All the Republicans' bluster about Dean's liabilities is, IMHO, not more than a mask--at least among any truly savvy poitical operatives--for a real fear of the potential Dean has to revolutionize and inspire the Democrats.
This column from Conservative writer Thomas Lindaman I dug up from a few days ago makes my point better than anything else I've read.
Conservatives and Republicans have been licking their chops at the prospect of a Dean chairmanship, but I would urge a bit of caution here. Howard Dean has the potential to be the Democrats' version of Newt Gingrich, and if we overlook the potential impact he will have on the Democrats as a whole, we could see a Democrat Revolution in the near future, possibly as soon as 2006.
Granted, I've taken more than a few shots at Dean in my columns, but behind the scenes I've grown to respect him. He is not a typical modern Democrat by any stretch of the imagination. Instead of focusing on short term personal political goals, he sees a bright future for his party if Democrats are willing to follow him.
And personally, I think he has the ability to do it.
This has been my thinking exactly. There was a big todo over on the conservative blogs about Dean's statement that he essentially hated Republicans and everything they stood for. Now I'll grant you that continuing that sort of rhetoric won't get us very far. Nevertheless, I think that someone who could make a statement like that could go a long way toward inspiring the Democratic base and toward ending the idea Americans seem to have developed since the Clinton years that Democrats are more interested in positioning than principle. Anyone whose read Brock's Republican Noise Machine would be stunned at kind of things Gingrich used say about Democrats. Dean's statement was light compared to the kind of vitriol Gringrich used to have.
Lindaman goes on.
Dean made his mark on the 2004 Presidential campaign early by raising a lot of money through the use of the Internet. We're talking loose change found under Bill Gates's couch cushions money here. And more importantly, it wasn't the Bill Gates-types in the Democratic Party doing the donating. It was John and Joan Q. Public donating. Think about that for a moment. All the fundraising ability of Terry McAuliffe, but without the inability to strategize election victories.
Exactly. Anyone who thinks Dean isn't suited for the DNC Chair job fails to understand the original rationale for his candidacy: the fact that the current structure of the party base was essentially created by Dean's presidential campaign. There's no one more qualified and more deserving than Dean.
Something else to think about with a Dean DNC chairmanship is the impact on the party as a whole. Dean has maintained his popularity among Democrats in spite of his "meltdown," which is a testament to his ability to make and maintain lasting connections. The Democrats as of late have had a hard time keeping traditionally Democrat-leaning voters on their side of the field. This failure has given George W. Bush the chance to reach out for these voters and get more than a few of them. And the Democrat leadership paid no attention to this in favor of being flaks for Michael Moore conspiracy theories flimsier than a wet toilet paper nightie.
Dean energized voters young and old and made them believe in the party again. This one factor cannot be overlooked if the Republicans want to maintain any kind of momentum in the future. And if he can recapture the magic he had prior to the Iowa Caucuses, it will create a seismic shift in the Democrat power balance. And it is necessary. The leadership has served the party as well as Ben Affleck's agent has served his client over the past couple of years. Currently, it seems Democrats are using pre-9/11 politics in a post-9/11 world, and it has hurt them. A change of leaders, especially if it's Dean, will bring about the change needed to make Democrats relevant again.
Ouch. Cute.
Well, you know I never a very big fan of Gephart and Daschle anyway.
In either case, conservatives and Republicans shouldn't write off Howard Dean for DNC Chair just yet. He's bringing a lot to the table that can hurt the Republicans if not countered or diminished in some way. And if he wins, the Democrats will become a force in politics again.
Couldn't have said it better myself.