We interrupt the Dean-is-the-inevitable-DNC-chair narrative with word that the frontrunner has hit his first real speed bump.
In a sign of resistance to Howard Dean’s bid to lead the Democratic Party, the executive board of the Association of State Democratic Chairs recommended on Sunday that the association endorse one of Dr. Dean’s rivals, Donnie Fowler Jr. of South Carolina.
The recommendation, to be voted on by the entire association on Monday, reflected turmoil among Democrats as Dr. Dean seeks to portray his election on Feb. 12 by the Democratic National Committee as inevitable, and his opponents move to rally around a candidate to block him.
This may or may not have a lasting impact. The ASDC’s executive committee backed Fowler with a “recommendation” — which the association may ultimately reject. Still, after Dean had picked up support from five state chairs in recent weeks, the ASDC result has to be seen as a setback and a 11th-hour boost for Fowler, who up until now, has been seen as a second-tier challenger for the post.
On a related note, I’ve been hearing a lot lately about the notion that the Clintons are not only hoping to orchestrate the DNC chair race, but also that they are actively seeking to undermine Howard Dean’s chances. I wanted to take a moment, as long as we’re on the subject, to explain why I think this isn’t true.
The idea is that the Clintons have never really liked Dean, are jealous of his army of supporters, and are threatened by his leadership abilities. Or something like that. Rumors have been circulating for weeks that the Clintons are quietly letting party leaders know that they don’t want Dean to be the chairman and are directing loyalists accordingly.
If the rumors are true, the Clintons’ loyalists don’t take direction very well.
* Steve Grossman is a long-time friend of the Clintons (Bill even campaigned with Grossman when he unsuccessfully ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002.) Nevertheless, Grossman is a key Dean supporter.
* David Wilhelm was the national campaign manager for Clinton in 1992, and he, too, has endorsed Dean for the DNC job.
* Minyon Moore, a longtime DNC member and former aide to Bill Clinton, came out in favor of Dean.
* And late last week, Harold Ickes, one of the Clintons’ closest allies and someone who considered seeking the DNC post himself, announced his support for Dean.
Harold Ickes, a leading Democratic activist and former aide to President Clinton, said Friday he is backing Howard Dean to be chairman of the Democratic National Committee giving a powerful boost to the front-runner.
“I think all the candidates who are running have strong attributes, but Dean has more of the attributes than the others,” said Ickes, who considered running for chairman himself before dropping out in early January. “Many people say Howard Dean is a northeastern liberal, he is progressive, but his tenure as governor of Vermont was that of a real moderate.”
If the Clintons are pulling the anti-Dean strings behind the scenes, they’re doing a ridiculously bad job of it. Maybe now the rumors can stop?