Dr. He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named, as Jon has come to call Howard Dean around me and Buck, since just a mention of his name to Florida folks Gets Us Started, is taking well-deserved criticism. Time’s Tim Padgett asks all the good questions: Does Dean really plan to pursue a 48-State Strategy for victory, and if so, where is his leadership? More importantly, will Dean cost the Democratic candidate the votes of Florida and Michigan? We’ve been wondering the same things.
Florida’s famously feckless electoral system usually deserves the ridicule it gets. But not this time. Instead of the typical jokes about Flori-duh, the Sunshine State debacle currently gripping the Democratic Party has evoked reminders of the Dean Scream — the notorious petulance of Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean. He, along with the other sage bosses of the DNC, has left Democratic voters in what is arguably the nation’s most crucial swing state feeling dissed, disenfranchised and, it now seems, disinclined to back whomever the Democratic candidate is in November. And that could harm the party’s White House bid as severely as any butterfly ballot or hanging chad ever did.
According to a poll conducted this week for various Florida media, almost a quarter of Florida Democrats say they’ll be “less likely to support” the party’s nominee if their state’s delegates aren’t seated at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August — and by seated they mean counted in the final tally to choose the presidential nominee.
I don’t agree with those who would withhold their votes from the Democratic candidate over this. But I do understand where they’re coming from. Dean claimed it was of vital importance that states like Iowa and New Hampshire, with tiny homogeneous populations, get to go one-on-one with the candidates because this intimate voter contact is what makes democracy work. He then forbade any candidate to be heard or seen by Florida voters.
Then there’s the question of all the prodigious Flori-dough. Prominent Florida Democratic donors and fund raisers are now threatening to withhold or seek the return of hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars from the national party if at least some of the state’s delegates are not reinstated.
Those risks were already apparent when Dean and the DNC made their original fateful decision.
…the DNC’s lack of foresight is astonishing, even more so now that Florida and Michigan have rejected the idea of costly and less than reliable primary revotes. After all, the Republican National Committee annulled only half of Florida’s G.O.P. delegates — a more measured ruling the DNC could have mirrored. And while Democratic rivals Obama and Hillary Clinton couldn’t set foot in Florida in January, John McCain and his Republican competitors campaigned there and scored valuable face time with Florida independents, with McCain even winning the endorsement of the popular Crist.
The question at hand isn’t was Dean right back then. The question is, what are we going to do now? Dean appears resolved to put his own pride before a solution.
…Dean and the DNC painted themselves into a corner. They can’t easily lift the Florida-Michigan sanctions after all the authoritarian chest-thumping they did last year. Yet if the party heads into Denver without a clear nominee — and needing the votes of Florida and Michigan to decide the issue — their peremptory action will seem even more ridiculous, making the leadership of the so-called people’s party look like a clique of arrogant patricians thwarting the popular will.
What’s worse, Dean and the DNC now look all but AWOL when it comes to resolving a mess they did so much to create, leaving it to the states to figure it out.
Dean seems to believe that the Democratic candidate can take the White House even while losing the electoral college votes of Florida and Michigan. He imagines that Democrats will be so strong they will trounce McCain without breaking a sweat. Recent polls don’t bear that idea out. Dean was wrong once before, about his own chances. We will all be screaming like banshees if we let him bungle again.
- Topic: News & Comment
- Topics: Congress, Fox News
Ya know, I understand that those of you in Florida and Michigan are upset. But why are you blaming Dean? I mean, it was by the wisdom of your state party leadership that each of your states chose to participate in a way that deliberately and knowingly broke the rules. So, afterthe fact now you all wanna cry about the big bad mean Dean, when in fact the true blame remains in your own neighborhoods!
Granted, this doesn’t solve the problem. Then neither does blaming the wrong person or people. I urge you to go to the true source of the issue. Talk directly to your state party leadership about your issues.
I expect Republicans to be ignorant. I do not expect this to be the case for members of my own team.
[...] of Pensito Review writes Dean Comes Under Fire for 48-State Strategy: Howard Dean seems to believe that the Democratic candidate can take the White House even while [...]
I believe that it was a huge mistake to put Dean as head of the DNC in the first place. Whatever happens now is what they get for going with a guy that is a frootloop to begin with.
The DNC said they wanted reform and change – how they thought that would happen with Dean is questionable in my estimation – it was also so stupid.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. I appreciate all that take the time to do so.
Also, to answer your question – my conclusions regarding Oprah-Obama can be found here – ad least some of them. You obviously did not read some of my previous articles to that one. I apologize if it was not clear.
http://w3.newsmax.com/a/may07/
Speaking as a yellow-dog Democrat, the Democratic Party has a lot more wrong with it other than Howard Dean. Look to Nancy Pelosi, and others serving in the House and Senate. Look to any elected Democratic politician today and they act like they are there to serve the Republican Party not their people. The Democratic Party is only a shadow of what it once was. Sorry, but Howard is only a small part of the problem.They are best at shooting themselves in the foot. We seem to be losing the election that day by day. Sigh. It is so sad.
“I believe that it was a huge mistake to put Dean as head of the DNC in the first place. Whatever happens now is what they get for going with a guy that is a frootloop to begin with.”
Spoken like a true DLC democrat, which of course means not a real democrat at all, but a spokesman for the wealthy elites who took over the Democratic Party in the 80’s and 90’s.
Also spoken with the authority of someone who knows absolutely nothing about who they are criticizing, you know, like Fox News. They love all-encompassing terms like “frootloop.”
That’s some real insight, I tell ya. Like the poster above said, look to the real culprits, your own state party and quit whining about the guy who dealt with you truthfully from the beginning.
What’s all the complaining about. This was known up front. This was not some behind-the-scenes deal done at the last minute. Everybody knew!
If your state changed it’s primary with full knowledge that it was against DNC rules, then contact the people in your state who made those changes. You have no beef with the Democratic Party.
“If your state changed it’s primary with full knowledge that it was against DNC rules, then contact the people in your state who made those changes. You have no beef with the Democratic Party.”
Nonsense. DNC rules? Who died and made the DNC boss?
Who paid for the damn primary?
It sure wasn’t the DNC.
I am so tired of the “2 million people didn’t vote” canard.
2 Million did, and Obama had his clock cleaned and now opposes any form of resolution short of a 50-50 split of delegates. Very democratic of him.
Don’t count the delegates and this is one Florida democrat who, after leaving the party, will vote for democrats in every race except the presidency, I will abstain for that one.
Obama will lose to McStain so bad that the election of 1972 will look good.
I’m done.
DNC rules? Yes the DNC has rules and I suggest, Bob, that you google it and read them and please make a copy for all the other Florida Democrats that have the same Questions as you.
Who died and made the DNC boss? Please do as advised in the first paragraph and the answer to this question should become clear. And in case its not clear, The Democratic NATIONAL Committee is the BOSS of the Democratic Party. See how those two fit together. Please note the word National, the DNC is in charge of upholding its rules and regulations for the Whole Democratic Party, not individual States. In this Great Country, if you don’t like the rules of any certain party, you are free to make another selection.
Who paid for the damn primary? Well, Bob, you did! and all the other taxpayers in your state. Wouldn’t you agree, Bob, that its a good thing to know what your buying before you sign your voter registration card.
Now, Your Done!!!
Michael, since you have such a death grip on the rules, maybe you can explain to me why it was O.K. for New Hampshire, Iowa, and South Carolina to violate them? All three states also changed their primary dates, but only Florida and Michigan were penalized.
Rules only work — and earn anyone’s respect — when they are applied equally and fairly.
Come on Trish, your not getting it. I’m not talking about equally and fairly. We are talking about a political party, aren’t we? If you joined the Elks club to play bingo, but you wanted to play on Monday and their bingo night was Tuesday, you shouldn’t just show up on Monday and expect them to play bingo just for you. Maybe you should start your own Monday night bingo club.
And since you brought it up, the rules panel of the DNC agreed to allow Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to move their primary dates and denied the request for Florida and Michigan to do the same. You need to ask the DNC what motivated that decision. Now this is just my thoughts on the matter, but it might have been to keep the biggest impact for Super Tuesday. This long drawn out Democratic primary season might well be over now if Florida and Michigan stayed on Feb. 5th. And we could all be fighting McCain instead of each other.
And in case the bingo analogy didn’t work, here is one more. Lets say you wanted Friday off work and when you asked your boss if you could take Friday off he said No, we need you on Friday. You decide thats just not fair and you take Friday off anyway. So you go back to work on Monday and he fires your arrogant ass. Now your free to go find a job that will let you take any day off your heart desires.
Now Trish, apply your equally and fairly argument to the articles you post. Please.