I'm always very skeptical of rhetoric that follows the line of "those guys in power" have to understand what "we, out here" want.
And finally, why are you so upset that Reid and Pelosi want to see more resources devoted to the Senate and House wings of the party? Where do you think it should be going instead?
What precisely are our goals here? If its to win elections, then lets focus on what it is that each of the candidates is proposing about how we do that. If its to show how "we" on the "net" have had enough of "DC" then, well, I'm not sure what that means or why anyone other than those who like to see themselves as angry, marginalized purists who won't put up with compromise from some ill-defined "core beliefs".
Look, I'm no "insider" and have no brief for anyone. I am hoping, though, to see a Democratic Party that can speak to people were I live -- socially conservative, populist minded, working-class, distrustful of republicans but wondering if the Democratic party is really anything other than the caricature of itself. If Tim Roemer can do that, what do I care what he's said in the past about social security or abortion? He's not going to be making policy as DNC chair; he's going to be raising money, organizing, speaking.
Out here in "red state" America, we're going to be organizing hard to try to win some races in 2006 -- and be in a better position for 2008. To do that, we need to stop losing single-issue voters who misunderstand what the democrat party stands for.
If Howard Dean can reach these folks, great; but I've seen no evidence whatsover that people see him as anything other than an east-coast elitist son of privilege who's greatest priorities are gay marriage and acting silly on tv. I know Dean is much more than this, thats why I worked for, dontaed to and supported his campaign in the primaries.
But I still don't see how he brings us any closer to being able to catch up to the republicans in fund-raising, organization or ability to frame issues.
My sense is that all the energy and creativity of the Dean campaign is precisely what the Democratic Party needs, but we don't have the luxury of repaying Dean for being in the right place at the right time last fall. We need to take that energy, that creativity and some of those methods and graft it onto a winning message.
Thats different from a message that moves me personally, as Dean did.
We need someone, like Clinton, who can build that message into something that speaks far beyond the Democratic "base."
As I said before, I'd be delighted if I felt Dean was the guy who could do that, but I don't know anyone active in politics out here (in NV) who really ever believed Dean's personality or positions could win this state.
