Howard Dean, a Victim of His Own Success?

[DeepModem Mom]

WP: Howard Dean, a Victim of His Own Success?
By Chris Cillizza And Perry Bacon Jr.
Monday, December 22, 2008; Page A03

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, the man regarded by many sharp political operatives as the progenitor of President-elect Barack Obama's successful 2008 campaign, finds himself without an obvious next job as his tenure as head of the Democratic National Committee comes to an end....

(I)t's hard not to see Dean as a lesson in how political hardball is played in Washington. Never liked by establishment party figures -- Dean publicly feuded with incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) when the latter headed the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the 2006 election cycle -- Dean finds himself on the outside looking in as a new Democratic administration comes to town.

Less than a week after Obama's victory last month, Dean announced he would not seek a second term as DNC chairman -- a decision cast by those friendly to Dean as his own but made with a recognition that the incoming president would like his own pick atop the party. Dean then made a play to be secretary of health and human services in the Obama administration but was quickly shot down in favor of former senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, a confidante of the president-elect.

Dean's confrontational style and aversion to fundraising led to clashes with party leaders (Emanuel among others) during his four years at the helm of the DNC, but, in hindsight, some of his most controversial strategic moves paid off.

Dean was widely disparaged within the party for his "50-state strategy" -- a plan to put DNC-paid staffers on the ground in every state to ensure the party fielded a competitive slate of candidates. Yet, the 2006 and 2008 elections seemed to justify Dean's decision as Democrats won in such states as North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Kansas and Idaho -- places that, as recently as a few elections ago, were considered impenetrable. "The winning strategy and business plan that Governor Dean put in place helped make Democrats competitive again up and down the ballot from Indiana to Alaska to Mississippi," said DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney.

A source familiar with Dean's 2004 presidential campaign and his DNC chairmanship argued not only that the former governor's presidential bid lay the technological foundation for Obama's successes but also that the chairman's unbending enforcement of the primary rules -- stripping Florida and Michigan of their delegates and their meaningfulness -- played a large role in Obama's victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton. "I guess it proves that no good deed goes unpunished," the source said....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122102081.html?hpid=sec-politics

[Cleita]

1. Maybe Rahm Emanuel doesn't like him, but the majority of

rank and file Democrats do and I believe Dr. Dean will come back in a big way in the future. You just can't keep a good man down.

[RubyDuby in GA]

2. Aversion to fund raising?

Didn't he out raise his predecessor by a gracious plenty? And in supposed off years?

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I'm not clued in on that. Maybe someone has some info. nt

[madfloridian]

6. Dean far outraised McAuliffe. Facts and figures.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/2565

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Thanks, madfloridian! nt

[wyldwolf]

11. as your link says, "in funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities. "

:shrug:

McAuliffe raised a record $578 million as DNC chairman, getting the DNC out of debt for the first time in it's history, and more than $1 billion total for his party.

I've never seen you or any give a total on Dean beyond "funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities."

[Sebastian Doyle]

4. This is a DLC bullshit meme

By "aversion to fundraising" they really mean "doesn't like whoring the party out to corporate funding".

[wyldwolf]

7. Fascinating you'd insinuate Chris Cillizza is under the nefarious control of the DLC!

[wyldwolf]

5. I think the article is a little misleading in that respect

Figures vary depending on the source, but according to the Washington Post, October 21, 2005, the DNC raised more than $578 million under McAuliffe, and emerged from debt for the first time in party history. Apparently, lots of that money went into paying off the DNC's debt.

I've never seen a total figure for Howard Dean. In August 2008, the Washington Post again reported the DNC raised approximately $127 million in funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities by McAulliffe. Between Jan. 1, 2005, and March 2008, the DNC raised $190 million under Dean. So there doesn't appear to be a problem with Dean raising money.

The conflict between Dean and Emanuel was over how money should be spent. Emanuel wanted more to be poured into close races the Democrats had a chance to win immediately. Dean wanted to hold back and invest it in rebuilding areas where we could win later.

It's rumored that one of the races Emanuel wanted to put more money into was Tammy Duckworth's race in Illinois. Obama is close to Duckworth and watched that race very closely. He, perhaps, took Emanuel's side on the disagreement.

We'll never know for sure, of course, until the historians write this chapter.

[Recursion]

8. He means aversion to big donor meet & greets

Dinosaur fundraising

Dean's still a doctor; I'm sure he'll land on his feet.

[madfloridian]

9. Dean's total vs McAuliffe's. Article is misleading.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/2565

"he issue now is money -- not so much Dean's ability to raise it but his propensity to spend it. From Jan. 1, 2001, when Terence R. McAuliffe took over the committee, through March 31, 2004, the DNC raised approximately $127 million in funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities. Between Jan. 1, 2005, and March 2008, the DNC raised $190 million, considerably more.

But the DNC had $27.5 million in the bank at this time four years ago, as opposed to $4.4 million now. Dean aides say that money was well spent, creating organizations in all 50 states upon which Obama has been able to piggyback his campaign, reaching deep into an untapped electorate and developing the DNC's most complete national voter database ever. The investment will pay dividends not just in November but for years to come, they say."

[wyldwolf]

12. "funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities."

:shrug:

McAuliffe raised a record $578 million as DNC chairman, getting the DNC out of debt for the first time in it's history, and more than $1 billion total for his party.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/21/AR2005102100243.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_McAuliffe

I've never seen you or any give a total on Dean beyond "funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities."

I wouldn't doubt Dean did outraise McAuliffe in total, but stressing the "funds that could be spent directly on campaign activities" doesn't tell the entire story.