When Dems Take Control, Dean Deserves Some Major Credit

[JCMach1]

His strategy surrendered nothing and now has the Dems poised to take control.

...Q: Listening to voters in red states, what have you learned since before you were chair?

DEAN: I think partly due to Republican propaganda and partly due to the fact that we haven't shown up in those places in 20 years, people have a completely skewed view of what Democrats are about, and that's why I want to be in all 50 states. This is not a matter of remaking the party and changing our views on these things. It's a matter of making sure people know what our views really are .... We can win elections anywhere. We've won elections in Utah, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi. There's a third of this country in which it's become socially unacceptable to say you're a Democrat; that's simply a matter of us not showing up... http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061008/16qa.htm

We never got that kind of leadership from McAuliffe.

[survivor999]

1. Oh yes!

I agree!

[lcordero2]

2. A lot of the credit is deserved by the Republican Party

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[JCMach1]

4. Let's wait and see, but the polls are starting to indicate a historic

shift...

[Mass]

3. I hope he does, but color me skeptic here.

[JCMach1]

5. I have gone from a pessimist about 1 month ago to cautiously

optimistic today. The ground is shifting under the Repugs feet.

[Mass]

9. Not talking about winning , talking about Dean getting major credit.

From all I have seen these last days, the credit will get to others (and it is totally unfair).

[mucifer]

6. that's exactly what Al Franken said

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

7. Dean is so wonderfully consistent and focused. McAuliffe was

worthless.

Dean is the epitome of common sense and vision. When (if) we win, he will be one of the predominant factors.

I :loveya: HoDo (my 18 y/o daughter's affectionate nickname for him)

Changing my avatar accordingly and K & R. :kick: MKJ

[madfloridian]

8. Hi, jcmach1...I just posted something about this.

It is such a good idea. I am not very confident some of our state leaders are totally on board, as more money for more states means less money for Florida.

This article mentions Dean expects to concentrate out west and maybe won't need Florida in 08.

Here's the article called A New Map Out West...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/420

Dean said we became detached and out of touch for not putting all the states in play. His interview with Tavis Smiley Monday night.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/444

[JCMach1]

18. Western states have been trending more blue for years

06 may be the tipping point for some of them...

Montana, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico especially...

[MADem]

10. I agree--he ceded NO state, and he was smart to follow that path

But we had CLINTON for the bulk of the McAuliffe years. Clinton had more leadership skills than a hundred dynamic people, when McAuliffe had the con, and to be fair to him, he pulled in money HAND over FIST. He could fundraise like a no one else, frankly.

We have a HQ because of Terry. We have better organization and outreach because he was the one who started building the databases.

Each to their own strengths.

Dean is the right guy for these times. But Terry didn't sit on his ass all that time, either.

[Justice Is Comin]

14. And he was always a cannon on the talk shows too.

A hundred times better than most of these jamokes we got now.

[MADem]

15. Yeah, he wouldn't let anyone talk over him--he'd bellow back and

make them look like obstructive jerks.

[AnnieBW]

11. The Doctor Is In!

Always listen to your Doctor! He's giving the Dems a rectal craniectomy! (Getting their heads out of their asses.)

[texasleo]

12. Rahm > Dean

[bigwillq]

13. I agree.

Dean is DA MAN! :bounce:

[rpannier]

16. Considering how little real progress we were making in the 'red states'

in national elections, Dean deserves a bunch of credit.

If we had listened to begalia, carville, rahm and the rest we'd be looking at hoping for a 50/50 split in the house.

[JCMach1]

19. Exactly, also take a look at the fund-raising track record

He has very quickly become a highly effective party leader.

[Quixote1818]

17. I agree with Dean's approach. Sales are all about making your pitch

and about courting voters. If someone is selling something and they keep coming back so frequently that you get to know them personally then they will start to like you and sign with you.

I am not sure it's started paying dividends yet but I think it will eventually. It takes time!

[JCMach1]

20. My deepest wish is for the DLC to wake-up the Wed. after

the election and find that Dean and Dean's strategy have won the day.

Triangulation can kiss my a#$!

[saracat]

21. Umm, a lot of this is just luck and the nation waking up. We should be

thanking Foley! If anyone got us some red states it was Foley. I have been around a long time and there hasn't been that much of a change and money is being spent as inefficiently as ever. Dean has some good qualities but he has absolutely no oversight.And the OP is not being fair to Mcauliffe who did raise a ton of money. But neither one made sure the money went where it was needed.JMHO.

[madfloridian]

22. Why do you always do this?

Many of us have been defending Kerry against unfair stuff all day, and then you have to do your thing...you say the same thing over and over.

I read you have someone running there. Is that why?

What the hell did you think...good old Howie would wave a magic wand and all the state and local folks would be perfect?

I wish you would stop this crap.

On edit...just leave out the next step about the worship and all that stuff. It gets tiresome. No one minds fair criticism, but he is not going to do your state leader "fixing" for you, especially when you and others there tell him he does not belong in your state. Enough..

Our state leaders want to do things the old way, and it is our job to change things. Yours as well.

[saracat]

27. your assumption that one has to accept your argument is tiresome.

I don't mention what you call the "next step," so it is odd you mention it.Must be something you are thinking.It is very odd that you think DC has NO responsibility for anything! I am just telling people to put their money where it is most productive! And believe me, I am working as hard as I can to change things but I am not a sock puppet for anyone! Including any of the DC organizations! And this is not "crap" .It is an honest opinion and one held by many not just myself. If we never acknowledge the problem, it can't be fixed. All of us have problems on the state level, I am sure, but it is silly to close our eyes and refuse to acknowledge issues with the national party.

[Roxy66]

23. Not Really...check out KOS

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/19/22280/721

September fundraising numbers
by kos
Thu Oct 19, 2006 at 07:28:00 PM PDT

RNC: DNC:
Raised: $13M Raised: $5.6M
CoH: $26M CoH: $8.2M

NRSC: DSCC:
Raised: $5.1M Raised: $13.6M
CoH: $12M CoH: $23M

NRCC: DCCC:
Raised: $12M Raised: $14.4M
CoH: $40M CoH: $36M

Looks like Schumer and Rahm deserve our thanks....

[madfloridian]

24. How about the cycle? Guess who beat whom soundly.

DNC $102,746,022

DCCC $86,160,713

DSCC $81,257,939

http://www.opensecrets.org/parties/index.asp

They just don't say it in public. That's the tactic. Not bad for a smaller donor strategy by the DNC.

Yes, Dean does deserve credit...for branching out, for bringing so many new people into the party.

I believe in being fair. You quoted Sept. totals only. The DNC was far ahead overall, just spending it in the states.

[madfloridian]

25. I was actually going to say that credit should be shared.

Dean should get a lot of credit for the enthusiasm gendered in the party, for having people in the states so people could run.

But now I am not going to say it. This place is territorial already for 08. I am tired of people unwilling or unable to say anything decent at all about others.

I have been defending Kerry all day against attacks that were not fair. I will do that also for others.

Some here won't let a decent thread go without attacks.

[TheWraith]

26. I wouldn't put too much credit on him.

I like Dean well enough, but I've never worshipped him the way some people here seem to. He's done some good, but the way things are going so far aren't really the result of his actions so much as they are the normal winds of change. I know for instance that the national party did nothing to help out in my district (Reynolds) prior to the Foley thing breaking. If it weren't for a local businessman who's poured millions of his own money over the last two years into taking out Reynolds, we probably wouldn't have a nearly guaranteed pickup now the way that we do. There's a lot of other districts like that too: places where it's the mood of the public that's likely going to get us pickups, not neccessarily a major central strategy. In fact, there really hasn't been a national strategy other than "Get out of the way and let them keep beating their heads against that wall."

So yes, Dean is right about some things, and we DO need to show up everywhere, although not neccessarily always with the same message. But I refrain from treating him like he's the savior of the party, or even that we wouldn't be in as good a position with someone else in charge.