Why Obama Didn't Give Howard Dean a Spot in His Administration is Beyond Us.

[babsbunny]

Dean ending 30-year political career

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g0vr8a-oHbi1wAuYgxV_ditSzjrAD95OGS480

By NEDRA PICKLER – 2 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Friday he would have liked to work in the Obama administration, but instead is embarking on a life in the private sector after nearly 30 years in politics.

Dean told The Associated Press in an interview that he is weighing where next to take a career that has moved rapidly from family doctor to Vermont governor to presidential candidate to national party boss. This Wednesday, he ends a term as chairman in which Democrats recaptured the White House, seized majorities in Congress and picked up governorships.

Some of his supporters have been upset that after all he's done for Democrats, President-elect Barack Obama did not pick him for an administration job. When asked how he felt, Dean said he would "punt on that one."

[truedelphi]

1. Had it been Howard Dean paying for the inaugural festivities, he might have easily secured

A spot or two or three in the Administration.

I mean, I cannot fathom why no Dean, why no Kucinich, why there is no one from the economic realm who has been putting a bite on Kashkari or Paulson. Instead we get Geithner, Rubin and Summers.

Yeesh!

[rwheeler31]

2. He has done so much, he should be in this administration.

[doc03]

3. What about John Kerry? n/t

[karynnj]

6. Kerry at least has a good position - that is dependent only

on the voters in MA, who just re-elected him with 67% of the vote. As chair of the Seante Foreign Relations Committee, he will be one of the people who might influence Obama on foreign policy - in fact the degree to which he might influence Obama is likely independent of which position he holds. It also gives him independence. He has already signaled that he will have a very interesting activist agenda- working on global warming and investigating. He also is a very senior Senator on both Finance and Commerce.

He is well positioned to follow in Kennedy's foot steps in being very influential Senator.

He is said to have hoped to be Secretary of State - and it is unlikely that any other position would interest him enough for him to give up his Senate seat. (He repeatedly said that there was very very little that could make him give up that seat.) The HRC nomination solves some possible political problems for Obama, keeps her from returning to the Senate with little seniority, and gives Obama a person known around the world. The good thing is that it alligns what is good for the Clintons with what is good for Obama - which means that she will very likely do a great job.

There are a lot of left leaning organizations - I can't believe that one or more of them won't try to get Dean as head. His accomplishments should have made him a great candidate for a position.

[merkins]

25. K&R

I am Howard Dean and I am here to represent the democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

[cynatnite]

4. This is one of two reasons why I'm a little angry at Obama over...

The other is Rick Warren.

[geek tragedy]

5. There was only one position he was suited for, and

Tom Daschle was a better fit for it.

Governor Dean can now go get some comfort to go with his prestige.

[Pastiche423]

8. There is no way to address the stupidity of your post

[geek tragedy]

19. Your superior intelligence and argument stun me. n.t

[JackRiddler]

10. Nicely Stalinist language

All that's missing is the pickaxe to the head -- in comfort and prestige, of course.

[geek tragedy]

17. Comfort means he gets to cash in. n/t

[Captain Hilts]

14. Daschle was a lousy senate leader. nt

[Just-plain-Kathy]

22. He sure was. ..n/t

[mnhtnbb]

15. Tom Daschle will guarantee this country won't see single payer health care

for another 20 years, if ever.

Money is not important to Dean, unlike Daschle.

[geek tragedy]

18. Single payer is not a political reality.

Maybe in 21 years.

[midnight]

23. For many of us we are going to make it our reality.

Single-Payer Health Push Rallies Behind Conyers.On Dec. 22, the Washington-based Progressive Democrats of America mobilized thousands to phone their congressional representatives and lobby for Conyers' bill. A second call-in day is set for Jan. 15.http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=3882

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

36. Conyers has been very effective at getting other things done like impeachment, etc.

[lostnfound]

28. But throwing nearly a trillion dollars at banks, no strings attached, was.

So much for political reality and so much for democracy in the United States.

[elocs]

7. Obama's #1 mistake: not allowing DU to make all his decisions for him.

Then we would undoubtedly have perfection here at the font of all wisdom.

[Name removed]

33. Deleted message

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

[Kolesar]

41. LOL

I have read all I need to on this thread.

[Missy Vixen]

9. Nice to know that Dean's hard work and organizational ability

is of no value whatsoever to Barack Obama and his administration. PE Obama owes his win to Dean's fifty-state strategy. It's unfortunate that we'll most likely see that effort either downscaled or completely abandoned in the future.

His actions spoke much louder than his words, and he's made it clear that those of us from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party are not wanted.

Julie

[PassingFair]

11. The DNC called me for a donation today...

I told them I was waiting to see where Dean
landed.

I hope they are NOT holding their breath.

[LaPera]

12. It's called the Fucking DLC...and yes, the word "Fucking"always belongs in front of "DLC"!

[TexasObserver]

13. Don't know, but Dr. Dean is owed a huge debt by Obama and all of us.

[Political Tiger]

16. Every Democratic Party candidate who won

this year should be required to give Howard Dean a job!

[garybeck]

20. he should run for Governor of Vermont in 2 years. we need him back here n/t

[midnight]

21. Thanks Dr. Dean for keeping us going all these

dark, dark, dark, dark, years.

[1]

24. you have to love obama for not giving positions away to nutjobs...

god bless you, obama...

[GreenTea]

26. Cheers to the great Howard Dean - I know you'd never find work there...

Your description was made for you...your a television watching believer of whatever you are told....try learning something kid!

[cali]

27. you think Dean is a nutjob? You';re on the wrong website, dearie.

[MagickMuffin]

29. I think Dean was left out over the bitterness of the Democratic Primaries

Howard Dean stuck to the rules laid out by Terence McAuliffe when Terry was Chairman of the DNC and Howard has been screwed over because of it.

That's how I see this. It's too bad that the "Party" doesn't see the value of some of our Leaders.

[shintao]

30. Dean, Kerry, & Gore

It would have been nice to have Dean as Surgeon general, Kerry heading the pentagon, and Gore head of the environmental dept.

That combination would surely give us global warming!! LMAO!

[glinda]

35. I think Dean can re-enter running for President later on in the future.

I don't think he is done with Politics. Gore is better suited as keeping "separate" from the controls of Government. He has more clout that way and is not obligated to any structure. Kerry's position I am not sure of.

[karynnj]

39. Kerry is chair of the SFRC and is a senior Senator on the Finance and Commerce committee

SFRC and Finance are two of the most prestigious committees in the Senate. Kerry was just re-elected (with 2/3 rds of the vote), so he won't face re-election until 2014.

I don't think any of these men will run for President again - Obama will run in 2012.

[TWiley]

31. Gupta is the mystery ...... why not Dean?

Gupta is a dink. Howard Dean certainly understands the politics of medicine. He is eminently more qualified.

[western mass]

32. Because Obama's loyalties lie with the DLC...

and the corporate wing of the party?

Everything Obama has done (not *said*, but done) is consistent with this fact. The ongoing ability of liberals and progressives to convince themselves otherwise is truly amazing.

The continued surprise that meets each new example of this fact is dumbfounding.

[readmoreoften]

34. Yes. This was obvious before the election.

You could vote for the DLC devil you know or the DLC devil you didn't know who kept all his politics hidden. (Or the guy who was having an affair, or the 'unelectable' guy.)

[kentuck]

37. Pretty simple, actually...

Rahm Emanuel is his Chif of Staff. Rahm and Howard had a "difference of opinion" about the 50-state strategy and there is no love lost between the two.

[progressoid]

38. Yep, as soon as Rahm was in, the door closed on Dean. eom

[Pastiche423]

40. Fuck rahm

May. 08, 2007

"Emanuel had witnessed this struggle in Illinois, too: , the Daley protégé, is a regular who believes money and a disciplined organization win elections. He seemed to see Dean as a goo-goo, a good-government reformer with a base of liberal idealists who are more educated and individualistic than your average Democratic machine foot soldier, but less reliable when you need someone to hand out palm cards on Election Day. The machine has been paving over goo-goos since the 19th century. As a beery alderman once put it, "Chicago ain't ready for reform."

When Emanuel and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York met with Dean to ask him to shift money to congressional races, Emanuel mocked the former Vermont governor as a political lightweight from a tiny, rural, homogenous state. "No disrespect, but some of us are arrogant enough, we come from Chicago, we think we know what it means to knock on a door," Bendavid quotes Emanuel as telling Dean. Emanuel "slammed his hand on the table," then continued his tirade: "Look, Chuck comes from Brooklyn. I come from Chicago. It ain't Burlington, Vermont. Now, we understand that Burlington knows a lot about grassroots politics and we know nothing. I know your field plan -- it doesn't exist. I've gone around the country with these races. I've seen your people. There's no plan, Howard."

According to Bendavid, Emanuel left the room vowing not to be seen with Dean if the Democrats lost on Election Day. When Dean eventually offered $20,000 a race, Emanuel told him to fuck off. (Not literally -- although it's plausible.) Eventually, Dean ponied up a $12 million nationwide get-out-the-vote drive."

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/05/08/rahm_emanuel/print.html