The story out of Iowa is that Tom Harkin thinks Governor Vilsack will be the next DNC chair.
DES MOINES -- U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin predicted Wednesday that Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack will be picked to lead the Democratic National Committee, citing what he contends is growing support for Vilsack among party leaders.
Harkin, D-Iowa, said Vilsack has the support of U.S. Sen. Dick Durban, D-Illinois, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the party's 2004 presidential nominee.
Earlier this week Vilsack received strong backing from newly elected Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada.
"He's getting more and more support as the days go by," Harkin told Iowa reporters on a conference call. "And I think he's going to be our next Democratic national chair."
Let's remember that Sen. Harkin endorsed Howard Dean towards the end of the primaries (probably for selfish reasons rather than a strong belief in Dean), so there are a few different ways we can look at Harkin's move to back Gov. Vilsack of Iowa for DNC Chair.
- Harkin is endorsing Vilsack because he's from his homestate and probably knows him really well. (very likely)
- He's backing Gov. Vilsack for DNC Chair because he wants Howard Dean to run for president in 2008.(unlikely)
- Sen. Harkin like Kerry, Reid, Pelosi etc. want to go with a very safe, "red-leaning state" type of guy. This goes with the theory that a Democrat can't win on core Democratic values but only with a nuanced moderately right wing platform.
(unfortunately, still the case)
Harkin contends Vilsack is an appealing option for a party searching for a fresh voice in the wake of stinging Election Day defeats. The four-term senator argues Democrats should look outside Washington for leadership.
"I think that having a Tom Vilsack as the head of our party would say to people around the country...we're now going outside, we're going out to the heartland of America to re-establish some of our bases. That would be a good signal," Harkin said.
I don't even know what Harkin is talking about when he says "re-establishing" with our base? What he really means is appealing to right-wing Republicans. All this talk by the Democrats is a direct result of Kerry losing the election (which was a very close election with possible fraud in Florida and Ohio) and now the Washington Dems want to dump the progressive platform and appeal to G.W. Bush voters.
Wake Up DNC! Kerry didn't lose the election because the platform was poor, but because Kerry was a nuanced and ineffective salesperson with a poor legislative record. Bill Clinton would have won in a landslide on the same platform. On top of that, many Americans look at the personality and conviction of a candidate more than the platform. Bush ran as a right-winger who took strong stands on his positions. Bush's stands on Stem Cell research and the Assault Weapons Ban pushed him out of the mainstream. But one thing I heard a lot from moderate Conservatives was "You might not agree with everything Bush says but at least you know where he stands."
Schwarzenegger got a roaring applause at the GOP convention. A politican who's more liberal than many Democrats with his support for Stem Cell Research, Civil Unions, Gay adoption Rights, Gun Control and Abortion Rights. But he takes strong stands on issues and can defend his views with common sense rhetoric.
Right now the DNC needs to energize the party from the grassroots and create a farm system of candidates which will run in local and state elections (those will then run in bigger national elections). The DNC needs more activism at the local level to continue the energy that was present during the 2004 election. Much like what Howard Dean's Democracy For America is doing. From what I can tell Gov. Vilsack isn't that type grassroots organizer. Hell he couldn't even deliver his own state for Kerry.
I'm still hoping for a Dean presidential run in 2008 so I'm reluctant to have him be the DNC chair but there are many others like Dean who would make a better DNC Chair than Vilsack.