MyDD :: Primer on Party Unity for Democrats

Primer on Party Unity for Democrats

by Renee in Ohio, Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 09:54:01 AM EST

Great diary from last night, but it's not on the recommended list, and no longer visible on the main page, so please check it out, and recommend and/or share it if you feel so inclined. I didn't write it (it's by My Philosophy) but I wish I did.

To Dem Leaders: The Grassroots Support Dean, Party Unity

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/8/21410/62269

Ultimately, in this current episode of party in-fighting, the netroots come down to these key points that party leaders should note:

1. PERHAPS Dean should have been more careful in his wording, and spoken the truth in a more palliative form. But it was all the truth, so you can't disagree too much with it, except around the edges... Unless, of course, you are a white christian trust-fund republican trying to put a "we are diverse like America" middle-class facade on your party, painting the pig, as it were. For them to disagree is expected and should be treated as such.

2. Regardless of Dean's statements there was NO JUSTIFICATION AT ALL for other Democrats publicly criticizing him for it (and helping the Republicans). The correct answer for Democrats to the media in these kinds of situations are: A. "No comment," or B. "I think what Dean was trying to say is...<insert Dem talking point here>." The former allows you to avoid the question until you have become informed about the quote and will probably be used a lot when something is first brought up in the press and/or first becomes and issue. The second option assumes you are informed and have your party talking-point ready on it. And that talking point doesn't criticize the party, but shifts the dialogue to the issue at hand, ie. the core MESSAGE, not the MESSENGER. This applies to any messenger, not just Howard Dean.

Some more diaries worth checking out (and please add links in the comments to any I may have missed).

Where was the outrage when Hannity, Rush or Coulter Said....UPDATED

Here's just a taste of what that diary has to offer...

FOX's Dick Morris: "[T]here never will be any" moderate Muslim voices

On FOX, Tony Blankley called Soros "a Jew who figured out a way to survive the Holocaust"

Gingrich: George Soros "wants to spend $75 million defeating George W. Bush because Soros wants to legalize heroin"

I think there are server issues on Kos today, so it may not be easy to access these diaries, but at least the links are here so that people can check back later.

Democratic Leaders Standing With Dean
Also, if you haven't seen these yet, don't forget to check out: Action Alert: We've got Dean's back

Obama thinks Dean is dividing by religion. Includes contact information so that you can remind Sentator Obama that he shouldn't bite the hand that helped him get elected.

And I just found the following on Democratic Underground: Comments from RNC Chairman and others. Talk about Hate Speach?

Topic change alert...
DemocracyFest 2005: If you have set up a page to post DemFest photos, or a page where you will be blogging about DemFest, please post the link here. Some DemFest plans have also been posted in the threads here and here.

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Permalink :: 19 Comments :: Post a Comment

Crazy Like A Fox (2.50 / 2)

This dkos diary got over 500 comments, Howard Dean is Crazy Like A Fox.

I put up a comment sampler if your browser starts dragging at around 300 comments.

The Pie Fight diaries may be a similar problem. I still haven't figured out how people can be so offended by female cleavage, but it indicates there are Janet Jackson breast problems on the left as well as the right.

Years ago I was castigated for paying a woman the compliment of being a "real lady." I had no idea I was "objectifying" anyone by paying them a compliment. It has something to do with putting women on a pedestal.

Oh well. Hopefully the last Pie Fight diary is sliding down the page, but no matter which side of the Pie Fight moral divide you are on, I think Mr. Markos Tear Down This Wall is PC hyperbole at its worst.

FWIW, at the risk of objectifying women and offending delicate PC sensibilities, I have also been known to open the door for a lady. I hope that doesn't destroy my progressive credentials. Do they have a progressive credentials committee that has meetings on these things? Do I get a hearing or is it a secret conclave?

Great diary Renee.

by Gary Boatwright on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 11:05:10 AM EST

Best diary on the subject (3.00 / 1)

Thanks for bringing it up here, Renee.

by cChalfonte on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 01:48:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Lame (none / 0)

Because I doubt you could have been more sexist or dismissive if you'd tried.

by Drew on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 10:39:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

While Obama was sleeping........ (3.00 / 1)

At least, he must have been if he believes Dean is "dividing by religion".

Did he not notice the extreme-right-wing religious movements' involvement in the anti-gay marriage issues on the ballots? Did he miss the whole Terri Schiavo thing? Hasn't he heard about the 2000 "Patriot Pastors" here in Ohio pushing to get Ken Blackwell elected as Governor?

Dean didn't make any religious division, he simply noted the one that already exists.

by SusanD on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 02:31:59 PM EST

Re: While Obama was sleeping........ (none / 0)

Obama too? Ludicrous. The Democratic party really needs to start being at least as critical of Republicans as they are of the DNC Chair. Or even as critical as Sen. Danforth was. A Russert quote from MTP:

"By a series of recent initiatives, Republicans have transformed our party into the political arm of conservative Christians. The elements of this transformation have included advocacy of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, opposition to stem cell research involving both frozen embryos and human cells in petri dishes, and the extraordinary effort to keep Terri Schiavo hooked up to a feeding tube. Standing alone, each of these initiatives has its advocates, within the Republican Party and beyond. But the distinct elements do not stand alone. Rather they are parts of a larger package, an agenda of positions common to conservative Christians and the dominant wing of the Republican Party. ... As a senator, I worried every day about the size of the federal deficit. I did not spend a single minute worrying about the effect of gays on the institution of marriage. Today it seems to be the other way around."

Russert: That's pretty strong. Republicans have become the political arm of Christian conservatives. That's John Danforth.

That's exactly what Dean was saying. For those who still want to criticize Dean's precise wording, diction and enunciation, how much media time did Danforth's criticism get? Russert's show was the first I had heard of it.

Maybe I missed Obama's comments on how religiously divisive Tom DeLay and Dobbins are.

by Gary Boatwright on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 02:46:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Truth is not a defense (none / 0)

But it was all the truth, so you can't disagree too much with it, except around the edges...

Everything Dean says should be for effect and purpose to achieve a goal. Statements that distract, hinder or harm the effort to achieve the goal should be avoided. Truth, no matter how true the statement may be, is no exemption if harm was caused.

(BTW, saying GOP voters don't have a problem standing in lines because they never hold honest jobs isn't the truth.)

by Steve in Sacto on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 03:34:41 PM EST

Re: Truth is not a defense (none / 0)

(BTW, saying GOP voters don't have a problem standing in lines because they never hold honest jobs isn't the truth.)

Good talking point Steve. Did you pick it up from Rush or Hannity?

by Gary Boatwright on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 08:31:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Truth is not a defense (none / 0)

No, Gary, it was rather self-evident. You might try taking the blinders off...

by Steve in Sacto on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 02:21:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Truth is a defense (none / 0)

What is self evident is that you prefer Rush and Hannity's Republican cronyism to Howard Dean. Let's review what Howard Dean said again:

"You think people can work all day and then pick up their kids at child care or wherever and get home and still manage to sandwich in an eight-hour vote? Well Republicans, I guess can do that. Because a lot of them have never made an honest living in their lives."

-- Howard Dean, at a convention in Washington, D.C

That was what we call a joke in the reality based community. If you read the news and have ever heard of Elliot Spitzer, you will also know that it is biting humor because it is true. A lot of Republicans have never made an honest living in their lives.

Howard Dean did not say "there is not a single Republican who has ever made an honest living in their life." If that is the spin you want to help Rush and Ken Mehlman put on it, then you may be in the wrong party.

Let's look at Howard's other "over the top" statement:

SF Chronicle: Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, unapologetic in the face of recent criticism that he has been too tough on his political opposition, said in San Francisco this week that Republicans are "a pretty monolithic party. They all behave the same. They all look the same. It's pretty much a white Christian party." "The Republicans are not very friendly to different kinds of people," Dean said Monday, ...

Since the Republican party is 82% self-identified white Christians, that is also an accurate statement. Bush claims a mandate because, if you ignore the stolen votes in Ohio, most Americans voted for Bush. If a bare 51% is "most", then 82% is definitely "most."

Howard Dean was slamming Republicans and the Republicans party. A fair interpretation is that he was slamming those Christians who voted for Bush and are also Republican. Any other interpretation is right wing spin.

You claim that truth is not a defense. I beg to difer. Not only is truth a defense, truth is our best weapon. You and the rest of the sensible centrists want to unilaterally disarm the Democratic party by not speaking truth to the American people, never criticizing fascist Christians and gawdforbid we ever criticize George Bush or Republicans.

Howard Dean tried to bring the racism of the Republican party into the public square. You, the Joe twins and the rest of the sensible centrists want to help Republicans sweep their flaws under the carpet.

No thanks. I'll stick with Howard Dean and attacking the Republican party with the truth. The Joe twins can join Zell Miller over at Faux News with the rest of the self loathing Democratic has beens.

by Gary Boatwright on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 10:48:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Oh, is THAT what he said? (none / 0)

"GOP voters don't have a problem standing in lines because they never hold honest jobs"

I must have missed that. It does sound awfully sweeping and inclusive.

I was under the impression that he was talking about eight-hour lines at polling places and threw in a glib reference to how a lot of Reeps are underworked and overpaid and maybe can afford to spend a whole day voting.

I didn't realize he had said that nobody who voted for Bush had ever held an honest job. Must be that liberal media again, always skewing their coverage to help out the Dems.

Yup, that wacky liberal media. Always carrying water for progressive causes.

By the way, have you got a link to that real quote? I'd love to read it.

Yeah, I'm cynical.

by catastrophile on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 04:00:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Oh, is THAT what he said? (none / 0)

That is what Ken Mehlman, Rush and Hannity are saying Howard Dean said, which is good enough for Steve in Sacto. You have to remember that "truth is not a defense." It doesn't matter what Howard Dean said. It only matters what Ken Mehlman and Rush say he said.

by Gary Boatwright on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 10:51:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Truth and the facts are our best defense (none / 0)

Danger Will Robinson! Danger! You are entering the reality based community where truth and the facts are a defense to slander.

Welcome to the reality based community Steve in Sacto. Around these parts truth and facts are important features of rational civil discourse. You may find that offensive, but it's just the way things are.

by Gary Boatwright on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 10:53:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Democratic leaders stand up for Dean today (none / 0)

Courtesy of Sideshow, a Boston Globe article (free subscription required) Democratic leaders stand up for Dean:

A round of criticism from fellow Democrats and major donors about Howard Dean's four-month tenure as Democratic National Committee chairman has prompted Senate leaders to rise to his defense at a public event planned for today.

Originally scheduled as a private meeting between Dean and the leadership team of Senate minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, today's session instead will now include a news conference and photo opportunity as a public embrace of Dean, who has rocked the political world over the past week with provocative condemnations of the Republican party. On recent occasions, Dean has said many Republicans ''never made an honest living in their lives," described the Republican Party as ''pretty much a white, Christian party," and declared that House majority leader Tom DeLay of Texas, who is facing ethics questions but has not been charged with any crime, ought to go back to Houston where he can serve his jail sentence.

Big surprise. Steny Hoyer chimes in his objection to Dean:

''I do not agree with those comments," said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the House Democratic whip. ''A party chairman's job is to organize the party, to support policy-makers."

Apparently they can't handle the truth in the red states. Or at least "leading Democrats and major donors" don't think they can handle the truth:

Some leading Democrats and major donors are concerned that Dean is jeopardizing the party's ability to reach beyond its traditional base to win close elections, particularly for the White House. Dean has repeatedly said his goal is to build the party's ranks not only in Democratic-dominated states, but also in culturally conservative regions where Republicans usually prevail.

A former Clinton advisor is a little more circumspect:

'Time will tell" whether Dean has undercut his standing, said Harold Ickes, a longtime Clinton adviser who supported Dean's bid for DNC chairman. ''There are people who are unhappy about it and think his comments are less than helpful. Some of his comments will reinforce the view that he sometimes talks before he really thinks through the implications."

Was it Dean's comments or the comments of fellow Democrats that reinforced that view?

Personally, I think it's might fine that Dean isn't pandering to the fat cats. Maybe the Democratic party won't have to pretend they owe the fat cats anything. Maybe the Democratic party will even get serious about not taking vacations courtesy of fat cats and lobbyists:

Meanwhile, some donors are upset that the DNC under Dean's stewardship is falling behind in fund-raising, failing to appeal to party high-rollers. In the first quarter of this year, the DNC raised $14.1 million, compared with $32.3 million by the Republican National Committee. One donor, who declined to be named, noted that a DNC fund-raiser in New York City in May was substantially downsized and moved from a facility in the Javits Convention Center to a room in the Essex House Hotel.

Is the Essex House Hotel a skid row dive? Screw the fat cats and the Democratic elites. The party is better off without them.

by Gary Boatwright on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 03:38:08 PM EST

Re: Democratic leaders stand up for Dean today (none / 0)

Front page on Kos...
Dean's the Man
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/9/145722/2588

by Renee in Ohio on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 03:47:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Party Unity (none / 0)

Begins and ends with doing what the majority of the party wants.

Dean is the darling of the most active and most liberal wing of the party. He is NOT the standard bearer for the party. In fact he makes the majority of the party nervous...

The VOTERS are the party not the VOLUNTEERS.

If you want unity start with DEMOCRACY, the ELECTED officials wants Dean to cool it, then in the interest of party unity maybe he better cool it. Dean was elected by what some 100 insiders?

So get off the party unity while doint it my way thing and get with DEMOCRACY.

by donkeykong on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 06:11:01 PM EST

How (3.00 / 1)

Seeing the Forest wonders how it is possible to prevent Rush from twisting the words of the DNC Chair, Afraid of Rush:

I keep hearing people say that Howard Dean should be more careful not to say things that the Republicans can twist around and make into something that sounds bad. They say that Dean is "just giving them ammunition." I call this the "being afraid that Rush Limbaugh is going to say something bad about them" syndrome.

I have some news. Sit down. Prepare yourself. Take a breath. Here it comes:

Rush Limbaugh is going to say something bad about you. Republicans are going to twist whatever you say. It doesn't matter what it is that you actually say. They lie. They distort. They manipulate. Get it into your head.

And a good tip for Democrats who are confused about what their talking points for the day are supposed to be. Don't Repeat What Newsmax is Saying:

As I write this the headlines at NewsMax are

Sen. Obama: Dean Using 'Religion to Divide'
Dean Riles Both Sides of the Aisle
Dean Defends Slurs Against GOP

And we also find out that Joe Lieberman was biding his time so he could take shots at Dean from The Washington Times, Democrats decry Dean's rhetoric:

Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut -- who like Mr. Dean sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 -- said he doesn't think he will be the only one to recommend an apology when the chairman meets for lunch today with Senate Democrats.
"I thought the comment that he made about the Republican Party being a white, Christian party was just way over the top," Mr. Lieberman said. "It was divisive and wrong, and I hope he apologizes for it."

Divisive! We certainly wouldn't want to be divisive! I never was able to track down Joe's complaint about Santorum comparing the Democratic party to Nazis in Paris. Maybe that wasn't divisive because IOKIYAR.

Has Joe had any complaints about any Republican this year? Is he pretty happy with the way Ken Mehlman is doing his job?

by Gary Boatwright on Thu Jun 09, 2005 at 08:18:24 PM EST

Media/Dems need to change (none / 0)

How can a politician stop this:

I voted for it before I voted against it.-Kerry

I invented the Internet -Al Gore

The Media will always seek controversy.

It is up to Democrats to clarify instead of adding more fire to the controversy.

Instead, we should hear:

I want to know the context of that quote....

I think Gov Dean means that........

by jasmine on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 02:26:03 AM EST

Eyes on the prize (none / 0)

Billmon:

Right now I hear a lot of Deaniacs kind of gleefully exulting in Hoho's gaffes - as if flinging insults at the Republicans and flipping off the corporate media were the only gratification that mattered. I understand where they're coming from. There've been times when that's all I've wanted to do, too. And times when that's all I have done.

But the stakes in this political contest keep getting higher all the time. We really are talking about the fate of the most powerful, and dangerous, nation in the world - dangerous not so much because of things it is doing now (which are bad enough) but because of what it might do if the worst elements in the conservative coalition ever got complete control of it. Which they just might - especially if the Democratic Party becomes completely marginalized.

This is about winning, in other words, not about getting angry or hurling feces at the media (as tempting as that may sound.) Bashing Republicans and conservatives is great for rallying the base and boosting morale. It's also fun -- and we have to make the work fun or nobody will want to do it. But the goal isn't to have fun, the goal is to win. Partisan rhetoric is a means to that end. As a leader of the Democratic Party - and the most popular figure in the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party -- Dean has a special obligation to keep that in mind.

I'd much rather be cheering Howard Dean than criticizing him, but I'd rather be celebrating progressive victories than either of those things. I hope Dean can find the right balance between partisan flamethrower and party leader. But if he can't, he should step down -- sooner rather than later -- and find a role more compatible with his fondness for speaking off the cuff. (emphasis mine)

by Steve in Sacto on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 04:08:25 AM EST

Re: Eyes on the prize (3.00 / 1)

It really doesn't matter who you are or what you say. Your words are going to be twisted, aren't they?

No, you don't. And seeing my own words selectively misused by a right-wing nitwit to show that even liberals are "embarrassed" by Dean is a nasty reminder of the risks in speaking plainly when enemy ears can overhear -- the same risks I've accused Dean of underestimating.

hmmmmm.

As I've already said about a zillion times, I have no quarrel with those who want Dean to rip the rhetorical flesh off the Republican Party and its conservative nuthouse supporters. By now I think it should be obvious that if the Dems want to be heard in the cave of howling white noise that is the American mass media, they've got to turn up both the volume and the heat. The whole system is inclined -- sometimes intentionally, sometimes not -- to marginalize the powerless. The only way to break through that barrier is to look for opportunities to force the ruling party and the media to pay attention.

hmmmmm.

But the Dems, and Dean in particular, have to pay attention to certain realities that make their job a lot tougher than Gringrich's. One of them is that the corporate media is even more slavishly devoted to currying favor with the party in power than it ever was in the days of Tip O'Neill and Jim Wright -- or Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Those of us in Left Blogostan can bitch and moan about it as much as we like (and boy, do we bitch and moan) but that won't change the reality, and any campaign based on leveraging the media's appetite for partisan conflict has to take that reality into account. This week's flap over Dean's gaffes demonstrated clearly that while the press is still happy to cover political flame wars, it's much more likely to make the flamethrower, not the intended target, the focus of the story -- at least when it's a Democrat doing the flaming.

Ah, the conclusion:

I'd much rather be cheering Howard Dean than criticizing him, but I'd rather be celebrating progressive victories than either of those things. I hope Dean can find the right balance between partisan flamethrower and party leader. But if he can't, he should step down -- sooner rather than later -- and find a role more compatible with his fondness for speaking off the cuff.

The Dems can always find another DNC chairman, but effective partisan leaders who know how to fight are worth their weight in gold. And Dean, whatever his faults, is a partisan who really knows how to fire up the troops.

I should know - I've got the bite marks in my ass to prove it.

It would be helpful to Dean finding the "right balance" if he got a little help from the rest of the Democratic party. It would be helpful if there was a single other Democrat who was "firing up the troops." It would be helpful if there were more Democrats helping Dean rebuild the party instead of getting in his way.

We shall see what Howard Dean learns from the bite marks in his ass. I just wish fewer of those bite marks had Democratic names attached to them.

by Gary Boatwright on Fri Jun 10, 2005 at 11:09:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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