Ltr to Bus Week: Can The Democrats Think Outside The Beltway?

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The problems with the Democratic Party are not the ability to raise money or our values ("Howard Dean's raised voice isn't raising cash," Washington Outlook, June 6). The inability to run a professional campaign is the real issue. Until we see this issue being addressed, many of us are sitting on our donations. Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe was great with the relatively small number of wealthy people in his Rolodex. But he and his staff treated the rest of us, who volunteered day in and day out and contributed comparatively small amounts, with outright scorn. This might have been tolerable had they competently run a national campaign. Every four years the DNC seems surprised by the notion that it has to run and win a Presidential election. It starts from scratch each time and gets embarrassed by the Republican National Committee. Dean is addressing this very problem.

John Kerry should have won. The DNC and Kerry's political advisers served him poorly. Kerry ultimately served his supporters poorly by forgetting who he was and who got him there. Following the Al Gore/Joe Lieberman disaster, we are not about to sign up again without the big changes Dean is trying to make. We believe in Dean, but we aren't so sure he will win this internal battle. Can he really overcome the inside-the-Beltway venality in the DNC? I have taken my checkbook out again as a vote of confidence. I did not support Dean for President, but he is the right man to save the DNC now.

Victor Barry
Chicago
Editor's Note: The writer is former director of campaign services for Kerry/Edwards-Midwest.

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1. kick for morning crowd