Is Howard Dean the DNC Chair We Need?

Where to go now is the question of the hour for Democrats?  We have a solid base to build on with nearly half of the country on our side last Tuesday, but how do we move the next 5% to our side?  These are some basic and broad routes that come to mind, 1.) move more to the political center, 2.) continue to build our base with registration and education and 3.) wait for the Republicans to make a mess of things.

Moving to the political center is how Clinton won election in 1992.  Through his leadership of the DLC he forged a Democratic agenda that addressed basic core Democratic Party values and included things for moderate/centrist Americans of both parties.

Another move is to stay the course and continue to build upon our recent gains in young voters and new voters.  We know that the vast majority of Americans that do not participate in the electoral process are likely to vote Democratic.  The trick is to find the issues that energize them to enter into the process.

The last of the three is the default plan.  Democrats don’t get it together, some go to the left and some go to the right, while still others do nothing, but Bush and the Republicans in firm control of both the House and Senate put the nation on a path that offends the sensibilities of so many Americans that they are ready to elect anyone other than another Republican.

The first test of where the party is headed will come with the election of a Chairman of the DNC.  The most interesting name that has popped up is Howard Dean.  Dean clearly is a path two kind of Democratic Party Chairman.  There can be no doubt that selecting him will come with controversy.  There are some who think he is unstable, (not true), but on the other hand he clearly energized the party to stand up for what we believe in and his campaign revolutionized campaigning for ever more.

Early next year the roughly 240 members of the DNC will elect a Chair.  Be it Dean or someone else, the path the party will take over the next four years will begin to take shape.  If you care about this here is a list of 13 DNC members that went to the convention representing Illinois at the 2004 Democratic National Convention:

Willie Barrow	Chicago, IL
Margaret Blackshere	Niles, IL
Joseph Cari	Chicago, IL
Hon. Cardiss Collins	Alexandria, VA
Maria Garcia	Aurora, IL
Hon. Constance Howard	Chicago, IL
Hon. Thomas Hynes	Chicago, IL
Hon. Emil Jones	Chicago, IL
Thomas Lakin	Wood River, IL
Hon. Michael Madigan	Springfield, IL
Hon. Iris Martinez	Chicago, IL
Hon. John Rednour	DuQuoin, IL
Edward Smith	Springfield, IL

I believe there are 15 members, but I am not sure who the other two representing Illinois are.

Comments

[Need Some Wood]

Although most people voted for Bush, if you ask people what they think of Bush's policies most people are against them. The solution is not to do what the Democratic "leadership" council says and make the policies of the Democratic party even more like the policies of the Republicans, because people did not vote for those policies. People voted for the candidate they were most comfortable with. Voters were not comfortable with Kerry because he never stood for anything, and they had no idea what would happen if he was elected. He spent too much time with his finger in the air, testing the political winds and dancing left or right, and not enough time energizing the Democratic base and holding Bush accountable for his lack of anything but scandals to show for the past 4 years.

Kerry got what he deserved. Let's not forget that it was Kerry who smeared Dean in Iowa to advance his own ambition. Kerry is just the kind of self interested politician people are sick of. Those who supported him did so out of fear and disgust of Bush, not enthusiasm for Kerry. He lost because not quite enough people could hold their noses to vote for him. We need a candidate who stands for traditional Democratic values, and isn't afraid to say so! Someone with a proven record who will get voters excited about clean, responsible government, and give them a reason to vote. That would be Howard Dean. I hope he won't run for the DNC chairmanship, because we need him as our nominee in 2008!!