Anna pointed out in a recent post that the Obama campaign benefited from the vision that DNC Chairman, Howard Dean first formulated for the Democratic Party when Dean himself was a presidential candidate in 2004. Obama’s successful 50 state strategy, fashioned after Dean’s bold vision, which bore fruit with wins in Indiana, N. Carolina, Colorado, Nevada and to some extent also Ohio and New Mexico, has put new spring in the steps of the old Democratic Party. While we are celebrating Obama’s historic victory and admiring his streamlined campaign, let us also remember Dr. Dean, an honest and hardworking party chairman who is a far cry from previous chairmen like Terry McAuliffe who were more political fat cats than visionaries.
It makes me sad that the DNC and Howard Dean have received few public kudos from the media and other Democrats for the D-party’s success in Tuesday’s elections. A DNC memo reminds fellow Democrats that Dean’s quiet hard work behind the scenes played a significant role in boosting Obama’s already impeccable organization and strategy. The old establishment Democratic Party has ignored and even derided Dean’s devotion and zeal. Now with the stunning success at the ballot box, may be they will take him more seriously. Also, I am hoping that the Obama administration will turn to progressive, cutting edge, serious and idealistic Democrats like Dean for advice rather than engage the help of opportunistic, ego driven triangulators of the Clinton era.
Accidental Blogger 
2 responses to “Give credit where credit is due”
Thank you for this post. I respect Dean a lot and trust that he believes in the same progressive values that I care about.
And I too worry that with the Emmanuel appointment, the Obama admin is being taken over by the DLC corporatists.
LikeLike
Hi Nandini, long time no see – how have you been?
Yes, I too am not clear about the direction that Obama has in mind for the country and the Democratic Party. Emanuel was a Clinton operative but he was also a close friend of Obama’s and remained neutral during the primaries out of loyalty to both Obama and Hillary. There were many ex-Clintonites on Obama’s campaign team and there are likely to be some in his administration. However, these are all Democrats who are disillusioned with the Clintons and therefore not likely to support a pro-Clinton agenda. That said, if Obama really wants to change the political conversation, he would do well to marshal the support of smart and principled Democrats like Howard Dean and not just the establishment power brokers.
Dr. Dean will soon step down from his role as the DNC chairperson. The Dems would like to keep him on, now that they have won elections in places they never expected to win. The nay sayers including Rahm Emmanuel, have belatedly recognized the wisdom of his bold vision. But party rules don’t allow a chairperson to continue after the term runs out. Hopefully, we will see Dean in some significant role in the new administration. Some have speculated that Obama will appoint him the secretary of Health and Human Services. Not a bad thing, especially if Obama is serious about making some useful progress on the health care front.
LikeLike