Hoyer weighs in with Pelosi, Reid, talking to Dean to back off policy.

[madfloridian]

Hey, guys, you are really afraid of one fellow, I think. He is really quite sensible, so stop with the warnings. It sort of feels like you are telling us to back off when you say that. Doggone it.

http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/020905/brief.html

SNIP.."Hoyer to Dean: Leave policy to us

House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) offered some free advice to incoming Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean: Leave policy to the elected officials.

“I don’t believe it is the party chair’s role to set the policy of the party. That is the role of the elected officials,” Hoyer told reporters yesterday.

“I think his job as party chairman is to ensure the party is organized well and ready to, in every district, contest the Republicans, every congressional district in America, every county and state and city in America, and that we raise sufficient finances to compete effectively.”

Acknowledging that he had some policy disagreements with the former presidential candidate, Hoyer nevertheless congratulated Dean on his impending election."

[burythehatchet]

1. A free and unfettered discussion of policy Mr. Hoyer

get used to it.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[KingoftheJungle]

30. LOL

[d_b]

31. fuckin-A right.

[Cha]

3. Zidzi to hoyer...shut up!

Dean is poised to become the Dem Chairman for a good reason..and it wasn't done the way carville wanted it done ..it was done because the People wanted Dean.

[madfloridian]

4. No Carville "smoke-filled rooms"

:hi:

[Cha]

6. Out in the sunlight!

B-) :hi:

[AntiCoup2K4]

5. Fuck Hoyer - 100% Likud shill

I saw that guy on some AIPAC thing on C-SPAN a few months ago and he turned my stomach with the shit he was saying. Sharon might as well have written his script. This guy's more sold out to Likud Warmongers than Lieberman is.

[Jim Sagle]

15. Good.

[Eloriel]

71. Not only that, he keeps selling us out on HAVA and any and all

modifications to it. It was his bill (and I wonder how much money he got for THAT from such organizations as ITAA or industry insiders and big wigs)?

And each and every time there's an attempt to fix some of the problems, there's Hoyer -- and usually Dodd -- standing firmly, totally in the way.

[Zhade]

76. Yeah, what's up with that? Why do Dems back murderers like Sharon?

I truly don't understand why even reasonable Dems are so beholden to AIPAC instead of their constituents. It's not like AIPAC's funds couldn't be matched or exceeded in individual donations were the Dems to cut loose from the H.M.S. Likud.

I guess they just like rightwing Israeli governments that murder innocent civilians. :shrug:

[autorank]

7. Stenny's a good Dem. They're a little testy. Just have Reid kick ass

and the focus will be on the Congressional delegations. Have them all start kicking ass and Dean can do his thing to make the grass roots the base of the party FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. Forget the "big money boys." This is the age of internet giving, small donors. We can wipe the floor with them.

With a fighting delegation and Dean at DNC, how hard do you think it would be to get 2,000,000 Democrats to give $100 per year or to subscribe to an $8.50 a month credit card donation until 2008 is over.

This is how we need to think. It's all about a hard core, large scale mass doner and action movement, all the time!

2,000,000 Democratic believers (x) $100 = $200,000,000 a year for Democratic operations and campaigns.

[Skink]

11. Maybe our Dem leaders will feel empowered with Dean at the helm

Let Dean take the heat while Boxer steamrolls the thugs.

[autorank]

12. I think that's how it will work out.

They're just getting used to each other. Dean's a governor and they're Feds and there is a big difference. Dean is also a strong personality as are they. I think it will work out and that a bad cop-bad cop strategy will emerge. The Democrats, DNC and Congressional delegations, state leaders and state politicians, need to go nuclear on * 24/7 real soon.

[AntiCoup2K4]

16. Wouldn't be hard at all, if Dean used his not-so-secret weapon....

...... The BAT!!!

[madfloridian]

20. I miss that secret weapon.

:hi:

It worked every time.

[shance]

18. Im having a hard time seeing why a good Dem attacks another good Dem.

or insinuates with an intimidating comment like Mr. Hoyer did.

I am saying this because the issue of Democrats not standing together is a BIG problem these days, and the ones that will feel it the most are the ones who have to live by the policies created.

Good Dems don't attack one another. You don't see Republicans doing it, and you can see where they are in power versus where we are in power. Which position would you rather be in? Until we have a Democratic congress that unites, we will get more of the same and unfortunately worse.

Which poses the question, how many Dems do we have that really are Dems?

[AntiCoup2K4]

19. Actually, Republicans HAVE attacked other Republicans in recent years....

...Some Republicans in Congress who voiced any opposition at all to the Bush/PNAC agenda were labeled "French" Republicans at the time when the mediawhore France bashing was at its peak of stupidity.

Curious that it's the ones who oppose corporatist neocon policies who seem to get it from both sides, isn't it.

[shance]

25. I wouldnt call that an attack Its a healthy confrontation, like what Gov

Dean has initiated when he has simply stated the existing realities facing Americans.

This is essentially one in the same problem. You have those who don't want to change, because they are some how benefitting from the system and don't seem to care how other Americans are being hit, and/or coping, and/or are not apparently as concerned with the realities that are facing everyone as a whole.

They are concerned more for an isolated few, including themselves, not how it effects the world at large.

What they fail to see is the big picture. That it will negatively effect all of us in the long (or short) run.

[calimary]

61. How about ALL OF THEM KICK ASS?

Why confine it to one guy? Besides, that one guy won't kick much of anything if he has no one solidly behind him just leaving all the heavy lifting to him.


www.congress.org - a good directory there of all the office numbers for everybody in the House and Senate - locally and in Washington. At least you know where to write or fax or phone, since there's no more TOLL FREE switchboard number.

[Eloriel]

72. Steny is NOT a good Dem -- see my previous post PLUS

I don't consider selling out democracy itself (whether he understands that's what he's doing or not, doesn't matter to me), and being so beholden to any industry that aids and abets our fascist lurch by eliminating the popular vote a "good Dem." HE IS A TRAITRO, perhaps unwitting, perhaps not. I do know this: he wants more than anything to hang onto the "good thing" he's got going (corporate money), and sees Dean, rightfully so, as a threat on that.

My definition of a GOOD DEM is someone who (a) LISTENS to the people and what we're saying, (b) has integrity and honor (for real, not for fake), (c) not only sees but speaks the truth, and (d) does what's right for the country, including our children and their children. Under this definition, we have precious few "GOOD DEMs" but we need more. And we'll get more.

BTW, my definition of Statesman/woman would be all of the above plus added to d: no matter what the cost personally.

[LittleClarkie]

8. Kerry on MTP

commented that they weren't looking for a spokesman in that position so much as an organizer and modernizer of the party. Is that the traditional role of the chair? He seemed to think that Dean would be good in this regard.

I dunno, I never paid that much attention to that position before. What is the usual role of the Chair?

[Cha]

74. Remember when McAuliff would get on tv

and debate the rnc guy? Dean will be doing that, too..I would imagine. As well as organizing, and raising money.

Everyone can have an opinion on what they expect of Dean and Dean will do what he thinks is best to beat the repugs at their own game.

[hootinholler]

9. Fuck You Steny!

“I don’t believe it is the party chair’s role to set the policy of the party. That is the role of the elected officials,” Hoyer told reporters yesterday.

“I think his job as party chairman is to ensure the party is organized well and ready to, in every district, contest the Republicans, every congressional district in America, every county and state and city in America, and that we raise sufficient finances to compete effectively.”

How's that plan been workin out for the Dems? It's time for a chairman to set an agenda:

1. Delegate fund raising to someone who is good at it.


2. Differentiate through policy and a platform how outrageous the corporatista junta is.


3. Speak truth to the people loudly


4. Ostracise 'the failed 9' voting for the Inquisitor General

Feel free to add more...

-Hoot

[KittyWampus]

54. Um, HE'S CORRECT. Dean Is NOT GOING TO SET POLICY

and all the DU'ers on this thread that think he is will be in for MAJOR disappointment.

Whatever Hoyer's positions... his comments about what a Chair does state the fucking obvious.

[K-W]

62. What on earth are you talking about?

Dean will have plenty of opportunities to influence policy if he chooses to.

[lojasmo]

66. the DNC SETS THE PARTY PLATFORM. EOM

[Zhade]

77. That poster desperately wants people like Hoyer to succeed.

It's pretty obvious from past posts that Dean setting policy is that poster's worst nightmare, for some inexplicable reason.

Hell, Kucinich was my guy, and I am SO for Dean helping set policy it's not even funny.

[rocktivity]

10. Rocknation to Hoyer: Your policies HAVEN'T WORKED

And the role of the party is set as much by the people who VOTED for those elected officials as well as the officials themselves!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Zhade]

78. And correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't DNC chair an ELECTED position?

So all Hoyer's arrogance about "elected officials" is self-puffery, since Dean WILL BE AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.

These people really, REALLY don't want to give up corporate whoring, do they?

[finecraft]

13. So Rove gets a promotion for doing this very thing

and our elected "leaders" tell our guy - who's not even officially "it" yet to shut up. Go figure.

[madfloridian]

14. This is what I felt when we were calling congress about Iraq.....

and about the horrible Medicare bill that was passed. It is like they already knew how they would vote...it was all determined.
No matter how many of us called at that time, they were decided.

I sensed it with Kerry, Edwards, Hilary Clinton, Bill Nelson, and so on....they had their minds made up about Iraq. They had set the policy.

I think they will find it very hard to remember that THEY are not the Democratic Party...we are. Dean as chair may not be able to set policy, but we, the newly angry members of the party, can certainly have a say.

Howard Dean said on C-Span that he would pick his battles, and he made it clear that one of them was Reid's support of Scalia for Chief Justice. It was not said in secret at all. He openly criticized Reid, but sort of (wink wink) assumed he had mispoken....Dean said he had often misspoke, so he could understand. Cleverly done.

[Zhade]

79. WOAH - REID SUPPORTS SCALIA FOR CJ???

You've GOT to be kidding me. How did I miss THAT bit of TREASON?

[shance]

17. Wouldn't it be amazing if Mr. Steny used bold talk toward Republicans?

Instead of aiming it at his own?

That is if he's really a Democrat.

Then again, its so much easier to go after a Democrat. It actually takes courage to address the issues instigated by Republicans.

I could also pose a name recognition quiz: Howard Dean versus Steny Hoyer?

You decide.

An unwarranted intimidating comment Id say for someone who hasn't taken one nineteenth the amount of time and effort to listen and connect with Americans like Howard Dean, not to mention someone who hasn't created a fraction of support and backing Governor Dean has.

By the way, what great policy making would Mr. Hoyer be talking about?

[BlueInRed]

21. Exactly, I've always been amazed how easily

our elected Democrats publicly attack each other, but are scared to publicly attack Republicans. (There are exceptions of course, and I love those Dems.) It's kind of weird to me that this sort of stuff is always in the papers.

I completely understand Dems on a board like this have huge disagreements about policy, but do these folks always have to go on the record with their issues with fellow Democrats? I would love to see Democrats attack their real opponents -- Republicans -- which such determination and enthusiasm.

[KittyWampus]

55. How Is This An "Attack"? Answer- It's NOT. Jesus, First The Dem Party

was supposed to just GIVE the Chair to Dean with no election... now it's members can't even state the FUCKING OBVIOUS.

There is nothing in the statement posted that is untrue or unreasonable regarding the function of DNC Chair.

Anyone who thinks Dean is going to 'set policy' is living in a dream world.

[madfloridian]

63. The DLC has been setting policy for years. Now the grassroots will.

Al From has been setting policy, he is not the chair. Will Marshall has been setting policy. Bruce Reed has been setting policy. They are not congress, they are not the chair.

They took over and set the agenda. Dean does not need to set policy. The grassroots is going to demand it, and he knows it.

He never said he would try to set policy, he said he would speak his mind at times. Congress should not set policy, anyway. Neither should the DLC.

Dean does not have to set policy. The grassroots groups will, and the message will change.

[BlueInRed]

69. As someone else said, that's why there's chocolate and vanilla

We're both entitled to our opinions. IMO, we've got a bunch of Democrats who are really ticked off that Dean managed to get through all the obstacles he did. The Congressional Democrats are now laying down markers telling Dean not to overstep his bounds. Dean was elected to office himself in Vermont and has as much right to comment on policy as any other Democrat who is now serving or has served as an elected official. I can just imagine someone saying Bill Clinton can't comment on policy.

IMO, if the situation was reversed and Dean had said that, Hoyer's people would be saying, who does Dean think he is telling Hoyer he can't talk about policy issues as DNC chair. It is laughable to say a party chair has no right to impact policy. I'd sure like to ask every prior chair whether they impacted the DNC platform.

And my BASIC point was, if this had been the Republican party, that comment would have happened behind closed doors. The Republicans wouldn't have said it to a reporter and put it in the newspaper. One thing about Republicans is they stick together. Not so with Democrats. Democrats constantly say not so nice things to reporters about their fellow Democrats, and instead they should focus on criticizing Republicans when they're talking to reporters. And as DNC chair, I hope Dean will do the same and reserve the criticisms for the Republicans.

And I can sure understand Democrats supporting different policies on the record. That to me is different than showing the power struggles going on behind closed doors. I'm sure others will disagree. I think I need to start adding "IMO" to everything I write, because in the end, that's all it is, just my opinion.

[madfloridian]

26. Exactly! They save their "bold" stuff to warn Howard to be quiet.

Amazing.

[Eloriel]

73. Voting machines for one

Dean is nowhere NEAR where I'd like him to be on this issue, but he's certainly miles ahead of a lot of the other Dems.

I LOVE your point about bold talk aimed at Repugs instead of Dems. So true.

[kentuck]

22. And how do you contest every Repub in every state....?

If you let the present bunch continue to set a losing policy???

[sampsonblk]

23. Lead, follow or get out of the way-nt

nt

[quiet.american]

24. Well, Steny -- you know what they say about free advice!

:eyes: :boring:

[RealDems]

27. I'm just so afraid

that Dean will try to quiet his critics by listening to all their warnings. He doesn't owe them anything. He won the DNC Chairmanship in spite of their efforts to stop him, not with their efforts to support him. I'm not suggesting he should intentionally pick fights, but his first loyalty should be to the grassroots Democrats who supported him, and who need a national spokesman. If Reid, Pelosi, Hoyer, etc... have a problem with that, they should get used to it. They lost this fight.

[madfloridian]

28. Here is what he has said:

Howard Dean said on C-Span that he would pick his battles, and he made it clear that one of them was Reid's support of Scalia for Chief Justice. It was not said in secret at all. He openly criticized Reid, but sort of (wink wink) assumed he had mispoken....Dean said he had often misspoke, so he could understand. Cleverly done.

He said he would not be totally silent.

[RealDems]

37. I saw that on C-Span, but...

I'm still not convinced. I'm a huge Dean fan, and I have actually been advocating him as Party Chairman for about a year (http://www.realdems.org/columns.htm#dean). But I really fear that he is listening to his critics more than his supporters right now. Apparently his top priority is healing relations with Congressional Dems. That's a fine goal. But I just hope it doesn't come at the expense of those who have supported him from the beginning.

[itzamirakul]

59. "Why dost thou fear...

oh ye of little faith?"

[fujiyama]

29. I'm getting tired of Pelosi

There's been no noticable improvement since Gep left. And it's hard to forgive her for getting a DINO like Roemer to run.

[ClarkUSA]

32. Hoyer is correct. Terry McAuliffe did not make policy decisions for Dems.

The biggest challenge for Dean as DNC Chairman is to remember that he is no longer a governor or a presidential candidate.

[applegrove]

33. Absolutely. Winning in the polls for one months doesn't make you

Absolutely. Winning in the polls for one months doesn't make you the all knowing policy king. And if he wanted to effect policy he should not have run to be DNC Chair but should have waited and run for the nomination again.

[madfloridian]

34. Rather disagree. This was a different thing entirely this time.

Clinton appointed Terry. No discussion. This time we all made it about the fact that change was wanted. I disagree. I don't think Dean should announce policy, but he should be free to speak his opinion.

This time he was not chosen by the insiders. In fact, they did not want him. If he can't speak, we can in DFA or PDA or other groups.

Congress should be working for us, not the opposite. They should not get to set agenda, the people in the party should.

Dean has said he will pick his battles, but I think he will have something to say.

I know DFA intends to run candidates in the primary if Democratic office holders vote Republican. We did it before, and we will continue to do so.

It is different now, it is not cut and dried anymore.

[LittleClarkie]

35. If the insiders didn't want him, then who were all those endorsers

he picked up a buttload of endorsements. Were none of those "insiders"? And Kerry seems happy enough. Is he not an "insider"?

Maybe I just need to ask, "What makes a person an insider?"

[madfloridian]

56. Referring to DC mostly.

And Kerry did not want Dean, he is accepting it. He endorsed two others, never endorsed Dean. He is accepting.

Your very gracious "buttload" of endorsements contained many like that. Sort of well, ok, thing, you know. This last week the endorsements were often of that sort.

Corporate bigwigs who have controlled the party are a little concerned because the fundraising will change a lot. Congress wants to set the policy IN congress, just like they have been doing....to please their corporate donors.

Dean stated often that he was getting huge support from outside DC, but not very much from there.

[shance]

36. When 'policy' is effecting everyone's survival, you BET I want someone to

chime in. That is why the majority of Democrats support Dean and others who will tell the truth and not play it safe, which is actually the antithesis of any safe play.

Let's do away with the formality shall we?

We are in crisis mode.

There is no diplomacy to be implemented when there is a shortage of diplomats.

Governor Dean, and other certified Democrats, are doing nothing short of attempting to salvage the survival of the Democratic party, not to mention, Democracy in general.

Let's stop acting as if this as business as usual, because it is most assuredly NOT.

[ClarkUSA]

39. Read the job description. I am sure Dean has.

Repeat: DNC Chairmen do not make policy.

As far as I know, Dean hasn't mentioned that he wanted to change the parameters of the job.

Formality has got nothing to do with it. It's the job description.

Are you saying Dean is certifiable? tsk-tsk.

[madfloridian]

57. Could you guys stop with the ugliness for a while?

Please?

[lojasmo]

44. Bullshit. the DNC SETS the platform of the Democratic party. EOM

[DoveTurnedHawk]

52. Did You Ever Consider That Might Have Been the Problem?

Insiders often care more about their cushy jobs and positions more than the benefit of either the party or the people.

We need fundamental reform. I believe Governor Dean will be able to enact that reform better than most. I hope he does.

DTH

[K-W]

64. Right, and hes no longer head of the DNC, so who cares?

Im just going to take a flying guess that Howard Deans plan is not to imitate Terry McAuliffe.

[Hippo_Tron]

38. Dean should be sort of a moderator in the policy debate

Hoyer is right and wrong (but mostly wrong). As chair, Dean isn't directly responsible for making policy himself, however, apparently he is responsible for winning (something that is new concept to me). With this in mind, Dean should bring several voices to the table who will help decide on new policies for the party and Dean acting as a moderator (not COMPLETELY neutral but more or less neutral) throughout the process.

[MoJoWorkin]

40. Hey, Steny, why don't we let the little people at the bottom

help make policy, along with the "elected officials". Dean represents US, and he should have a voice--our voice. The attitude that the "elected officials" should make policy may be ok if they were actually LISTENING to the people, but they are often out of touch. This is where Dean becomes a voice for us-- he needs to keep in close touch with the grassroots opinions and then keep on speaking out!!!

[Skidmore]

42. What MoJo said....

Preach it.

[MaineDem]

41. Dean has said his job isn't to make policy

Hoyer is right and Dean agrees.

I think Howard will make a fine DNC Chair but he understands his role and he told the DNC members in NY that he'll leave the policy making to others.

[CWebster]

43. Just posturing without a message:

"What's In A Name? Everything.
How Progressives Can Start Winning Again By Renaming Their Opponents and Reframing The Debate

Progressives are losing the war for America. At every level nationally - and, via disastrous foreign policies, across much of the world as well - we are in retreat. The country lurches further to the right every day, and every election cycle, because we on the left sorely lack ideas, the outlets to express them, quality candidates, compelling leaders, conviction, message and strategy.

But more than anything, progressives are getting creamed where it counts the most, and where small successes at little cost produce the largest dividends. We are losing the battle of framing. When it comes to the portrayal of issues, the contestants fighting those issues, the moral choices at stake, and the consequences of those choices, we are being severely outgunned on every front.

There are so many ways in which this is true that the magnitude of our drubbing is quite staggering. On at least four levels of political discourse we are losing badly before the fight even begins, because of our inattention to the overriding importance of framing."




http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0208-21.htm


Quit the petty power struggles and let Dean do what he does well. Pelosi shut your hole and imagine the Right putting a leash on Rove.

[hootinholler]

46. good point...

Quit the petty power struggles and let Dean do what he does well. Pelosi shut your hole and imagine the Right putting a leash on Rove.

The DNC chair has a pulpit from which to speak to issues that go to the heart. The chair is not in the trenches in Congress or in any State legislatures, therefore, the chair can say things that others would be punished for.

I hope Dean realizes this and uses it to rally support for the party.

-Hoot

[calimary]

67. OMG!!! One of the MOST BRILLIANT articles I think I've ever read!

"What's In A Name? Everything.
How Progressives Can Start Winning Again By Renaming Their Opponents and Reframing The Debate

Progressives are losing the war for America. At every level nationally - and, via disastrous foreign policies, across much of the world as well - we are in retreat. The country lurches further to the right every day, and every election cycle, because we on the left sorely lack ideas, the outlets to express them, quality candidates, compelling leaders, conviction, message and strategy.

But more than anything, progressives are getting creamed where it counts the most, and where small successes at little cost produce the largest dividends. We are losing the battle of framing. When it comes to the portrayal of issues, the contestants fighting those issues, the moral choices at stake, and the consequences of those choices, we are being severely outgunned on every front.

There are so many ways in which this is true that the magnitude of our drubbing is quite staggering. On at least four levels of political discourse we are losing badly before the fight even begins, because of our inattention to the overriding importance of framing."




http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0208-21.htm

OMG! Required reading, folks! Take the time!!! This guy not only explains what's up, he gives CONCRETE EXAMPLES that can REALLY get your mental gears cranking. Made me think of "Country club tax" and others. His "Child tax" is STELLAR! Just STELLAR!

Share this with EVERYONE you know, PLEASE!

And a HUGE thank-you and Heaps of Hugs to CWebster for posting this!!!

You made my day!

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CWebster]

47. I think a lot of Democrats have a vested interest

in seeing the Party become a strong, persuasive, viable opposition.


Can you blame them for being defensive after all the party establishment has done to cripple up the change Dean represents?

Let's get real. If Dean starts pushing an agenda that parrots Lieberman then no amount of organization is going to yield grassroots response. So spare us the rule book if it doesn't apply to these desperate times.

[PassingFair]

48. We are on executive committees...

We are delegates...
We are moving from the bottom up because it is the only way to pry the 2nd and 3rd place DINOs from their roosts.
I would LOVE to meet you at my local dem club.
You appeasers are the minority.
Wake up and smell the coffee. It's time for a sea change.
And Howard will NOT be muzzled.

[DoveTurnedHawk]

53. I Actually Was Not Aware Hoyer and Dean Are Great Friends

Thank you for that information.

The rest of your post, however, I disagree with. Particularly your shitty tone.

I have never been a "Deaniac" but I still think Hoyer's comments were reactionary and lame.

DTH

[cindyw]

58. Don't confuse people with facts. I think much of this is a wish to change

the role of DNC chair, rather than a reflection of the reality. Much as the RNC puts out talking points, they are hoping that the DNC can do this now and that Dean will initiate them. I personally hope not. He is too conservative for me.

Also, the RNC is just a cover for the White House. The White House initiates the talking points, but the it would just sound stupid if the media ( read as talk radio and hannity) were repeating the President's words verbatim. So the RNC puts them out as an amplifier, as if there are more people in sync and not just parroting. Then the talking heads can say, "The RNC makes the point that." not, 'The president says". I am not sure how possible this is in our Party. And since Dean was not supported by the majority of the Party, I think it is inappropriate for him to be that originator of that voice.

[bemildred]

49. People that think you can disconnect "policy" from "winning" are confused.

[IrateCitizen]

50. Dean doesn't have to formulate policy to change the party

What he has proposed, which is scaring the living daylights out of the likes of Beltway insiders like Nancy Pelosi, is to decentralize the Democratic Party. He wants to REDUCE the control of the DNC exercised in Washington and to put much MORE control in the state and regional offices. He has been very vocal about this.

Dean's smart enough to realize that if he gets bogged down in policy, he will quickly be in over his head. You don't become a chief executive without learning how to effectively delegate -- otherwise, you'll just go insane. Dean realizes this, and what people like Pelosi, Reid and Hoyer are afraid of isn't Dean setting policy, it's Dean setting up a structure that allows for the diffusion of power OUTSIDE of the Beltway and delegation of decision-making on policy to more localized entities.

Personally, I think he's absolutely right in this regard. It will be interesting to see if he can pull it off in the face of hostile opposition from leading Democrats who want to hold on to their personal power above all else.

[itzamirakul]

60. What Irate Citizen said...

My feelings exactly!

[Larkspur]

70. Ditto for me too!

[jpgray]

51. I think their concern is that he may change fundraising strategies

To a more grassroots and less corporate approach. In reality, his stances on the issues are scarcely more liberal in any way than Kerry's were--he was smarter about the Iraq war, but pointing out the president never made his case doesn't make one "liberal", it makes one "smart". I wish we had more of that kind of "liberalism" around.

[Justitia]

65. Question: Why does the PPI (Progressive POLICY Inst) get to make policy

and WE DON'T????

I don't like those PNACers making my POLICY decisions for me (a la Iraq invasion) while masquerading as Democrats.

Hell yeah, I want someone like Dean to speak for me!

[madfloridian]

Here is exactly how the platform is formed. FAQ from DNC website.

It is a very long page....here is just a snip from there.

http://www.democrats.org/platform/faq.html

How does the Platform Committee operate?
The Call for the 2004 Democratic National Convention outlines the general responsibilities of the Platform Committee, the composition of its membership, and its Rules of Procedure. The Committee may also adopt additional Rules of Procedure for conducting its business, and, absent other provisions, it operates under Robert's Rules of Order (as most recently revised).

Before the Platform Committee meets, the DNC Chairman will distribute a document to the Platform Committee members outlining the issues to be considered by the committee. The document is usually an initial draft of the Platform as prepared by a small Platform Drafting Committee.

At the Platform Committee meeting, members discuss each plank of a draft platform. They have the opportunity to submit new proposed planks, or amendments to the draft. Proposals and amendments must be approved by a majority of the members present and voting. A proposal or amendment that fails on a majority vote can still be brought to the Convention floor as a minority report, with the support of members representing at-least 20% of the total votes of the Committee (37 members). Minority reports are voted on by the Convention delegates during the consideration of the Platform Committee's report.

How can someone become a Platform Committee Member?
Any Democratic voter is eligible for membership to the Platform Committee or one of the other standing committees. Members do not have to be delegates to the Convention. Each state allocates its committee positions to presidential candidates based on the results of the state's presidential primary or caucus. Presidential candidates who have qualified to receive committee positions nominate individuals for each committee, who are then elected by the state's National Convention delegates. A detailed description of how and when each state and territory's standing committee members are elected can be found within the state or territory's Delegate Selection Plan.

As with all Democratic Party elections, membership on the standing committees is open to all Democrats, regardless of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, ethnic identity, sexual orientation, economic status or physical disability.

How many members serve on the Platform Committee?
Each Convention Standing Committee has a total of 186 members (not including Committee officers) that cast 183 votes. Members are allocated as follows:

A total of 157 members are proportionally allocated among the states based on population and Democratic voting strength. (The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are treated as states.)
Four members are allocated to represent American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Democratic Party Committee Abroad ("Democrats Abroad") with each member casting 1/4 vote. (These jurisdictions are collectively referred to as the "territories.")
Each committee includes 25 Party Leader and Elected Official (PLEO) members. These members are nominated by DNC Chairman McAuliffe and elected by the DNC Executive Committee.
Members selected by each state and territory, as well as the PLEO members, must be as equally divided as mathematically practicable between men and women.
When are the Platform Committee Members selected?
Once a state or territory finishes selecting its National Convention delegates, those delegates meet and vote on the members to serve on the Platform and other standing committees. All state-based standing committee members will be selected by late June 2004. The 25 PLEO members were elected by the DNC Executive Committee in March 2004 upon nomination by DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe. FAQ - 2004 Platform and Platform Committee Page 3

Who Chairs the Platform Committee?
On March 26, 2004, DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe announced the selection of U.S. Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, Los Angeles City Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa, and Governor Tom Vilsack of Iowa to serve as the Chairs of the 2004 Platform Committee. They were nominated by Chairman McAuliffe and elected by the DNC Executive Committee.

What are the responsibilities of the Platform Committee Chairs?
The Chairs call and preside over the Platform Committee's meeting(s), prepare an agenda for the orderly conduct of the committee's business, and supervise preparation of research studies and briefing materials as required to accomplish the committee's work.

What is the Platform Drafting Committee? Who Chairs the Committee?
The Platform Drafting Committee is responsible for preparing an initial draft of the Platform, which is used as a working document by the Platform Committee at its meeting. The fifteen members of this Committee will be appointed by DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe in spring 2004. These members do not have to be members of the Platform Committee. The Drafting Committee is not considered a subcommittee of the Platform Committee. This committee will meet before the meeting of the full Platform Committee.

What night does the Convention vote on the Platform? What about the other Committee reports?
The Platform Committee's Report is usually considered on the second day (Tuesday) of the Convention. The Credentials Committee's Report is considered as the first item of business on the first day (Monday) of the Convention, since it affects the seating of delegates. The second item of business considered at the Convention is the Rules Committee's Report, which recommends the agenda, procedural rules, and officers for the Convention.

May Platform Committee Members attend the Convention?
Any standing committee member who is not already a delegate or alternate will receive a credential for guest seating for all four nights of the National Convention.

Who covers the costs associated with attending the Committee's meeting and the Convention?
Each standing committee member is responsible for his or her own costs. Members should contact their State Party for information on how and where to seek financial assistance to help defray expenses.

For more information, call [phone] or write to:

Office of Party Affairs and Delegate Selection
Democratic National Committee
430 South Capitol St., SE
Washington, DC 20003

[madfloridian]

68. Platform post duplicated itself. Deleted 2nd one.

.

[Zhade]

75. People do not just want a different guy to carry out old policies.

These guys still don't fucking get it - people want Dean because he represents change in how things are done and what policies are enacted to benefit the people over the corporations.

I know those suckling at the corporate teat don't want to believe it, but just sliding Dean into place and then neutering him will have the same impact as him not getting the position (if not a larger impact): people will still bolt the Dems, still withhold donations and refuse to volunteer, maybe even go Green.

It's the policy changes, stupid. We're all sick of this bullshit.