Who is everyone supporting for DNC Chair?

[Jackson4Gore]

Hello again everyone, I am starting this thread to get a feel of where everyone stands on the current DNC race. If you would, please post who you support--why--and if you are undecided, please post what you are looking for in a DNC chair.

As you might have already seen, I am supporting Donnie Fowler. My grassroots advocacy organization, the Al Gore Support Center (once again, which is not endorsed or affiliated with Gore in anyway http://s8.invisionfree.com/Al_Gore_Support/index.php?showtopic=2) endorsed Donnie because we feel he gives our party a fresh face and new ideas.

If you have any questions for Donnie, please post them here and I will give them to him and he will do his best to reply!

I look foward to your replies!

[Lefty48197]

1. Jim Blanchard

Former Congressman, Governor of Michigan, and Ambassador to Canada.
Plus, he's my homey.

[JNelson6563]

29. Blanchard is a corporatist

We here in MI don't want him.

[Lefty48197]

75. You must be kidding. I'm quite sure Gov. Granholm supports Blanchard.

Feel free to list the rest of MI Democrats who oppose him.

[autorank]

2. DEAN

[renaissanceguy]

65. DEAN is the ONLY option!

No more DLC crap.

"We don't beat Republicans by acting like them." -Howard Dean

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.15841637

[autorank]

77. Welcome to DU!!! and AMEN!

[NoPasaran]

3. Howard Dean

[shraby]

4. The DLC, DNC

and the Democratic party are dead forever unless the e-voting machines are scrapped. First things first and that is attack the machines.

[Jackson4Gore]

6. True

[Jackson4Gore]

7. True

[catbert836]

24. Howard Dean, why?

n/t

[Blue_State_Elitist]

5. Howard Dean

He represents the positive progressive future of the democratic party. Bush won by getting the fundies out to vote, the democrats can win by getting progressives out to vote. Moving right is not the answer.

[benddem]

8. DEAN n/t

[Padme Amidala]

9. I want someone who is for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

I also want someone who is opposed to the death penalty and supports universal health care. Do you know of anyone matching this description besides Dennis? We need him in the House.

[InvisibleBallots]

10. Dean, is there really any other option?

I guess if Donnie Fowler is hooked up with Gore and Dean, and Dean wants to run again, I'd support Fowler.

[Jackson4Gore]

12. Gore has made no decesion on he supports

However, he was Gore's field director in the 2000 campaign and ran Wes Clark's campiagn this year.

[48pan]

11. Howard Dean is the MAN!

It's time for a BIG change at the DNC.

[saracat]

13. Dean isn't progressive enough. He is becoming the centrist he always was

but I am still supporting him as he is the best of the field who can do the most to unify the party. Unless someone can prove someone else is better? No other centrists need apply.

[Merlot]

19. Dean was to centrist for my vote for pres

But his ability to excite the crowds, speak the truth, and stand up to the repugs makes him my choice to be the DNC chair. The DNC needs some serious changes made, and he's the one most likley to bring them to the table.

[Left coast liberal]

56. I agree! Dean has fire in his belly and that's what we need!

[jswordy]

63. ROFL about Dean too centrist

Heh...to listen to those working their smoking fax machines over at the DLC and DNC right now, Dean is a raving liberal...WAAAAY TOO LIBERAL to lead the party.

Those folks are worried...real worried...that the good Doc will bring real change and threaten their cushy jobs.

Yeah, Dean is a centrist, and always has been. No matter what you may have heard during the primaries! I prefer to call him a social liberal/fiscal conservative, which is much more accurate. But during the primaries...and now again...he is being tarred and feathered as a loony leftie by his own party.

OK, so why Dean?

-- His amazing power as a fundraiser.
-- His existing organization, Democracy for America.
-- His expertise. DFA ran 748 candidates last elex, and racked up Democratic wins in places like Alabama during a disappointing cycle overall.
-- His understanding that the party must be a national one, not just one popular on the coasts and in the Candian border states.
-- His close link with younger voters, the future of the party.
-- His understanding of the Net, the New Medium.
-- His intelligence.
-- His intellectual honesty. I do not think there is a pandering bone in Dr. Dean's body.
-- His ability to condense complex issues into powerful messages.
-- His emotional connection to Democratic principles. Dean does not adopt policies and positions just for expediency, and he does not wrap himself in the party just for opportunism.

Personally, I think Dean has a snowball's chance in hell of becoming chair. The same DNC/DLC forces that aligned against him pre-Iowa are doing so again.

The party's "leaders," Pelosi and Reid, are lined up behind Tim Roemer, as conservative a Democrat as can be found outside the Southern states.

My greatest fear is that the party will move right just in time for the electorate to move back left, and we will miss a golden opportunity coming our way in the next few years.

I can see the following as just one possible scenario: Democrats move right, Cheney dies in office, Frist is named veep. Frist runs in '08 on a general campaign theme something like this...

Looks like we Republicans were right all along. So correct, in fact, that the Democratic party has been scurrying to try to be more like us. But you know the difference. Vote for the genuine article. Vote Republican.

GOP Lite is not what the Democrats need to be.

[Merlot]

73. "GOP lite is not what the Democrats need to be"

Agreed, which is why I support Dean for the chair. My comment was that he was to centrist for my vote as president, not that he was to centrist to be DNC Chair.

The DNC needs a shake up, and he's got the gusto to do it.

[Cheswick2.0]

67. Dean is more liberal than Kerry

Saracat, your persistant insistance that Dean is "centrist" is getting to be down right silly. He is a social liberal who believes in balanced budgets.

Over the last four years Kerry has become a centrist and voted for some of the worst republican legislation to come down the pike. I don't see you saying every day how centrist he is. Yet he is to the right of Dean. Don't you think to stop looking like you have no idea what you are talking about?

Dean is not "becoming" anything that he has not always been. Fiscal moderate, social liberal.

[saracat]

82. Check out his environmental record in VT. Check out what he said about

about public defenders. Check out his relationship with IBM and then contrast it with Kerry's voting record. Even on the Domestic Partnership issue, Dean was not behind it . He stayed neutral and signed it behind closed doors until he could see which way the wind was blowing. Contrast that with Kerry's voting record, aside from the Iraq war, which Dean had exactly the same position on, and tell me who is more "socially liberal". Sheesh. I have already said I am supporting Dean as Chair, but he is not and will not be a liberal. He says so himself. He might be moderate but that is as far as it goes. I like Dean. I always have . But I recognize him for what he is not what some would like him to be.:shrug:

[jswordy]

85. Here what Howard Dean is...

Socially progressive/fiscally conservative. Period. His record in Vermont backs that up. (And he DID have the balls to sign the Domestic Partnership legislation in a much more unfavorable environment for it than even exists now.)

Above all, the term that comes to my mind about Dean is PRAGMATIST.

Here is Dean on the issues.

Now I do agree with you that some on the left have tried to embue Dean with some political qualities he does not possess. In fact, I think the hijacking of his campaign by the far left was one of the crucial mistakes made by manager Joe Trippi that cost Dean the primaries.

Trippi saw how much cash there was to raise from the far left, because those folks had been frozen out of the process for so long. But he erred bigtime when he let the agenda of the far left get wedded to his candidate so solidly.

Dean was marginalized, was put on the defensive as too liberal for America by the fax machines of the DLC, DNC and his opponents, and he lost. But nothing is farther from the truth. His record proves it. Howard Dean is made of exactly the kind of stuff we need in the Oval Office.

With a gentler touch on the campaign controls, Dean would be a great candidate. Look at how Bush got the far right riled up, donating and voting for him, while not appearing to be a rightie himself to moderate voters.

It can be done.

[MikeG]

14. Barcalounger.

[IStriker]

15. Dean

[Liberty Belle]

16. Dean. I trust him to be the voice of our party.

No one else has the stature, heart and soul to lead us out of this wilderness.

[sampsonblk]

17. Dean - the courageous one

Dean is the standout guy who gave our party a fighting chance (which we promptly squandered with both hands). If he wants to be party chairman, it should be automatic.

[journalist3072]

18. DNC Chair

I would like to see one of the following as DNC Chair:

1. Congresswoman Maxine Waters

2. Reverend Al Sharpton

3. Secretary Alexis Herman

4. Congresswoman Barbara Lee

I think either one of them would be absolutely brilliant.

My role model for DNC Chair was Secretary Ron Brown, who I miss so much. When Ron Brown was Chair of the DNC, he knew how to get the Party's message out. When the Republicans had their Convention in Houston, he was there the entire week, giving daily press briefings and debunking the Convention happenings.

More importantly, he made us think we could win again, and we did!

[Tom Rinaldo]

20. I think Dean honestly earned it

Others may be able to do what is needed, Fowler included, but Dean in my opinion has shown he can do what is needed. Dean is a strong voice for Democrats. He has never taken postions that are far left of mainstream Democrats, but he is very clear about the core differences between Democrats and Republican. He has never been afraid to confront Bush directly which I will not say for most Democratsic leaders. Dean works well with grass roots activists, again without being pulled into positions way left of mainstream. Dean can be an inspirational leader for the Party, and he can raise money without being overly dependent on corporate special interests.

Maybe Fowler can step up and be someone like that. Dean already is.

[Jackson4Gore]

21. Thanks for the positive comments!

[NickofTime]

23. Agree: Howard Dean

Howard Dean is the best man for the job. He says what he means, and has new ideas!

[Larkspur]

62. Agree with your analysis

We need Dean's courageous voice speaking for the Democratic ideals and spurring the Dems in Congress to oppose Bush's greedy and insance policies.

[n2mark]

22. Dean

[billie_]

25. DEAN n/t

[Clarkie1]

26. Dean

For all the reasons I outlined in my poll question a few days ago.

[AntiCoup2K4]

27. Howard Dean!

[DaveinMD]

28. I will work

with whoever the chair is.

[JNelson6563]

30. Dean

He's done a great deal and proven he's an excellent team player. He grows grass-roots, doesn't move in and exploit them like your guy Donnie Fowler--who is fond of the scorched earth policy.

For a little on what Dean and his grass-roots organization (DFA) here's a little something:

At the local and state level, Democracy for America and Gov. Howard Dean have reason to celebrate this year's election results. Many DFA-endorsed Dean Dozen and DFA-supported candidates won elections at all levels of government, throughout the country.

• One of the two new Democratic United States senators was a "Dean Dozen" candidate--Barack Obama (D-Ill.). Obama and the other new Democratic senator, Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), received contributions from DFA.

• One "Dean Dozen" candidate won her race for Congress, Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) and DFA contributed to five of the fourteen incoming freshman Democratic Members of Congress.

• Some of the notable non-federal success stories include:

• Both of the new Democratic governors are "Dean Dozen" candidates: John Lynch (D-NH) and Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.)

• Two "Dean Dozen" candidates won their mayoral race: Peter Corroon was elected as mayor of Salt Lake County, Utah and Tom Potter was elected as mayor of Portland, Ore.

• Democracy for America contributed more than $600,000 to 634 candidates for non-federal office. 319 of those candidates won--a 50% win-loss record.

• "Dean Dozen" candidates were elected to state legislatures in 16 states. Candidates for legislature who received Democracy for America contributions, but were not part of the "Dean Dozen," were elected in an additional 12 states.

• Democracy for America played a large role in regaining several legislative chambers for the Democrats, including: the Colorado House and Senate, the North Carolina House, the Oregon Senate, the Vermont House and the Washington Senate. DFA also helped secure a tie in the Iowa Senate.

• "Dean Dozen" candidates were elected to the bench in Alabama and Georgia.

• "Dean Dozen" candidates also won races for soil & water commission, supervisor of elections, township clerk, county commission and constable.

Governor Dean commented on the election results:

"The Dean Dozen candidates and the hundreds of other candidates that Democracy for America supported are the future of the Democratic Party. Win or lose, these fiscally responsible, socially progressive citizens fought to take our country back and helped spread the message that to change America, Democrats must compete everywhere, including the red states."

Throughout the months leading up to the election, Governor Dean attended press conferences, fundraisers and campaign rallies, to help spread the DFA message and raise campaign funds for 50 candidates in 26 states. Many of you--our supporters--volunteered and financially supported these candidates as well and your actions were invaluable.

DFA has raised over $5 million since we became an organization in March 2004. We have donated money to 748 candidates throughout the country--in 46 states and at every level of government. We believe that Democrats will return to national prominence very soon. DFA will continue to endorse and support candidates and train campaign workers and volunteers in 2005 and beyond.

Dean's got my vote.

Julie

[latteromden]

31. This is strange for me, because I was always the one that wanted to smack

the "undecided" voters upside the head during the election, but I suppose I'm in their place, now - well, minus the fact that I'm not a voting member of the DNC.

See, I want Dean's ability to fundraise and energize the base, because he can provide us those two things like nobody else can. I think he understands framing the debate, as well, and would be a great public face for our party. On the other hand, I'm concerned about his ability to stratergerise - uh, I mean, strategise. ;) I think Fowler would do a much better job actually building the party and bringing in new ideas, which is equally important.

Hmph, I'm a Democrat, don't I get to have it BOTH ways? ;P

[candle_bright]

32. Michael Moore

He is not afraid to get his message out. I know the likelihood of this happening is slim, though.

[Tinoire]

33. Not Donnie Fowler. Sorry.

Because of your previously locked post, I did a little research on your guy and I'm totally unimpressed. I don't want any more Beltway insiders; his father was already a DNC chair- let's not get too greedy here.

This C-SPAN interview was very revealing rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/c04/c04_wj121104_fowler.rm and aside from not agreeing with his politics, this guy is TOTALLY not ready for that position.

I also noticed he left a very bad taste in many people's mouths. This is just from one page on one blog. So after reading these things and watching the video, no thank you. I'll support Dean for that position if that's what Dean wants though personally, I think Dean should be saved for greater things.

work with others? when he left the Clark campaign, it seemed to be done in a way that was immature, taking his marbles and going home kinda thing.
///

the people who worked for him and with him in his last work experience felt frustrated by the lack of direction, lack of communication and lack of organization, would you hire that person?
Now Donnie is a reformer, he has found the light. If he couldn't apply his ideas in the real world in MI where he had the husband of a popular(then) Democratic gov. and other insiders in support of his candidate, not to mention a great base of Democratic voters in SE Michigan, plus union support then how is he going to be succesful across 50 states?
///

The K/E campaign here was unorganized and Bush almost caught up. Donnie is talking a great game. As a volunteer and precinct captain in central MI, neither I or my fellow volunteers saw any great grassroots organization and use of the internet by K/E. In fact the frustration with the poor communication, lack of focus and disorganization caused several of the volunteers to flee to MoveON and ACT in the fall. The K/E representative changed 4 times during the campaign. There was no co-ordination with the MI Democratic Party.
If this is the person you want running the party, look at the MI experience and you will see what you will get. Kerry won here inspite of Fowler.
///

but my first impression is the Donnie is an insider's insider. Son of DNC chair, left Wes' campaign (it seemed to me) when it became it becam clear he wasn't the establishment's choice.
I've said a lot negative about the DLC and its inside politics approach. I find myself having to rule out Donnie for the same thing. He is the "Liberal Wing" version of the insider.
////

I don't know that much about the Clark campaign's official organization, but I do remember that there was a lot of grumbling from the Draft Clark folks when they had not as much power as they wanted once the campaign was launched, and most of that grumbling happened on Fowler's watch. The Clarkies I know were all good people, and they worked very hard.
So if Fowler has a bent against establishment consultants and a history of problems working with upstart activists, who's he going to work with?
////

Fowler is incompetent, petulant, spoiled... (3.25 / 4)

Fowler is trouble not for any obvious policy or reform reasons, in my judgment, but because he's incompetent in my opinion. All he succeeded in the Clark Campaign was to insure chaos and an unprepared candidate with astoundingly weak staffing...which just compounded the errors.

Imagine a nascent, last minute Presidential Campaign with an inexperienced political candidate, (who has the ENTIRE Media Spotlight, a compelling history with substantive viewpoints, significant strategic strengths against the Republican Machine) yet the first non-pro Press Secretary and Campaign Manager Fowler don't prepare the candidate for the most obvious of questions about Iraq?
Why do you think he was on the Clark Campaign such a short period of time?

Let's see....Wes Clark made his decision late in the afternoon on September 15, 2003, announced on Sept 17, 2003 and Fowler resigned October 8, 2003. Why is his presidential campaign chairmanship even mentioned?

Leaving while publicly claiming to have been championing the 'rights' of the Draft Movement participants, the reality is that he was asked to take a secondary role...and he petulantly picked up his toys...went home AND TALKED TO THE PRESS ABOUT IT!

That wasn't loyal professional political technique then or now.
And I have, after hearing a participant in a DFA training tell me how Fowler said "he" knew the secrets of the online campaign revolution, even less respect. Bah. Lots of Dean people should have stood up and stoned him in that meeting...much less the Draft Movement folks that took the online campaign to a new place too and worked it as hard as they could.

As one activist has already told me:
"If Fowler become DNC Chair...I'm gone. The Party is hopeless."


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/12/20/20127/013

[Tom Rinaldo]

39. Good issues raised

I had heard some of this elsewhere which certainly further solidified my support for Dean. You put out front some things I was only hinting at above, because my information on this is not as thorough as I would like it to be. I have reasons to be confident about important qualities I am looking for with Dean. I don't have those reasons with Fowler. He has said some positive things of late. If he ends up getting the position I hope he could win me over. But Dean is the obvious choice to me.

[Jackson4Gore]

49. Also, here's some info on the diversity of campaigns hes worked on

2000 National Field Director / Delegate Selection Manager
* most diverse state campaign staffs in Party history, including
first Native American
state director
* most diverse delegation to the Democratic National Convention in history

2004 Michigan
* matched or exceeded staff diversity of any battleground state in
the nation

Prez Candidates I've worked for (1988-2004) in order ...
Dick Gephardt, Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Wes Clark, John Kerry

[Tinoire]

50. Hi Tom!

:hi: I owe you an e-mail... Don't think I forgot, I'm just a horrible procrastinator and that correspondence requires... lots of thought. It's been a busy week eh? Ukraine. Indian Ocean. Ohio. Or maybe I'm just getting sucked in again.

The C-Span session was the final nail for me. I googled a lot and tried to keep an open mind. Then I watched that segment and wanted to scream. It's one thing to be forceful in your words, it's another thing to mischaracterize what people (in that case callers) are saying to whack them even harder. I think Dean can gently whack, refute AND attract at the same time. Good to see you back!

[Jackson4Gore]

48. Here is his report from MI

M E M O R A N D U M
To: Michigan Leadership
From: Donnie Fowler, Michigan Kerry/Edwards State Director
Date: December 2, 2004
Re: Michigan Campaign Summary

On November 2, Michigan provided a small silver lining on a very cloudy election day. John Kerry and John Edwards won the state by three points (165,000 votes) despite a strong and disproportional Bush/Cheney onslaught in the last month. Michigan saw a record turnout of 4.8 million voters this election, substantially more than the 4.2 million who showed up in 2000 and exceeding the 4.4 million voters that both the Democrats and Republicans expected. Michigan also experienced unprecedented turnout and support from three key voter groups. Seventy-four percent of union members supported Kerry according to a pre-election internal poll. More than 60% of Arab-Americans and, stunningly, more than 80% of Muslims backed the Democratic ticket. Among African-American voters, Michigan experienced the second highest increase in the country as 162,203 more people cast a ballot in 2004 than in 2000. Such support, along with Michigan’s underlying issues environment, the state campaign’s focus on Michigan-specific tactics, the support of in-state leaders, and a model grassroots and communications program contributed to victory. This memo elaborates on these reasons.

It is said that success has a thousand fathers while failure is an orphan. Well, many people and organizations deserve paternity rights to John Kerry’s win in Michigan – grassroots activists, Netizens, organized labor, elected officials, and contributors that helped pay for it all.

GENERAL STRATEGIC APPROACHES: Bush/Cheney
Bush and Cheney never gave up on Michigan, fighting very hard to make the blue state red. Their visits more than doubled those by Kerry and Edwards during the summer and fall. From August 2 to October 25, an 81-day period, Kerry traveled to Michigan only once. He added rallies in Macomb County and Detroit during the final week of the election for a total of three visits in three months. Meanwhile, Bush himself made eight stops during the same timeframe. Except for a few events in Oakland County, the Bush campaign focused most of their candidates’ time in traditionally Republican western and northern Michigan. This scheduling reflected their overall strategy to identify and turn out sporadic-voting Republicans. Bush/Cheney largely ignored swing voters in their ground operations.

On the messaging and paid media front, the Republicans committed more resources to Michigan than the Democrats. During the last three weeks of the campaign, Bush and his allies doubled or tripled the pro-Kerry media buys. For a few days in the final week, Republicans came close to outspending the Democrats in west Michigan’s Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo market by an astounding six to one ratio.

The Bush/Cheney message was simple – scare voters on the terrorism issue and pick off new voters using conservative social messages on God, gays, guns, and abortion. Beginning in early September, the Republican Party spent two weeks very deliberately and very systematically identifying voters as either pro-abortion or anti-abortion. Because Republicans know that abortion is a gateway issue to other socially conservative messages (like marijuana is a called a “gateway drug” to other, more dangerous narcotics), identifying anti-abortion voters was the first step in the Bush/Cheney voter turnout strategy. By election day, they used issues like gay marriage and gun control, plus abortion, to increase turnout among Republicans and to peel off blue collar and African-American voters from the Democrats. This focused Republican work increased Bush’s turnout by 15% compared to 2000. (Kerry’s turnout grew by 13.5% over Gore in 2000, thus keeping pace and preserving a Democratic victory).

GENERAL STRATEGIC APPROACHES: Kerry/Edwards
The Michigan Kerry/Edwards operation never quit competing. The staff woke up every day assuming we were down by one point and we managed to bring our allies and activists along with us. Geographically, the campaign established an interstate highway strategy centered along I-75, I-94, and I-96 where the vast majority of the state’s swing voters and Democrats live. Demographically, Team Michigan focused on identifying and communicating with undecided voters while also talking early and often to the Party’s most loyal friends. Volume was the first priority, so the campaign concentrated its press and grassroots strategies on talking to as many voters as often as possible. Quantity did not threaten quality, however, as the in-state organization talked to voters on their terms and in their voices, not those set by polls or professionals. Substantial additional efforts were directed at rural voters, women, Arab-Americans and Muslims, Catholics and Protestant evangelicals, African-Americans, and blue collar voters.

KEY to VICTORY: THE UNDERLYING ENVIRONMENT
Michigan consistently offered the Kerry/Edwards campaign fertile ground for a change in the White House. The state’s citizens had suffered in one of the nation’s weakest economies thanks to Bush’s poorly-chosen priorities. Consequently, his approval numbers were always more negative than positive, and Dick Cheney’s were simply disastrous. (We always enjoyed having the Vice President in the state.) Michigan’s voters never believed that Bush and Cheney stood with them on shared values, the economy, prescription drugs, or health care. The Republican ticket also fought an uphill battle against their record on two Michigan-specific issues – trash imported from Canada and clean water in the Great Lakes and rivers.

The Michigan campaign used these local issues to question Bush’s priorities and challenge his pro-hunter claims to rural folks and outdoorsmen. The trash issue was easy because Senator Debbie Stabenow let us borrow one of her great lines, “Bush will allow trash to come into Michigan from Canada, but won’t allow safe cheap prescription drugs.” The clean water issue, which affects “green” environmentalists and “brown” outdoorsmen, hits home in Michigan because there are dangerous levels of mercury in the state’s lakes and rivers that Bush’s EPA has ignored. Mercury levels have resulted in “no fish” days and lists of fish that are unsafe to eat. Fewer fishing days and fewer edible fish equal unhappy fishermen. And mercury in water is dangerous for anyone.

The effect of terrorism and the war in Iraq is less clear. While Michigan’s voters doubted Bush’s credibility on Iraq, the larger war on terrorism favored the Republicans. Although it was hard to tell whether Michigan voters viewed terrorism and the Iraq War separately when they made up their mind, the overall security issue clearly took a toll on Kerry’s final victory margin. Women in particular, especially if they were married, never felt reassured about Kerry’s ability to make them safer than Bush. The prominence of the security issue conflicts with national conventional wisdom that has concluded the election was primarily about morality and values. In Michigan, it was primarily about bombs.

Underlying geographic and demographic factors also played to Kerry’s favor. Bush consistently underperformed in the traditionally Republican areas of western and northern Michigan. African-Americans and labor union members made their minds up relatively early and stayed with Kerry, even during the difficult days of August and early September when the swift boat accusations, abortion, and the Republican National Convention dominated political conversations. Finally, the Arab-American and Muslim communities strongly favored the Democratic ticket early in 2004, largely because of Bush’s terrible record on civil liberties and the Middle East. This differs from 2000 when Bush won strong support from this large group of voters.

KEY to VICTORY: RUNNING A MICHIGAN CAMPAIGN
The Michigan campaign never forgot that its job was to win Michigan. This is an obvious statement on its face, but it is worth noting because the scope of presidential campaigns often creates a one-size-fits all approach to every state. Team Michigan was careful to produce a hybrid campaign of local wisdom and national priorities.

For example, Michigan’s Democrats refused to concede voters and issues that conventional wisdom said were already lost to Kerry/Edwards. We all worked to anticipate and preempt the values and empathy issues that Democrats have struggled with for several election cycles.

To rural voters and hunters, whom Republicans targeted with gun control and cultural issues, we delivered a Michigan-specific message focusing on respect for their way of life. Through a targeted mailing and a radio ad featuring Kerry and John Cherry, the state’s lieutenant governor, we reassured voters that Democrats were not a threat to the values they hold dearest. We even turned the issues around by challenging Bush’s failure to preserve public lands where hunters hunt and his refusal to reduce mercury pollution in the state’s waters so that fisherman could actually eat their catch.

To Catholic and religious voters, where conservatives pushed abortion and gay marriage as early as August, we developed a targeted program that made it clear that Christianity is not a one-issue religion. Through a mailing, eventually used as a model by several other battleground states, Team Michigan enlisted the support of a Catholic bishop and used unapologetic language to make the case that God does not belong to the Republicans. We also organized phone banks and canvasses led by nuns (which became a national story), leafletted conservative and Catholic churches, and challenged conventional wisdom by running a talk radio effort aimed at Christian stations.

Finally, the state campaign spoke to the Party’s most loyal supporters, African-Americans, early and often. We refused to accept the belief by some that the campaign need not spend time and money before the campaign’s final few days. As we moved into September, the DNC joined us in recognizing the value of starting early by providing resources that helped John Kerry earn a record number of votes in the City of Detroit and other black communities across the state. The importance of the African-American vote cannot be overstated. Too often in our Party, African-Americans get the blame for not turning out when a Democrat loses but rarely get the credit when Democrats win. This year’s lesson is obvious – Kerry won by 165,000 votes at the same time that 162,000 more African-Americans voted compared to four years ago.

KEY to VICTORY: SETTING A NATIONAL STANDARD in COMMUNICATIONS
Although Team Michigan often had a reputation in Washington as a renegade state, the campaign established national benchmarks in the field and communications programs developed at the national level. So, to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, we did it our way and their way. Led by an extremely talented staff, the communications program produced an average of four, five, and even six media events each week in each of Michigan’s media markets. These projects included:

issues-based press events with Michigan elected officials and leaders of allied groups like labor, veterans, and the NAACP;
issues-based press events with creative guests like our cowboy friend Hal E. Burton, the morbid Jobs Reaper, and twin walking milk cartons in search of missing jobs;
issues-based media conference calls with Democratic leaders;
surrogate visits from people as diverse as Reverend Al Sharpton, General Wesley Clark, and entertainer Carole King;
pushback counter-events during Bush/Cheney visits and other Republican events;
coordinated events with legislators, mayors, prosecutors, and presidential campaign to make a larger issue or process point;
process events to deliver a message about Team Michigan’s campaign activities (e.g., nuns going door-to-door, voter protection press conferences);
weekly message updates to a broad array of Michigan’s leadership and activists.

One communications strategy that proved particularly valuable tied all our communications efforts together. Beginning in August, Michigan led the way nationally by planning “message weeks” all the way through October. While we were flexible enough to change themes when needed, this pre-planning allowed the communications team to produce a much better quality product because it knew what was coming two weeks or more in advance. This allowed us to coordinate messages with other state elected officials, develop the policy papers and talking points that successful message delivery requires, and ask for appropriate surrogates (e.g., a general for security week or an economist for jobs week).

KEY to VICTORY: SETTING A NATIONAL STANDARD in VOTER CONTACT
Michigan’s field program contacted more voters each week than any other battleground state in the country. Only rarely did the field staff lose its prime position, and in some weeks the team actually doubled the production of the next closest state. As with the communications program, Michigan’s success came from the leadership of some very talented managers and front-line staff. The proof is in the numbers. During the summer, the field campaign had conversations with 20,000 to 25,000 voters a week. By the fall, the organization was talking to 20,000 to 25,000 voters each day. It was unquestionably one of the best volunteer-based grassroots efforts in the Democratic Party’s history.

KEY to VICTORY: LOCAL LEADERSHIP
Where the Kerry campaign in Michigan succeeded – where it did its best work and contacted the most voters – was where strong local leaders and activists stepped up and committed themselves to a unified strategy. Local people know better than anyone what issues matter in their communities, how to talk about those issues, and whom key voters listen to and where those voters live. Michigan had some outstanding examples of this kind of local leadership – Wayne County; Washtenaw County; Oakland County; Kalamazoo County; Livingston County; Kent County/Grand Rapids; Genesee County; Traverse City; and the Upper Peninsula. The City of Detroit deserves special accolades for turning out the vote on election day. Leaders of statewide community groups also gave their time, their creativity, and their sweat to the cause – Arab-Americans; Chaldeans; the Latino/Hispanic caucus and the Spanish-speaking Democrats; the Detroit area multi-ethnic coalition; the various women’s groups including Women Decide and Women for Kerry; veterans; and the religious leaders who refused to let conservatives claim exclusive ownership of morality.

- - -

Looking ahead, it is absolutely essential that the Michigan Democratic Party and its elected leaders maintain regular contact, starting yesterday, with the tens of thousands of volunteers who participated in Michigan’s election efforts. Nurturing the phenomenal group of local leaders and activists will help maintain the state Democratic Party’s strength and keep Michigan in the special place it found itself on Election Day 2004.

Do not go gently into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
American Poet Dylan Thomas

[Tinoire]

53. Jackson, with all due respect

To: Michigan Leadership
From: Donnie Fowler, Michigan Kerry/Edwards State Director

I spent 20 years in the military. Don't give me this crap please. That's like the Officer Evaulation Report that you write yourself. Actually, this is even worse because unlike this memorandum your OER is at least reviewed and signed by your superior officer.

Sheesh, on my CV, I walk on water. Doesn't mean that's what I really did or what the people around me think of me.

I don't mean to be rude but I like to cut through the crap- that's all a bunch of fluff. I don'y even have to go past the 3rd sentence to spot it... "Michigan saw a record turnout"... Can you name me one place that didn't? Donnie Fowler needs to stop tooting his own horn, stop thinking one can inherit the DNC chair, roll up his sleeves and get real.

I'm sorry Jackson. That memorandum sounds like DLC Moose on the Loose crap and it's written in a manner that would put anyone to sleep.

[JNelson6563]

59. Complete tripe

Anything north of Grand Rapids (which ain't very far up) was completely disregarded. Both Bush and Cheney came here to my little burg, of course Kerry never came north of GR. They stuck to the establishment's view of what's important and they wrote off the north. Indeed they lost the north. Fowler couldn't run a full-state campaign, what makes you think he could run a fifty state campaign?

Julie

[lojasmo]

34. Howard Dean, no contest. N/T

[John_H]

35. Dean--under two conditions

1) He knocks off the I'm way to the left of left schtick, which the rethugs will use to make him into our Tom Delay, and runs the party as like he ran vermont. As a pragmatic progressive who holds firm to his ideals and still manages to master the system in order to get things done.

2) He promises to continue to provide the amazing fundraising prowess--corporate, interest goup, and individual--that he displayed as governor and DGA Chair.

[janx]

40. He never said he was a leftist--quite to the contrary.

The media and his opponents portrayed him that way. He was forever trying to correct them.

[madfloridian]

45. The DLC declared him leftist. He never said it.

Said call him anything you liked.

[AP]

36. I like Ickes.

He's smart and his political instincts are very very good.

[John_H]

38. Harold would be excellent. Any links that indicate his prospects?

[madfloridian]

37. Not Fowler.

.

[PassingFair]

41. DEAN

I WANT MY PARTY BACK!

[Cookie wookie]

42. Dean

[madfloridian]

43. Ok, I have decided. Dean.

I would rather he would run again in 08, stay with DFA...but hey, what the heck do I know.

Dean and Ickes at the conference in Orlando.

[Lexingtonian]

44. Don't Care

Will the endless masturbation on this topic ever stop?

Thank you.

[Raiden]

46. HOWARD FUCKING DEAN!

What the DNC needs is some passion...

[trillian]

76. Simon Rosenberg!!!!!!

Best man for the job IMHO!

[Lugnut]

47. Dr. Dean

I can handle the truth.

[Freddie Stubbs]

51. Tim Roemer

He knows what it takes to win in a red state.

[renaissanceguy]

64. Screw the red states!

I'm sick of them having a say over the rest of us!!!!

There is NO need for the Democratic Party to move further to the right to please people who will NEVER vote Democratic. Let's stick to our base...that was one of our problems this past election. As you can see, "swing" votes don't always win you an election. Energizing your base does.

Howard Dean is right when he says "You don't beat Republicans by acting like them." I will NOT sacrifice our country's progress over the past twenty years by pandering to IDIOTS and BIGOTS.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.15841637

[Freddie Stubbs]

69. It is mathematically impossible for a Democrat to be elected President

without winning in at least one of the states which went red this year. I suppose that you don't ever want there to be Democratic President.

[iwantmycountryback]

80. That's probably because he's a Republicans with a D next to his name

[saracat]

83. As a woman I would be thrilled to have someone so supportive of my right

to choose as Roemer. After all my freedom is a small price to pay in order to get a fucking red state's votes. I would actively picket Roemer.And he didn't do so hot on the 9-11 commission, helping to keep secret the "oath" they took not to realease damaging info on Shrub till "after" the election. I notice he doesn't even say anything about it now, so loyal is he. Bob Kerry at least spoke out.

[Red State Rebel]

52. Ickes n/t

[Califooyah Operative]

54. D E A N.

[Jackson4Gore]

55. Update, to my sentence that read that the Al Gore Support Center

endorsed Donnie:

Note: Title and wording was changed from original post to supress confusion.

Chris D. Jackson Urges Everyone To Support Donnie Fowler

December 26th, 2004 -- Chris D. Jackson, the administrator of the Al Gore Support Center, officially announces he is backing of Donnie Fowler for DNC Chair via this letter. Please note that this letter was initially sent to the members of the Al Gore Support Center and addresses their concerns as well.

Dear members,

I hope that each and every one of you had a very Merry Christmas! As you know, we are approaching the beginning of a new year. In the upcoming year we have a lot of work to do and we are going to need your help! Our first goal of the new year will be to take back our party and rebuild it without conceding anything to anyone. It is time we start to take charge our what is ours. It must start with us! As you have heard Al Gore say before, all political victories start at the grassroots level. Therefore, today I announce that I, Chris D. Jackson, the administrator of the Al Gore Support Center, endorse Donnie Fowler for DNC Chair.

Throughout his career, Donnie Fowler has achieved a leading role in political and high technology circles through his work in Silicon Valley and at the Federal Communications Commission, service in the Clinton White House, and work on six presidential campaigns. He has advised dozens of companies, policymakers, public advocacy groups, and political campaigns on how to manage their media, policy, business development, & technology agendas.

I have studied politics for a while now and I have yet to find anyone as young as Donnie with so much political experience. It is simply quite amazing! Only in his mid-thirties, he has been involved in the following campaigns:

Six Presidential Campaigns / Four Presidential Cycles
o Gephardt '87-'88, Jackson '88, Clinton/Gore '96, Gore/Lieberman '00 (National Field Director), Wesley Clark '03 (Campaign Manager), and Kerry/Edwards '04 (Michigan State Director)

Political and Campaign Work in Fourteen States on the Ground
o S.Carolina, Iowa, New Hampshire, Connecticut, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Wyoming, California, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Virginia

You might be wondering, what is Donnie’s view on Former Vice President Al Gore? Well, I personally asked Donnie that and I found out that he loves the big guy just about as much as we do. In 2001, 2002, and 2003 Donnie spent his summers teaching at Mr. Gore’s Summer Academy in Nashville, which is a political effort to get young people involved in grassroots politics, for no pay. Before that Donnie served as Gore’s National Field Director in the 2000 election. I can say without hesitation that Donnie Fowler would not only give Mr. Gore the respect he commands, but the admiration he deserves.

Aside from having a vast record of political involvement and a fondness of Al Gore, Donnie also is worthy of you support because he has a real plan and vision for our party. Like you and I, he does not want to concede anything to the Republicans. Like you and I, he is tired of our party being falsely labeled, and like you and I, he is tired of our party not standing firm on what our party was founded on. If Donnie is elected DNC Chair in February, you can rest assure our party will be stronger and more unified than ever!

I hope that you will join me in early 2005 to help make Donnie Fowler our new chair, thus putting our party back on track for victories for years to come!

====================================================================================

So, are you ready to help elect Donnie the new DNC Chair?

In order to spread the word about Donnie and his vision for our party, please do the following:

* Write a letter to several DNC members about his agenda for change
* Go to a political blogs and forums and say some good things about Donnie

www.dailyKos.com
www.bloggingofthepresident.com
www.MyDD.com
www.reachm.com/amstreet
www.democraticunderground.com
www.democrats.org

* Make a contribution to his effort (http://changetheparty.com )
* Vote for him online at http://standupdemocrats.org / and at any other online poll
* Tell others to watch Donnie on television and listen to him on the radio
* Talk to any DNC members you know and try to persuade them to vote Donnie!

====================================================================================

We sincerely hope that you will help us on this very important endeavor. As you know, every election affects us and how we live. If we act now, we may just get what we have been wanting in 2008!

To visit Donnie's official website, please go to: http://www.changetheparty.com

Thank you and have a great new year!

Chris D. Jackson
Al Gore Support Center Administrator

Note: The Al Gore Support Center is a grassroots ran website that is dedicated to serving Al Gore by posting up to date news and info, providing interactive services, and having helpful material that is useful in defending Gore from the right wing and the media. The Al Gore Support Center's main goal is preserving and promoting the Gore vision for years to come in America. In an effort to do so, the Al Gore Support staff may endorse certain candidates for positions, draft petitions, as well use other methods as we see fit in order to try to preserve and promote Mr. Gore's vision for America. Let it be known that the Al Gore Support Center's staff endorsements, official releases, or any other idea or opinion expressed by our website, is not endorsed by Al Gore. Our group bears Mr. Gore's name because we are dedicated to him, believe in what he stands for and are proud of him. Let our name, "The Al Gore Support Center", have no bearing either way on the basis of Al Gore's opinion. The opinions expressed by our website are that of our staff and members, who also have no official endorsement or affiliation with Al Gore.

Again, please note:

The Al Gore Support Center is in no way endorsed or affiliated with the Honorable Al Gore.

The views and comments on this site are in no way reflective of that of the Honorable Al Gore.

[MercutioATC]

57. Howard Dean.

[Pushed To The Left]

58. Is there a list

of all of the candidates that are running or thinking of running?

[Elise]

60. Well, I found this:

Following up on being the blog to first release the Nov 2nd exit polling, here are the results from informal exit polling Matt Stoller and I did after the event with the DNC Chair candidates this morning. We spoke with DNC voting members as they exited the event. Each person had 3 votes for their top choices. Here are the numbers as distributed among the candidates:

Howard Dean 26
Wellington Webb 26
Ron Kirk 24
Donnie Fowler 14
Martin Frost 9
James Blanchard 7
Simon Rosenberg 4
Harold Ickes 3

We'll post the raw data we collected later. The results are from speaking with 58 DNC members, 37 of whom participated in the survey, with our asking their top three choices at this moment. There were a few that would only choose 1 or 2 candidates, and one person insisted on choosing 4 candidates. All included, and rounded off, that's the interpreted results. What's it say?

That DC-based candidates got killed (Hindery saw the writing on the wall). The four candidates outside the beltway got votes, the four candidates inside the beltway didn't get votes. Now, these votes shouldn't be taken as scientific. 21 refused to respond, and one accurately stated (as refusing) that this sort of thing could have influence; it shouldn't, and it's certainly not sanctioned by the DNC meeting. It's rouughly the top ~3 choices of 37 DNC voting members, about 1/3rd of those attending this DNC meeting, about 9% of all the DNC members that will vote on the Chair. Informative, yes; scientific poll, not; accurate sentiment, maybe.

from: http://www.mydd.com/story/2004/12/11/16717/532

(Just in case anyone doesn't know: the Clintons are backing Ickes.)

[Ramsey]

61. Howard Dean!!

Second choice is Simon Rosenberg.

If they choose Roemer, I may leave the Democratic Party! If they think an anti-choice, pro-SS privatization guy is the best person to represent all of us in political strategy and opposition to Bush and the GOP, then the Democratic Party I knew and loved is officially dead.

[Cheswick2.0]

66. No one would even be paying attention if Dean were't in the running

Howard Dean gets my support. He will make the changes needed to keep the democratic party viable.

[freelight]

68. Zell Miller!

Just kidding. Howard Dean.

[WI_DEM]

70. Howard Dean

[Joanne98]

71. dean

[Lostnote03]

72. LAWRENCE O'DONNELL....(because he called the Swift Boat Vets LIARS on TV)n

[bigwillq]

74. Howard Dean

Many people say, Dean could do more for the party if he's NOT the DNC chair but I think Dean is who we need as the chair.

He has an amazing vision, good fundraising skills, he knows how to reach an audience that other D.C. Dems seem to not be able to reach.

Dean would be a good fit!

[iwantmycountryback]

78. Howard Dean

We need his grassroots organizing and his message. I'm sick of this party's rightward tilt.

[bunkerbuster1]

79. Again, I'll quote Abe Lincoln: "I need this man. He fights."

in this case, the fighter would be Dean, and damnit, we need him.

(In Abe's case, of course, the fighter was U.S. Grant.)

[proudbluestater]

81. DEAN!

[Wisc Badger]

84. This Recovering Republican

would like to see Dean get the nod.
:toast:

[satori]

86. Howard Dean

Howard Dean for DNC chair