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Thread: Howard Dean on the 'stump' as DNC chairman

  1. #26
    Veteran Member Lurker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howard Dean on the 'stump' as DNC chairman

    I think you guys may be missing the point...chairman of the DNC is NOT a high-profile position. The reason it's big news that Dean is taking the post is because it's HOWARD DEAN who is taking it...If he was doing something else (anything else) in the political realm, that would also have been news.

    Quick check of the accuracy of that above statement--name one chairman of either the DNC or RNC from the 1990s. I can't (without Google). Maybe one of you can.

    Another quick check--who's the RNC Chairman? Ed Mehlman (big name, huh?). He's the third one in as many years. Dean may or may not even be DNC chair in 2008.

    I'll say it again--the Dems aren't putting Dean in this post with the goal of making him a national figure. He's a national figure who they are trying to neutralize for 2008, and this is a sensible way to do it. And the idea that the Republicans are going to raise lots of money because LOOK AT THE WACK JOB THE DEMOCRATS HAVE CHAIRING THEIR NATIONAL COMMITTEE is absurd--as if Joe Republican gives a crap about which chair various politicos are sitting in. They'll have much lower-hanging fruit.

    TL, I agree with our right-wing friends. The Republicans aren't scared of Dean--they love him. They don't think he's electable. Just like Democrats love Pat Robertson (or love how he makes Republican leaders squirm).

    EDIT: Well, "neutralize" is too strong...They want him to use his strengths (appeal to the Dem faithful, fundraising savvy) where they make the most impact, while minimizing his potential to be a lightning rod for derision.
    Last edited by Lurker; 02-18-2005 at 09:21 AM. Reason: Neutralize? Too strong...EEK! And egregious grammatical error!
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  2. #27
    Moderator Djoser's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howard Dean on the 'stump' as DNC chairman

    A most interesting post, Lurker...
    You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star.
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    Free your mind, and your ass will follow.
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    Default Re: Howard Dean on the 'stump' as DNC chairman

    Quick check of the accuracy of that above statement--name one chairman of either the DNC or RNC from the 1990s. I can't (without Google). Maybe one of you can
    You've got to be kidding ! Terry McAuliffe certainly brought a good share of fame (or infamy depending on which side of the aisle you read the news from) to the Clinton DNC.

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    Banned Melonie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howard Dean on the 'stump' as DNC chairman

    With today's passage of GWB's first Tort Reform bill, THE major source of Democratic political contributions, i.e. class action suit law firms who were previously able to extract billions in settlements and legal fees from corporations, has potentially seen their 'golden goose' killed. As a result, it's very probable that Democrats are going to be forced to turn in different directions for political funding in the future. This may have been a fairly large factor in Howard Dean's ascension to DNC chairman.

    from

    (snip)"Keep in mind that class action litigators, with their billions a year appropriated from wealth-producers, are a key element of the Democratic Party financial base. Nobody is going to be moving from Persian-carpeted suites in high rises into the poorhouse in the next few months, but the prospect of multi-billion dollar class action settlements replenishing the ample coffers of predatory law firms is diminished, which means that future "investments" in Democrat contributions will be less generous."

    (snip)"Their inability even to slow down the passage of a bill devastating for one of their core constituencies is sending a loud message to other members of the band of special interests which comprise the bulk of today’s Democratic Party. The abortion advocates, noticing a sudden willingness of certain Democrats to welcome the voices of those with qualms about unlimited access to fetus-killing, have got to be worried. Labor unions, with their continuously-shrinking share of the labor force, and dependent on federal legislation for their ability to require such members as remain to fork over monthly tribute in the form of “dues” (most of which are now spent on political contributions, not on representing workers in the bargaining process), must be wondering if they are next. Why bother raising and donating tens of millions of dollars every year if it buys you no protection? That money might be better spent on organizing efforts.

    There is one force at hand to replace the money of the old-fashioned interest groups: the internet-powered loony left, currently backing new DNC Chairman Howard Dean. (boldface added for emphasis) The grown-ups among the Dems can take no comfort from this prospect, though. Dean, himself, is a spotlight-loving loose cannon, who has already made himself look mean and foolish with a racially-tinged remark intended to disparage the GOP as the party of white guys, but which also rests on an image of blacks as bellboys, chambermaids, and janitors. The culture of taking offense at such casual bigotry is well-enough established that there is a price to pay for such reckless stereotyping.

    Coming from lily-white Vermont, and veteran of an unsuccessful presidential campaign notable for its absence of blacks in any meaningful roles, there is no reason for Dean to have developed the instincts necessary to cover-up a condescending view of minorities as victims who need the help of patricians born and bred in Park Avenue triplexes. Dean is a quick study, so maybe he will develop skills in this realm, overcoming the training and experience of a lifetime. But his mass of followers are another matter entirely. They are committed to a mindless oppositionism, and the politics of self-expression as a remedy to their own dissatisfactions in life."(snip)

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    Featured Member Destiny's Avatar
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    Default Re: Howard Dean on the 'stump' as DNC chairman

    Quote Originally Posted by Lurker
    I think you guys may be missing the point...chairman of the DNC is NOT a high-profile position. The reason it's big news that Dean is taking the post is because it's HOWARD DEAN who is taking it...If he was doing something else (anything else) in the political realm, that would also have been news.
    It's traditionally been a low profile job. What people are saying is that they don't believe Howard Dean intends to keep a low profile in it.

    I'll say it again--the Dems aren't putting Dean in this post with the goal of making him a national figure. He's a national figure who they are trying to neutralize for 2008, and this is a sensible way to do it. And the idea that the Republicans are going to raise lots of money because LOOK AT THE WACK JOB THE DEMOCRATS HAVE CHAIRING THEIR NATIONAL COMMITTEE is absurd--as if Joe Republican gives a crap about which chair various politicos are sitting in. They'll have much lower-hanging fruit.
    I remember when reading an article back when Clinton was president. In it, liberals were complaining about how hard it was to raise money for their causes. The basic thrust of the article was that when Reagan was president money poured in to abortion-rights, environmental and civil-rights organizations. However, with "their guy" in the White House, liberal donors just didn't see the need to give. Never underestimate the role fear plays in politics. I can guarantee you that Howard Dean's more radical statements will be used to keep the conservatives stirred up and giving their money.
    Dancing is wonderful training for girls, it's the first way you learn to guess what a man is going to do before he does it. ~Christopher Morley, Kitty Foyle

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