Politics: Chairman Dean!
Looks like Dean has obtained the necessary pledges to place him in the seat for next DNC Chair. And I'm ecstatic. Rosenberg has dropped out and pledged support to Dean. Fowler hasn't yet, but is expected to do so sometime in the next week. Results on February 12!
Why is this good? At the least, Dean has the voice and the attitude to create the appearance of a united front in the Democratic Party. Soon, we will have a national base leading new democratic initiatives--at a particularly sensitive time I might add, as Bush seeks to spend his newfound political capital on Social Security privatization. Dean will be breathing fire in a few short weeks, and I can't wait!
3 comments:
now if we can just keep Uncle Howard out of the media radar... although Fox will probably have a camera on him 24/7...
In light of this comment, I wasn't expecting you to cheer this development.
How do you feel about these critiques: "[Other Democrats] 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 postelection soul-searching had determined the Democrats needed to play down (e.g., its liberal stance on cultural issues and its weakness on national security). "
I think Dean's effectiveness will be tied to his ability to stay out of the limelight. He's shown amazing ability to be a fundraiser, and that's largely what the DNC chair role has been in the past.
The problem with Dean has never been so much of his opinions (save the Iraq war), but how easily he makes it for the Right to make fun of him. I've never heard anybody on TV talk about Howard Dean the fiscal moderate. It's Howard Dean the crazy angry guy.
Any guy that says in his speeches openly that he doesn't understand why people vote against their own interests for the sake "guns, gays, and abortions" isn't really a big tent sort of guy. Luckily, the DNC chair probably doesn't need to be... he only needs to keep the party together and keep the cash flowing. Moderate dems weren't going anywhere. But liberal dems were getting increasingly alienated from the party.
So Dean's risky, sure. But I'm not that confident that more-of-the-same was going to get the Democratic party any progress either.
The best part of the whole thing is that Dean won't be running in 2008 :)
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