While there was nothing new in the content of what the DNC chair candidates said on Saturday, there really is nothing quite like seeing a group of candidates in person without the media filter and spin. For those of us in the DrivingVotes.org group that had never attended something like this, it was certainly worth the trip to midtown. And for many of us, it solidified our position that Howard Dean's core message is the future of our party.

For those curious about what one of these things looks like, I have posted some pictures HERE

Others on this site have covered the details of the opening statements and Q&A pretty well. But I'll throw in my two cents...

• Martin Frost: He may be getting a raw deal from many of us on the left, but if you really want a loud, conservative Texan obsessed with national security, there are plenty of them to satisfy you in the other party. His strong assertion that "Democrats love God too" is true of many of us, but met with catcalls from some of the more exhuberant atheists in the crowd.
• Wellington Webb: A very pleasant surprise for those of us who didn't know much about him. He supported Dean in the primary and that tells you what you need to know about his dedication to core Democratic values. And if we're serious about being the party of inclusion, we couldn't go wrong with having a qualified, inspiring and pragmatic African-American as the chair of the party.
• Howard Dean: The appearance was vintage Dean and sounds as clear and relevant as it did a year ago. I'd love to see him make another run for President (with Wes Clark as VP). But if I can't have that, DNC chair would work for me.
• Simon Rosenberg: Not as gripping a speaker as Webb or Dean, but I agree with others in the blogosphere that he's someone who "gets it." His bold call to bump IA and NH out of the lead primary slots should win major points with anyone not from IA or NH. Seems to be everyone's favorite 2nd choice.
• Donnie Fowler, Jr.: Long on clever rhetorical devices. Short on specifics. His overplaying of the debate on delegates appointed by the chair as a personal attack was a completely unnecessary distraction.
• Tim Roemer: The last dying gasp of the DLC. His comment about a "Special interest group dictating our party's position on choice," was perhaps the most spine-tingling moment of the morning. While it would be great to be able to diffuse the abortion issue, selling out your base and shattering the lives of millions of women seems like a pretty draconian step. The guy plays right into the Republican "frames" and I'd say that's a sure ticket to permanent minority status.
• David Leland: Seems like a good guy, although the pacing of his statement was kinda weak. He concluded with a really excellent list of Democratic achievements in the 20th century, but most of us are more concerned with the present and future than the past.

The afternoon session featured the only public discussion of the campaign featuring the candidates for Vice Chair. While this session was much more sparsely attended than the morning, I suspect that this group gave a much better picture of what is really bubbling in the bureaucratic layer between the much-vaunted grassroots and the high-visibility leadership.

Almost no one was in the room for the penultimate presentation of the day by Rob Engel, discussing what went wrong with the numbers in '04. But it was perhaps the key to the future of the party. The '04 strategy was based on Turnout. Since Democrats held a statistical advantage in party affiliation, if they could manage to beat the Republicans in turnout, we could win. But, obviously, that wasn't enough. Since the country is now pretty much evenly divided, the only way to win in the future will be to attract new voters to the party. So the future will be won on Message.

In that light, Dean summed up what seems to be a growing consensus. We need to elect Democratic Secretaries of State and County Clerks to regain a fair voting process. And after eight years of what may be the least competent presidency in our nation's history, America will want a change. To be able to address that hunger, we need to be the party of reform.