Howard Dean: The Left Guy at the Left Time
You know, we don’t give Howard Dean nearly enough credit for what he’s accomplished as chairman of the Democratic Party. Coming off of another devastating loss in 2004, the Republican Party had all the momentum in the world and just two years later, he turned it all around on us. A year later, as we look on to 2008, many of us on the right are preparing and bracing ourselves for a President Hillary Clinton since not a single one of our front-runners could seriously challenge her candidacy.
When Howard Dean announced his 50-state strategy, I honestly thought he was completely loco. Why in the world would he pull resources from states like Florida and Ohio and spend money instead challenging grandfathered Republicans in Indiana, the Dakotas, and Colorado? It turns out he was doing it because we were vulnerable like never before. And though I disagree with Chairman Dean politically, I commend him for his political foresight. He beat the likes of Ken Mehlman, Tom DeLay, Dennis Hastert, and Karl Rove at their own game and on their own turf. That is nothing shy of impressive.
He realized in 2004 that the Republican Party was being vague on issues of immigration issue and spending. He also realized that in the advent of the internet, which grassroots Democrats are still making better use of, advertising, organization, and mobilization were now incredibly easier and cheaper. With conservatives about to be demoralized about immigration and spending and liberals fired up about stopping the war (and with moderate frustration building), Dean made his move brilliantly.
That’s not to say Howard Dean is without his problems. Short of a terrorist assassination or a political meltdown, Hillary Clinton is going to win her party’s nomination. But Howard Dean and the Clinton’s aren’t exactly three peas in a pod. There is a well documented distrust and disdain each has for the other; if she’s in - he’s out.
But Howard Dean has proved himself to me as a very calculated and clever politician. I highly doubt he will be ousted from his chair quite so easily unless he’s ready to move on (4 years as a party chairman is a good record). I’m sure Mr. Dean still has a few aces up his sleeve and I look forward to seeing those.
So with all due respect and sincerity: Well played Chairman Dean. We may have our disagreements, but you have earned my respect on the battlefield of politics.
