Praise for Dean from unlikely places

May 30, 2005

I suspect the loudest grumbling in Dem circles when Howard Dean was named chairman of the DNC came from “blue” officials in “red” states. If you’re a party leader in, say, Wyoming, you already have a tough job — and having a perceived liberal from Vermont heading the party probably didn’t make the situation any easier.

And yet, four months later, Dean has not only proven to be a popular choice among progressive activists and bloggers, but is winning praise from those “red” state Dems who may have been most worried about his leadership.

Howard Dean’s plan to put more money into rebuilding Democratic organizations in Republican “red” states in the South, West and Midwest is winning cheers from state party leaders who say the new funding will make them more competitive in the elections next year. […]

When Mr. Dean, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman, announced earlier this year that he will begin pouring more of the committee’s campaign resources into Republican states to help Democrats hire more party organizers, there were doubts that it would make much of a difference.

But interviews with party chairmen whose states Mr. Dean picked for increased financial aid are singing his praises. Some even are criticizing previous party leaders for routinely writing off the red states before the election.

“The Republicans have been beating our brains out for too many years because of their greater ability in grass-roots organizing and a willingness to put more resources into that,” said [Nebraska Democratic Party Chairman Steven] Achelpohl, party chairman of one of eight red states that Mr. Dean has targeted for additional funding.

The first states Mr. Dean targeted were West Virginia, North Dakota, North Carolina and Missouri. He later added Nevada, Mississippi, Wyoming and Nebraska.

“Dean is committed to a restructuring of the Democratic Party. I don’t want to disparage [former DNC Chairman] Terry McAuliffe, but last year the DNC raised $400 million, and Nebraska’s share of that was $12,000,” Mr. Achelpohl said.

After taking the helm, Dean asked all state parties to submit plans on how they would rebuild their organizations. Several “red” states where Dean sees opportunities for gains have been given priority and are first in line for money that will hire state party organizers, conduct field training, and build voter lists. In other words, he’s building infrastructure in states where Dems need it most.

Who would have guessed some of Howard Dean’s biggest fans would be in Nebraska and West Virginia?

Mr. Dean?

DR. EVIL! I didn’t spend six years in evil medical school to be called ‘Mister’ thank you very much.

  • It’s so easy on a day to day basis to second guess guys like Dean and Reid but overall I’m sensing that an undercurrent of thoughtful intelligence and organization is trying to assert itself. The most effective strategizing won’t take place in full public view and results won’t happen overnight. With public acknowledgement and backing for the fine work being done by folks like Boxer, Conyers and Waxmen, plus the behind the scenes backbone stiffening and organizing by Dean and Reid, we have encouraging reasons to be optimistic.

  • Great news! A big YAAARRGGGH for Governor Dean!!!

    The status quo drove him crazy during the 2004 campaign. And he pointed right at the left-field fence when he took the DNC job, stating flatly that we can’t win national office by running a 10-state campaign, we need to run 50-state campaigns.

    A bigger problem with the stupid 10-state strategy is our horrific, dangerous, and unnecessary disadvantage in the Senate, where every state– red, blue, urban or rural– counts the same, and is of equal priority. No wonder Dean and Reid are on great terms; it’s a joy to see them working together towards a new Democratic majority. Reid gets to hold down the fort while under seige from Rethugs, while Dean gets to rebuild the supply lines and round up reinforcements for 2006.

    The Repugs know they’re in danger, that’s why they’re making desperate last-minute powergrabs for nuclear options, corporate-shill judges, sneaky legislation (like the disgusting national ID card rider), pushing for dismantling Social Security, etc. They know this is crunch time– not to say that their days are numbered quite yet, but they’re getting some competition now at a level they’ve never seen before, and are stepping up the fight.

  • I sure hope Arkansas will be added to that list soon. As Gen. Clark is likely to be a part of the 2008 ticket, Arkansas should be in play quickly.

  • Please put money not only in hiring people, but doing in depth research (the dreaded focus groups combined with quantitative backup) into those areas to find out what Democratic messages resonate well with voters – and be ready to hit hard and often.

    In Montana, “conservation” and “environmental policies” go over with hunters and fishermen, and gave the governor’s office to a Democrat in a very, very red state.

  • I think you’re right. All the snide comments from O’Reilly, Novak and others seem to me to be whistling past the graveyard. Of course the know-it-alls like Matthews and Broder agree because they have no clue about what is really going on. Or at least that is their public face. Remember when these same sources predicted disaster when Ron Brown became DNC Chair?

  • Way to go Gov, MD. As long as he keeps his mouth shut and stays away from controversy, he has the ability to be one of the best DNC chairmen. period. He did a great job as head of the Democratic Governor’s Association and he seems to have a knack for recruiting top notch candidates. (I can’t remeber who exactly he recruited, but I believe both Mark Warner and Bill Richardson were recruited and supported during his watch).

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