Howard Dean Politics = Successful Democratic Politcs (HotLine)

[kpete]

November 14, 2006
Dated Kerry, Married Dean

And then there's Howard Dean, the unorthodox, insurgent chairman of the Democratic Party. For more than a year, many of the party's familiarly named strategists, consultants and hangers-on have been convinced that Dean wanted to shape the national committee as a counterweight to the party committees. So if party committees get credit for the victory, Dean should get none, right?

Wrong.

. . . .

Three years ago, Howard Dean-style politics was too outré for the Democratic Party to bear. Today, arguably, Dean Politics is Democratic politics. Embedded within Dean's campaign theme was a broad critique of the Republican approach to power. Iraq was simply its worst manifestation. But Dean also evinced his distaste with Republican "corruption." He talked about how Democrats - and independents and even Republicans -- were interested in results, not ideology. In his eyes, Americans wanted a fresh approach. He urged, first Democrats, then Americans, to take their country back. He also urged the party to overlook interest group apostasy; remember that Dean got an "A" rating from the NRA as Vermont's governor. He clumsily endorsed an outreach to "the guys with confederate flags on the back of their pick-up trucks."

Leave the Internet aside: the architecture of Dean Politics has become the de mode style for the entire party. Dean promoted a vocal, confrontational style of campaigning, one that did not cede an inch to Republicans. His primary campaign was predicated on a 50 state strategy. He urged Democrats to adopt issues that would drive wedges between the Republican base and the party's weaker adherents (mostly in the suburbs). He rejected the politics of inoculation, pronouncing himself proud to be the talisman of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. He intuited that the party (and voters) wanted the Democrats to be the opposition party.

. . . .

But give Dean credit for setting the tone and style of Democratic politics. Successful, Democratic politics, that is, in an environment that Dean first detected three years ago.

more at:
http://hotlineblog.nationaljournal.com/archives/2006/11/post_120.html#more

[texpatriot2004]

1. "GOP Culture of Corruption" - Thank you Howard Dean nm

[Mass]

2. Only good thing in this article: they give credit to Dean.

However, this article is the product of inside the Beltway groupthinking. They cannot seem to be able to understand why Dean should be thanked for: The 50 state strategy.

They miss the fact that we won NOT ONLY THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE (where Rahm and Schumer obviously are partly responsible), but also statehouses and governorship. Because we are not talking about DC people, hotline ignores these victories totally.

[lvx35]

3. Good to see Dean get some credit.

His strategy, his whole way of being, are why we won...we should remember it, and stick to it: Make firm stands, don't compromise on core issues like peace, and reach out to rural red state voters.

[caledesi]

4. Amen from an old Deaniac. nt