A lot of us have been wondering what happened to the Democrats after the 2008 election. After adding control of the executive branch to control of the Congress and the Senate, the Democrats seemed poised for enacting some truly landmark legislation. We had 60 votes in the Senate. We had a president who won by an overwhelming majority, on an extremely popular agenda of change. Yet almost immediately the kowtowing and capitulation to the Republican agenda and noise machine began. Even before Obama was sworn in, Pelosi and Reid both sent FISA bills to the floor that contained immunity for the telecoms involved in spying on innocent Americans, against the wishes of our president-elect. Did they think the Republicans wouldn't notice that the Democratic leadership was already playing defense.
Sadly, this pattern has continued. While people can applaud health care reform, and financial reform, I think they'd be lying to themselves if they claimed these reforms did what was expected when they were proposed. So what happened? How did the Democrats go from having this huge momentum for enacting monumental change in the face of a nation that was hurting economically from 30 years of Republican economic policies, and hurting psychically from endless and needless wars, to legislating on egg shells?
I think it's obvious what happened. They lost their spine, or to put it more accurately; they kicked their spine to the curb. Now people can claim that Howard Dean resigned as head of the DNC, but I think most of us know better. I have no doubt that many of the same Democratic operatives who were responsible for the back room dealing that gave Kerry the party's nomination for president in 2004, also worked to push him out.
This administration needs Howard Dean. We need Howard Dean. He's not just a winner, he's a fighter. How is it possible that there's no place for the person whose tactical brilliance led us to electoral victory and control of all the legislative branches in 2006 and 2008? How is it possible that there's no place of power in this administration for the architect of the strategy which led President Obama to overwhelming victory?
I truly believe that if Howard Dean had Rahm Emanuel's job that this administration would have avoided a lot of the gaffes it's made in handling the media. Howard Dean has no illusions about what Fox News and the Republican Noise Machine are about. Howard Dean wouldn't worry about getting 'in front' of Fox News' phony stories. He would obliterate them and their porcine progenitors into so much bacon. If Howard Dean was Chief of Staff, I suspect the main story in the press for the last 3 days would have been Michael Steele cooking the RNC's books and trying to hide $7 million in debt. Right now he's getting a free pass.
President Obama; You need Howard Dean. You can't act above it all, yet constantly allow yourself to be brought into these media created frays. You need a fighter out there to do this. Every day. That person is Howard Dean. A winner. A fighter. A Democrat.