The 50 State Strategy, that's why we won

[rpannier]

(again that's strategery for the trolls)

The talking heads like to portray this not as a victory for Howard Dean and the 50 State Strategy, but a victory for Emanuel and Schumer or a failure by scrubbie and the republikkans.

While I agree that Schumer, Emanuel deserve credit for fielding solid candidates in many areas and we couldn't have been this successful without scrubbie and all those soon to be indicted felons called the republikkan congress.

But, lets face facts. We took governor's races, we took state legislatures, we took very local elections as well. There has to be more to this success than the fielding of attractive candidates for the Senate and the House.

Even with the anti-republikkan climate, if we didn't have anyone running in many of these races it would not have mattered. We had people running in almost every Senate, House, Governors, Mayors, Dog Catchers, etc race throughout the country.

We had people working and running in places like Mississippi, Florida, Indiana, Nebraska, etc. People who were doing more than 'wandering around picking their noses' (screw you begalia).

When their world finally came crumbling down around them, we had alternatives running in those districts, counties and cities. The republikkans were forced to spend money in areas they hadn't had to in the past decade or so.

We had vibrant, viable operations in place, full of local people who understood what the locals were thinking and what they wanted. We weren't stuck with the pundits living inside the beltway (that's you begalia, carville, shrum, etal) trying to dictate to the voters.

If there were problems with our local operations, they were handled by local representatives. Representatives the locals knew and trusted.

We spent money smartly and we used our resources effectively. Raising a lot of money is useless, if you spend it stupidly -- which we have been guilty of in the past.

For the most part our leadership at the DNC kept us focused and on message.

The representatives chosen by the DNC to be the face of the Party in the media were aggressive, cool and smart. They didn't allow the 'Sunday morning spewing heads to get us sidetracked.' (Yeah, that's you I'm talking about Howard Dean -- Good job)

The 'representatives' of the Party that hurt us, were the old guard who were only happy to appear on insannity and colms, o' lielly, etc and agree with many things the blowhards said, while doing a piss-poor job of explaining Democratic positions and policies.

It was a great day for the Party. Not just because we won, but because we finally have some sort of vision.

[codjh9]

1. Yes, I emailed the DNC with a big thanks to Howard Dean. The Repukes shot

themselves in the foot every week in the last couple of months, but Dean's strategy was still a crucial part of this whole thing.

[KatieB]

2. Congrats to Dean and 50 state strategy

It was the obvious difference this time around

[SharonAnn]

6. And even where we didn't win the Senate, like here in TN, we narrowed

the GOP lead in our state senate, got a stonger majority in our state house, and best of all, kept the GOP busy campaigning here so that they couldn't be helping somewhere else. And that includes *, Frist, and Lamar Alexander who had to spend time and $$ here so they couldn't be somewhere else beating up on some other Dem candidate.

So, in a very real way, we also helped the Dem candidates win in other states because we ran a "full court press" against the GOP across the country.

[sandnsea]

3. Wyoming House

It definitely was what made the difference there. A New York internet entrepreneur is in recount territory against a 3rd or 4th generation rancher's daughter in Cheney's back yard.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/11/8/205247/707

[dajoki]

4. Dean deserves credit...

people laughed at him for spending time & money in places they thought we shouldn't be. But we showed them. Thank you Howard Dean!!

[dajoki]

5. Delete -- Double post n/t