful and effective, yet at the same time understand what it will take to appeal to those in areas we've done poorly among.

[mhr]

6. More Power To The Deaniacs - It's About Time That The Party Paid

Attention to the states!

[janx]

9. No--

More power to all of us. More power to democracy. :hi:

[moggie12]

12. That's something I misunderstood from the primary race.

At the time, I had no idea Dean was challenging the Dem "insiders" -- I was just reading and listening to the mainstream media back then and didn't realize how clubby and inbred the DC Dem establishment was.

[janx]

16. He means it! n/t

[moggie12]

18. Thank God somebody does.

I was very late in understanding Dean and what he meant to the Party. Apparently I wasn't the only one!!! That article gives me a lot of hope. Maybe we're finally getting the train back on the track.

[Rose Siding]

7. ROFL

If Dean never does another single THING for the dems, at least he spared us from HINDERY.

And NO, Mr Matilin, I DON'T think the repubs would do it this way.

[janx]

11. HINDERY should become a noun.

"How many Hinderies are among us?"

"What kind of Hindery is this?"

[Rose Siding]

21. I love that!

"That's an awfully Hindery thing to say" :bounce:

Did you catch Rizza's conclusion? "Dean's first hurdle as chairman will be to erase the cartoon image of him that is seared into the minds of most Americans." WHY waste energy swimming upstream? Turn the weakness into a strength. Molly Ivins says one of the dems biggest problems is having fun. Here. We. Go.

[janx]

23. I started to consider adjectives,

but the media crap is so bad now that I settled for a noun.

;-)

[moggie12]

24. How about "the deHindrification of the Party"

I.e., the process of removing big money from important policy decisions .

[janx]

28. The Hindery Principle

Hindery method
Hindery smoke
Hindery tax
Hindery soldier
Hindery lawyer
Hindery birth (or partial birth)


It could go on and on...

[bklyncowgirl]

34. I loved the bit about the (presumably) low level party operatives ...

hanging out in Hindery's abandoned suite downing his booze. What a laugh. The peasants have just stormed the palace.

[janx]

37. Just wait...! n/t

[quiet.american]

14. "Post-election soul searching...."

This was a great look into the politicking surrounding this race for DNC chair. One of the most frustrating and telling statements in the article for me is,

"They believe he will turn what is essentially a low-key fund-raising and management position into a lightning rod for GOP attacks, eclipsing other voices and emphasizing exactly the elements of the party that weeks of post-election soul-searching had determined the Democrats needed to play down (e.g., its liberal stance on cultural issues and its weakness on national security). And yet none of them could stop him."

Thank GOD for Howard Dean is all I can say. So, after weeks of soul-searching the best our "leadership" can come up with is that we need to be less individual, less bold, less outspoken, less principled and more like the "in" crowd! And what's this nonsense about "weak on national security"? No one could be weaker on national security than Shrub, the absence of the Towers in the New York skyline proves that!

Don't spend it 'til you got it, but I'm looking forward to a very fired up four years (or however long it is) with Howard in as Chair.

[janx]

22. More sensationalism from the media.

Turns your stomach, doesn't it?

[NYCGirl]

29. Did anyone see Bill Maher on Hardball tonight?

Matthews asked him what he thought about Dean becoming DNC chairman ("a lead-pipe cinch," he called it), and Maher said, "Maybe the Democrats will do something they've needed to do for a long time — stand for something!"

[Eloriel]

84. Ooooo, OUCHIE. But wonderful.

Stand for something indeed. Maher isn't my absolute favorite, but when he gets it right, it damn well sizzles.

[mandyky]

17. Hopefully Dean will write a book on this race, too

This article is very interesting. Hopefully, we continue letting the 447 chose the chair. James Carville is such a twit!

[KeireG]

36. This is great stuff.

I'm enthusiastic now about the effect of the grass roots on the current political landscape. This past election may be to the grassroots of our party, what the "1994" sweep was to the republican party. It has energized the grassroots, and changed the political climate of the party.

[BlueInRed]

44. I agree

I've been thinking that the Democratic base is like a sleeping bear that has finally awoken from its long slumber and is barreling out of the cave, hungry and ready to rumble. I think the Rs have no idea what a backlash they are unleashing now that we've woken up and started to fight back.

[Maat]

64. That's the feeling I'm getting locally, BlueInRed.

Out here, in a red part of SoCal, the progressives are waking up and getting organized; much activity is going on. They will be surprised.

[janx]

39. He and his wife are and have been working for the media. n/t

[pscot]

25. Proof of just how weak and disorganized

the party leadership has become. The vacuum at the top just begged for somone like Dr Dean to come in and fill it. I agree with Carville in the sense that it's shocking that the party has fallen apart so completely. Dean has a huge job ahead.

[MadisonProgressive]

48. I don't see it as falling apart at all

just shedding it's cocoon after a long winters nap. Watch for the beautiful butterfly to emerge!

[realFedUp]

78. The only thing that fell apart is the DNC/DLC leadership

It's a bitch not being totally in the
driver's seat of the Democratic party.

Hey Carville, it's about real Americans, truth
and state power taking our country back stupid.
I hope you can get onboard.

[BlueInRed]

26. This is a great article

Thanks so much for posting it.:hi:

[bklyncowgirl]

27. What a long strange trip it's been.

I wonder if Hindery was Novac's big donor? You know, the guy who said he'd bolt the party if Dean became DNC chair.

Quite a wild ride this little revolution has become. What amazes me is how totally inept and arrogant the Democratic party leaders have been throughout this whole process. Jeeze you've got Gephardt and Daschle, Pelosi and Reid, Bill and Hillary not to mention John Kerry all of them promoting their pet candidates, double crossing each other in the process and finally ending with Brewer attempting to play kingmaker by promoting Donnie Fowler with his little committee recommendation only to have the whole thing blow up in his face.

It's not over yet. Right now I'm waiting for someone to swiftboat Dean, or maybe someone, maybe Joe Lieberman, Bush's newest love interest, will threaten to leave the party--or at the very least hold his breath until he turns blue, if Dean becomes chairman.

If these are the people who are standing between Bush's privateers and Social Security, maybe we all better start putting some more money in our 401Ks.

[moggie12]

30. I look at this in a positive light, believe it or not

I'm a more "centrist" Democrat but I didn't realize what was happening to the Party until recently. I think it will take time for the centrists to realize they need to listen to Dean's reform message. I don't see the Washington Dems as "evil" -- Kerry, in particular, I admire very much. Most centrists will come around I think, although a few may be beyond hope (Lieberman comes to mind). We're going through a rebirth process of sorts and things will take some time to work through.

[janx]

31. Some crazy media!

I earned a graduate degree in media while I was writing my stories, and I should have paid more attention to my stories and literature, really. I eventually did and earned a grad degree in that as well.

There is so much crap in our popular culture and media that it is hard to imagine!

Our media and federal government are living in a very hedonistic world. I'm all for a party, but this is out of control. Gather the people together, but let the dogs die...?

Put on your party shoes, work out at the gym, get your face lifted and stretched, get your hair done, and REPEAT AFTER ME.

[Maat]

66. I fear you are correct, bklyncowgirl.

I'm just waiting for a hatchet-job. He has to be threatening to the royalty in Washington - of both parties.

What they don't get is that the progressive/grassroots movement that Dr. Dean played such a part in getting started is unstoppable.

[txaslftist]

71. Leiberman is turning red, not blue.

He was never really closer to blue than a sort of mottled maroon.

[IronLionZion]

35. Go home or go home

meaning, we have to start locally. You know, think globally but act locally. That's how a party is built up. That's how we get the good leaders that we want.

if we just have business as usual, then the same rich boring establishment tools will run on our ticket and lose.

[moggie12]

38. from what you wrote, you're going to love this post from earlier

Did you see this one -- some guy writing in Daily Kos went to a DFA meeting for the first time and was blown-away by the local candidates.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1561563

[PassingFair]

41. Kick

Because EVERYONE should read this article.

[Nordmadr]

42. That article...

actually makes me feel hopeful.

[fishwax]

43. Great article about a great turn of events

roll up your sleeves, there might just be some fight left in the democratic party :D

[killbotfactory]

45. Holy crap, there is hope!

Yes! The democratic base is finally wrestling power out of the incompetent idiots in the beltway. Finally.

Go Dean!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

51. "The incompetent idiots in the beltway"

If you only knew how true that is. OMG.

[mandyky]

46. A guerrilla squad of Democratic bloggers had already gone to work on him,

Yay for the bloggers!! This was about Hindery. The guys at MYDD did some research on Roemer and Mercatus, too. Mark Brewer and Donnie Fowler have a missing money scandal (in Michigan). I think 2.5 million went missing and Brewer refused an audit.

Thank goodness for the bloggers - even CSpan is not covering much about the Dems.

[Skidmore]

47. Wow!!! Good read.

"Carville is appalled by the open process". Interesting and telling comment. He truly doesn't get that at the grassroots, people don't want to see the continuation of a country club membership list of elite and their toadies. We also don't need the DNC Chair to be beholden to a privileged few. This person is the face of the party and presents the party's ideology and platform to the nation.

Time for the people to take the party back from the consultants and would be kingmakers. We need to be an opposition party and stand for the interests of the working man and woman again. We need to stand for the poor, dinsenfranchised, and disabled. We don't need to be kissing up to the Washington power establishment. It needs to be destroyed because it does not remember that those votes have individuals behind them, not corporations.

Yes, let's practice a little democracy (small "d") again.

[WyLoochka]

49. Mr James Matlin reveals all

about himself in one appalling anti-democratic quote:

"I think it's pathetic," says James Carville. "It's so indicative of the Democratic Party. Now we're just playing into every stereotype: We're weak, disorganized, flopping around. ... Somebody should have fixed this damn thing in November. I wish someone would have taken charge and three or four people would have gotten together in a smoke-filled room. ... They're not running for president! They are running for party chair. This is supposed to be a rigged deal. You think the Republicans would do it this way?"

Hey Mr Clueless Matlin - we OPPOSE Repukes because they let a handful of greedy-power mad thugs "fix and rig deals" and force them onto, not only their own mush-headed party members, but the rest of us too!

This is NOT supposed to be a "rigged deal" just because it has been in the past. "Rigging" by 3 or 4 people is the problem not the solution

[loudsue]

67. What makes me so nervous is that DUers idolized James Carville for so long

And it's obvious that he wasn't arguing the Dem's most important points when he had the chance to do so on television....to a wide audience.

If you sleep with a right wing extremist every night, you're bound to get cooties that lean to the right. Carville is a corporatist DLCer, and now he's showing just how out of touch these assholes have become.

We have been deprived of the liberal message on TV talk shows for so long, that whenever someone throws us a tiny bone, we go ga-ga over them. We need some venue where REAL Dems (not the DLCers) can get our message out to the public. I hope Dean helps us do just that.

Even Jon Stewart, as of late, has been mostly bashing Dems. He's good enough to point out some of the republican atrocities, but he's not really getting the message out there! Besides, it's a sad day for Democracy when the ONLY voice we even partially get is a COMEDIAN! There needs to be a SERIOUS, clear discussion about what's going on, and it needs air time!

:kick::kick::kick:

[umtalal]

82. I decided he sucked when he said Jon Stewart was rude, when he told

Tucker Carlson what he thought of him and his no longer in existence bomb show. MY JON STEWART, rude?? MY JON STEWART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fujiyama]

99. Carville's comment

begs the question, who the hell was it supposed to be fixed for?

Some hack put up by the Clintons in order to also fix Hillary's nomination in '08? No thank you.

Carville is right that this is indicative of the fractures in the party, but whose fault is that? It seems to me, more of the fault of the DLC which has locked out, neglected, and mocked the grass roots for quite a while.

[Borgnine]

79. I should have known about Carville.

There was always something about that guy that irked me, and it wasn't even who he was married to. I overlooked all of his faults because I saw him as one of the political geniuses who got Clinton elected, but guess what? The '90s are over. What worked for Clinton isn't working anymore. Howard Dean's grassroots message IS our future (or rather, our past that we need to embrace again).

If Carville, Begalia, the Clintons, Kerry, or anybody else has a hard time understanding that, then we should just forget about them. They're good allies to have, but they're not the heart and soul of the party... we are.

[HootieMcBoob]

50. Yes!

I'm not going to celebrate (too much) until after the actual vote and Dean is really and truly chosen, but...

This may very well be history in the making that we're experiencing here, regular people are rising up and taking control of a major political party. We may be doing more than saving our party from stagnation and irrelevance, we could also be saving our country in the long run as well. It's going to be a long road but these first steps seem very promising.
:toast:

[mandyky]

54. Changing and reforming our party is the first step insaving the USA

We are headed down a dangerous path with the theocracy and corporate fascism going on. I am thankful it looks like I will be able to remain a Democrat. If the ABD crap had worked again, I'm not sure what I'd do.

Dean is wracking up union support day by day now, so it is almost safe to take a sigh of relief, but we have to keep pushing.

[janx]

58. Same here. n/t

[lancdem]

55. This is a great article

I think it's very fair - it doesn't deify Dean or anyone else. I think Dean deserves a chance. He'll have a lot of work to do, but I imagine he knows that and believes he's up to the challenge.

[WLKjr]

56. Hello Chairman Dean!

It's only a matter of time now and it is something I have been discussing with some polysci friends for months!


James(gotta be more republican, john*)Carville, STFU you toadsucker. What a disgrace. You went from tough bastard, to a whiny little b*tch, your weak carville, WEAK!


*SNL, need I say more!

[Pithy Cherub]

57. Absolutely loving the waning of power from the elite dems

who believed they could patronize and condescend to the grassroots Democratic People! Bite me, James Carville - transparency is just what is needed. Dr. Dean (very hopefully DNC Chairman Dean soon)will be skilled at anticipating the established losing elite power plays.

On this I am with Dean and not a dime to the DNC until he becomes Chairman! ;)

[loudsue]

59. What a telling article!! The DLC/NDN actually BELIEVED they represented

the "Democrats"????? That's how much these little elitist parties have gotten us.... complete control of the government by the most extreme right wing of the republican party. Well, the people running our government only represent a SMALL, TINY percentage of all the people in America... many of whom are IN Washington!! I hate to tell them, but THAT AIN'T AMERICA!!!

This article, while trying to bash the grassroots that is at the core of ANY Democracy, tells the whole morbid story, of how the corporatists have convinced the entire crowd in Washington that they are doing the "right thing".

All DUers... ALL DUers... need to sign up with their local grassroots organizations of Democracy for America (DFA)

http://www.democracyforamerica.com/

All the bloggers need to post this website, and we need to really kick it in....NOW!!! Together, and working with the actual voters at the grassroots, we can get rid of all these DLC/NDN types who have taken corporate money for so long that they've forgotten what Democracy is. Running candidates, preparing candidates, and putting the rubber to the road all across America is what's going to save this country.

And....DON'T BE FOOLED!! There will be MANY, MANY well paid infiltrators who will try to sabotage the work that we are setting out to do. The corporations KNOW that this movement -- a movement OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE -- is extremely dangerous to their agenda!!! We need to be vigilant, and we need to be strong against those who will infiltrate and try to stop our movement back to the PEOPLE. The corporations, and the people they have put in office, have a VESTED interest in seeing this fail. IT MUST NOT FAIL!!!

During the semi-revolution of the 60's and 70's, we were infiltrated, and we became lazy and complacent too soon after the impeachment of Nixon and the Kent State Massacre. This time, we must persevere through every victory, until the world is finally rid of the powerful monied evil that is trying to dominate and suppress liberty and Democracy through corporatism....corporatism that IS leading to fascism.

We need to keep working until corporations are NOT the rulers of the world, and until corporations have become good neighbors, but without the rights of humans. Today, global corporations have MANY MORE rights and privileges than PEOPLE, and that has got to stop if the people of the world are going to survive, and live in peace. So far as corporations can serve the majority of people, they will be good things. So far as they serve the elitists, the greedy, the power-mongers, the war machines, they have got to be stopped.

They are running our government, and a propaganda machine, that is destroying the peace and laws of societies.

:kick::kick::kick:

[sybylla]

74. Take that one step further

The day after the DNC delegates elect Dean their chair, formally join the Democratic Party. Getting involved is the best way to send a message of support for the decision and insure that Dr. Dean's philosophy gets entrenched at the local level as well.

If you're already a member or not interested in becoming one, then consider doing what I'm going to do - make a donation to the DNC. Democrats have to battle the reichwing media to get the message out and that costs money. I'm putting mine where my mouth is - in Dr. Dean's capable hands.

[loudsue]

75. Great idea, Sybylla! And let 'em know WHY we donated! Deserves kick.

Let's the the Democratic Party know that we will NOW support them... well, once Dean is actually put in office as chairman... and not one day before!


:kick::kick::kick:

[Eloriel]

85. Consider joining your state party as well -- typically, IIRC, it's a

$25 or similar membership fee per annum. Check your state party -- AFTER the good Dr. gets elected, or in preparation.

I LOVE the idea of flooding the DNC and State Party membership and making donations AFTER Dean is formally made chair. Talk about sending a message AND providing lots of support.

[CitySky]

60. great article - fave line

(re participants toasting the death of LH's candidacy)

"In hindsight, the boozy requiem wasn't just for Hindery, but for an era."

My dear fellow DUers, I think we can *all* drink to that!

:toast:

[Debi]

61. Not only great article

and insight into the 'sausage making' of politics. But proof that Dean earned the Chair's position and worked hard to get where he is.

First met the Gov. in early 2003 and still have faith in him, work for him every chance I get and am proud of his successes....and will support him in the future...including whatever he asks me to do for the DNC!!!

[moggie12]

69. Sausage-making, indeed!

Best thing is, Dean was very good at slicing through the sausage -- he beat the insiders at their own game.

This is from an article someone linked in reply to another post about Dean:

"Going into last weekend, the board of the party's association of state chairmen had voted to support one of Dean's opponents, Donnie Fowler of South Carolina. But over the weekend, Dean mobilized the state party chairmen themselves and they overrode their own national board to back him. For a metaphor about grass roots as opposed to so-called institutional support, you couldn't ask for a better one.

Take that, insiders!!


Whole article (very good one, from a "left" perspective)
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/02/03/a_year_later_dean_fits_leadership_role?mode=PF

[AnneD]

70. Example of poor Dem strategy

I am in Texas and am so upset that the Dems ignore state politics. Tom DeLay was up for re-election in a newly drawn district and some of his shennigans had come to light. For the first time in years, he had to actualy campaign. He had a town hall meeting to explain how he was screwing the states teacher's out of Social Security supplements (something everyone else with a pension in this country gets)and almost got lynched (it barely made news here).A good Dem candidate ran an underfunded campaign and lost.
How different would the Congressional House be if DeLay lost his re-election bid. When I heard that Kerry had a surplus-I was furious. This is why those inside the beltway need to get over it and start tending to the party roots. Dean is our best hope. Also, Dem's in office better talk and vote like they are Democrates instead of GOP lite.
HINT TO THOSE INSIDE THE BELTWAY AND THE DNC!!! We can make in roads with the moderate and liberal Christians, farmers, enviromentalist, and hunters while shoring up Union, Hispanic and Black groups. We have to state our beliefs simply and clearly. The Neos and Christian Conservatives are so past mainstream America, and people are begining to take note. Social Security is what is making them ask questions. Listen politely to the GOP but then go for the throat, and for God's sake, have a better rebuttal. The SOTU speech contents were not suprise so prepare better (maybe Dean should speak and deflect the heat from the Congressmen).

[brainshrub]

72. Welcome to DU.

:toast:

"Dean Underground"

(Hmmmm..... where is that flame-retardant suit?)

[CAcyclist]

73. Oh my god. Getting rid of DeLay should have been priority No. 1

I had no idea he was vulnerable.

But this is where we can do an end run around the party leaders by networking on the internet to raise money for where the real fights should be.

Like Kevin Shelley. We should be raising funds right now to support his legal defense, otherwise California is going to go "Republican".

[MoJoWorkin]

77. Dean was down there trying to defeat DeLay and

Delay threatened to sue Dean--do you not remember that? Dean knew we should be trying to take DeLay down, but the DNC did not--evidently.

Dean has great instincts---hopefully the "powers that be" in the old Demo Party won't keep trying to undermine him once he is chair. I fear they will continue to try their sneaky underhanded crap--that is all they know.

Also, on some state and local levels they just try to keep their little empires going, and could care less, it seems, if they continue to lose. Some house-cleaning needs to go on there too. I was a Dem committeewoman and saw it all first hand. I resigned when I was sent a letter telling me I needed to sign a loyalty pledge to Gephardt in the Primary. Also I was anti-Iraq war and was so mad that the party just wasn't listening to the people. I was for Dean then.

Dean has a monumental job ahead---there are years and years of "going along to get along" mentality that will be hard to change.

[CAcyclist]

80. We should sue DeLay or try him for treason

"Delay threatened to sue Dean--do you not remember that? "

No, I didn't know that, either.

[madfloridian]

93. I think Dean would have fought him in spite of the threat,

but DeLay was involving DFA.

[madfloridian]

92. Did you hear what happened when DFA tried to run ads against DeLay?

We donated to them, they were running in his hometown. Then Time Warner, I believe, refused to air them...took them off the air. DeLay then threatened to sue Dean and DFA. They play rough, big time.

I think Dean backed off because of the group possibly being sued, but it was a shame that happened.

It is like the Fargo blacklist....no Democrat would have come to the rescue...they win by intimidation.

[bklyncowgirl]

81. This shows the Democratic leadership in their true colors.

OK, let's say that all of these Democratic powerbrokers really felt that Dean was a threat to the party. Wouldn't it make sense for them to get together and come up with an attractive, viable alternative. Instead it looks like everyone wanted to play kingmaker and what was worse, IMHO, they did it in public and come off looking like the Keystone Kops meet Macheivelli.

Let's see.

Gephardt and Dashle back Hindery. Alright, he's the sort of guy who usually gets this sort of job but aside from not realizing that a guy who was a major part of the conspiracy to knock out Dean in Iowa would truly piss off the Deaniacs (and maybe encourage Dean who at this point was just testing the waters to jump in with both feet) they also failed to understand that someone who was a big donor to the Republicans as well as to the Democrats was not going to get alot of love from DNC members. Guilty of political tone deafness.

Bill and Hil: In a little attempt to grease the skids for 2008 they try to get their own guy in. "Hey Wes, how'd you like to be DNC Chair?" "No thanks Bill, I have my own plans for 2008, see you in New Hampshire, Hil.' and then there was Harold Ickes who seems to have been drafted into running and having failed to do the necessary butt kissing, jumped ship to Dean as soon as he possibly could.

John Kerry: Like Bill and Hil he wanted to do a little skids greasing and went to his old buddy Gov. Vilsack who was so helpful to him in Iowa in 2004. Vilsack has his own ambitions. "See you in Iowa, John." Kerry moves from candidate to candidate none of whom apparently feel terribly strongly about running.

Nancy & Harry: Anybody but Dean (except for Martin Frost of course) Let's show everyone how we've moved to the right by backing a candidate that most Democrats are absolutely going to hate. Yup we're power brokers.

Mark (the Kingmaker) Brewer: Note to Mark. Next time you try to foist the son of one of your buddies on the DNC it might be a good idea if you and golden boy not be tied in together with any sort of financial shenanigans--it just doesn't look good for the party, you know what I mean.

Looking at representative sample of our leadership is there any doubt as to why the Democrats have been losing elections? At least Dean's his own man (I think) and ran this campeign in a rather masterful way. About the worst you could accuse him of was (maybe) feeding dirt on other candidates to the bloggers and the media although it seems that most of the dirt was stuff which anyone with an elementary knowledge of Google and access to periodical databases available free at your local public library could have pulled up and probably did.

Congratulations Chairman Dean--now watch your back, Doc.

[mandyky]

83. Excellent commentary on the article!

We'll be helping Dr. Dean watch his back! The snakes have be revealed.

[moggie12]

86. great analysis -- it's the gang that couldn't shoot straight!

To me, this is further evidence of two things I firmly believe:

1) Most politicians (Dem or Repub) are always looking out for themselves. Their own personal ambition and interests are first and foremost in their minds.

2) The Dems aren't very good at strategizing, Machavelliian plotting, back-stabbing, etc. No wonder we keep losing.... because the GOP is great at it.....

[bklyncowgirl]

96. The gang that couldn't shoot straight

You got that right. Sad, isn't it.

Frankly I'm disappointed in the Clintons. They used to be so much better at this sort of thing.

Maybe it was Hillary working on her own without Bill.

[BlueInRed]

90. This is terrific

I really enjoyed reading this. Accurate and funny as all get out. :hi:

[Piperay]

87. Very interesting

article. I'm glad that the 447 staged a coup and put Dean in, he is our best hope.

[mandyky]

89. Just re-read this article

I've read it 3 or 4 times now, and find something new each time. I have all kinds of questions about the DNC, I just don't know where to ask them! LOL

[progressoid]

91. Great - Out with the old, in with the new!

[CWebster]

97. Sounds like sour grapes from Carville

Get out of the way, and take your Clutch Cargo lipped Right-wing shrew of a spouse with you. We will take our pary back because there is no other choice.