Howard Dean's Strategy so successful - the UK wants in!!

[Coexist]

Labour drafts in US election architect for 'our midterms'

Howard Dean: helped pioneer new campaign tactics. Photograph: Paul Sancya/AP

Howard Dean to advise party on campaigning strategy ahead of key May vote

Tania Branigan and Julian Borger
Saturday November 11, 2006
The Guardian

Labour has enlisted one of the engineers of this week's Democratic victory in the US midterm elections in an attempt to boost its flagging fortunes before the local elections in May.

Howard Dean, the former presidential candidate and one of the men credited with masterminding the trouncing of the Republicans, will visit the UK next month to brief party officials about his pioneering campaigning techniques.

"The Welsh, Scottish and local elections next year are our midterms," said Hazel Blears, Labour's chair. "It has to be done differently for us to carry on being successful ... We're looking at how have upped their game."

Labour is particularly interested in the Democrats' style of targeting grassroots voters through low-key meetings in homes. "We want to look at their experience in campaigning, getting out the vote, holding house meetings where people can come together ... You don't want to transplant American politics, but there's a lot we can share," said Ms Blears.

More...

[whistle]

1. What does the U.K. have to do with democratic policy?

[Coexist]

3. why did you ask that question?

the article is about how they want to look at adopting his 50 state strategy.

[sweetheart]

11. the elites of both nations are mixed

It has every thing to do with US democratic policy.

[Greeby]

2. The Labour Party is going to gets it ass kicked

In these local elections next year, same as they did in the local elections this year, and the General Election before that. Not even Dr. Dean can do anything about that

[frustrated_lefty]

4. People-powered Howard can do a lot

towards reminding ANY party that the basis for their power comes from the people. Instead of relying on the evangical vote while sniggering behind their backs, Dean said we're going to engage these people, we're going to talk and we are respectfully going to ask for their vote. Kudos to any party which attempts to apply the tenants put forth by Dean.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. The thing is, Dean would have to change the leadership of the party too

Imagine a Democratic party in which all of the senior senators and congressmen are like Joe Lieberman, or further to the right. People who enthusiastically supported the invasion of Iraq, and still take time to try to justify it. A party which claimed it wanted discussion of real policy matters at its last nationwide conference - and then ruled out all 17 motions on nuclear weapons policy 'on technical grounds', so there was no discussion at all. It's not that 'New Labour' has forgotten about talking to its members and electors - it's made an active decision not to.

The candidates in the Scottish and Welsh elections will have to adopt the tactics a few Republicans tried - "don't pay any attention to the national leadership, we think they're just as bad as you do, please just listen to what we as individuals say. Bush who? Blair who?" But the US elections have just shown that doesn't work very well.

[Cha]

12. There ya go! Dean thanked us when he

us when he was on The Daily Show the other night and a lot of people saw that who weren't DUers that I've talked to. They were so happy for him.

[TheBaldyMan]

6. The last thing Blair wants to do is listen to the people,

he has been pulling our chain for years.

To put my post in some context, Blair wants power - he doesn't care how he does it and runs the country by reacting to the latest adverse headline. He has to look up the meaning of socialism in the dictionary. (Britain is far to the left of the US in this respect - we are a socialist country despite what the MSM would have us believe)

Blair doesn't give two fucks about actually governing the country and has spent the last ten years ignoring the party grass roots, the unions and left leaning organisations. He has pawned the party's future to big business and the rest of us can go hang.

The main difference with the Democratic Party and New Labour is the grass roots energised the party, it did not come from above. That is Tony's weakness, he is a control freak, he tells others what to do not the other way around. His entire leadership is predicated on central control.

[Coexist]

7. I guess my point was Dean vindication,

not Labour support.

[TheBaldyMan]

9. I'd be jumping for joy if I thought Labour grassroots could alter policy

but right now the central office refuses to negotiate policy with the unions let alone local party activists. Candidates are deselected on orders from HQ if they aren't sufficiently Blairite. There is a far greater degree of alienation in New Labour than in the Democratic party.

[Cha]

13. And ya made a good one..

"point", that is. :)

[LeftishBrit]

10. You've summed it up! - as has Muriel Volestranger

Blair has followed Thatcher in increasing central control - e.g. local government has far less power in comparison to central government than was the case in the past; and in forcing a right-wing agenda on his party, against the wishes of a large proportion of party members. Both Thatcher and Blair were reluctant to accept dissent among their MPs and marginalized those who were to the left of their leaders. The Labour party here has a fairly left-wing tradition - very left-wing by American standards - but Blair has squelched it. Just as the Tory party has or had quite a significant moderate contingent in parliament, including a few top leaders in the past, but Thatcher stomped on such 'wets' and ensured that the people around her were all either right-wing ideologues or unthinking 'vegetables' to quote a famous Spitting Image sketch. Both parties are now way to the right of what they were in the 1970s.

So Dean would really have his work cut out for him, if he wishes to promote a Labour - or even merely left-of-centre - party in more than just name. Blair is basically Bush's top poodle, and promotes the other poodles in his party. A former Cabinet minister has recently left the party to become an Independent, because there is no longer sufficient place for what were once mainstream Labour attitudes.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

15. Question for Brits in this thread: Could the LibDems serve as a protest vote?

Or is there anyone else around who is closer to the Labour Party of old?

[LeftishBrit]

17. Yes, to some degree

The LibDems are for the most part to the left of New Labour, though like all of our parties there is strong within-party variation, and some are quite right-wing economically (almost all do oppose the war, however). I have a good, quite left-wing LibDem MP, and he gets my vote; but in most constituencies the party has little chance and may be seen as a 'wasted vote'.

There is also the Green party, which in the UK is solidly left-wing on most issues, as well as environmentalist. There are a few local Councils that have some Green councillors - including my own Oxford City Council -but no Green MPs.

There are also some local independent candidates and small parties (e.g. Galloway's Respect) that may serve as protest votes; and a few such have even been elected recently. The regional nationalist parties - Scottish Nationalist Pary and Plaid Cymru - tend to have a centre-left, as well as nationalist, agenda.

[TheBaldyMan]

21. I'd say the Labour party is the Labour Party of old

Blair has installed a Presidential office at the top of the party but the grass roots are the same. Totally ignored by No.10 and mightily pissed off.

The crazy thing is; the tories only won their last election because of ballot box stuffing thanks to the poll tax. Labour would have won anyway because we were all so sick of the tories. Tony surfed that wave claiming it was his progressive (aka thatcherite) policies and spin that won it finally.

He continues to do that today, little realising that he is despised because he has exactly the same policies as the tories.

We want an alternative, this can only come about with the removal of Blair and his lackeys with an accompanying change of policy. Real traditional socialist Labour policy. It's 25 years overdue.

Our social institutions are being dismantled to pay for corporate welfare. It will continue until the poodle is re-homed.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

22. So is there any potential leader who could take Labour back to its roots?

I absolutely loved my August trip to England and look forward to returning next summer, but I can see where a little old-fashioned Labour government is needed.

[TheBaldyMan]

23. The party hasn't left its roots, the leadership has wandered off on its own.

This presidential style doesn't rest easily with the party.

Traditionally the Labour party was never lead by one person, there was always a far more collegiate style of governance so I'd say the problem isn't lack of left wingers, it's a lack of internal democracy in the party. http://www.whatnextjournal.co.uk/Pages///Back/Wnext10/Nec.html">Check this article for a better idea of the problem the Labour NEC (Natonal Executive Council) is the joker in the pack.

I think this is one of the reasons Claire Short left the party. IMO she would have been one of the best leaders Labour could have, certainly she would have been central to any left-leaning administration. This was probably why Blair has treated her so abysmally and driven her aas well as a lot of traditional party members from Labour ranks.

[Spazito]

8. Canada's Liberal party also wants to look at Dean's 50 State

strategy! I am glad that his work and sucess in the recent US elections is being recognized and acknowledged. The Liberal party needs to rebuild it's grassroots and I think Dean's strategy would work well in Canada too.

Liberals announce Keynote speaker, theme of Convention


Montréal –The Liberal Party of Canada today is pleased to announce that the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Governor Howard Dean, will give the keynote address at the Party’s upcoming Leadership and Biennial Convention. Governor Dean will be speaking to delegates, alternates, observers, and the attendees on the evening of November 29, 2006, at approximately 8:20 pm (EST).

Governor Dean was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party in early 2005. Since that time, he has worked to strengthen the grassroots of his Party. His leadership has been centered around a “50 state strategy” that focuses on building his Party in every state in the country. Under his leadership, the Democratic Party has rebuilt its infrastructure and shifted its fundraising strategy towards small donations from engaged supporters. Just this week, he led his Party to a clean sweep of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Senate, the majority of Governorships and state legislatures.

“We are proud to have Gov. Dean address our Party. Aside from our obvious affinity with the Democratic Party, Liberals are excited to hear the Chairman’s views on a modern democracy and the role of the Democratic Party in the new U.S. political environment. And the timing couldn’t be better,” said Steven MacKinnon, General Secretary of the Convention.

The theme of the Liberal Party of Canada Leadership and Biennial Convention will be ‘Choices that Count’. The theme reflects the wishes of delegates who will be making the important decisions over the course of the week regarding Party policy, leadership, and structural renewal.

more

http://www.liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?type=news&id=12037

[Cha]

14. It's just the American dlc who

thinks Dean didn't do anything..I gueeeeeessssssss.

[Spazito]

16. It seems so, especially after reading about Carville's disgusting

comments re Dean and, adding to that, the attempts by some to hail Emmanuel as conquerer to the exclusion of the facts. It has been an interesting education for me, for sure.

[Cha]

18. To me, too.

"It has been an interesting education for me, for sure."

[Coexist]

20. that is awesome!

more vindication.

[Ignacio Upton]

19. Labour in 2007 = Republicans in 2006

Unless if Blair steps down now, the Conservatives will make it a rout, regardless of what Dean does. It's weird that the Democrats in this country mirror the Tories in both the U.K. and Canada, in that we are/were the challenger parties going after ruling parties that have ruled the legilative branches for a decade or more. However, beyond that, Pelosi and Reid have nothing else in common with Harper or Cameron.