Dean gave credit to Rahm and Schumer on Fox today.

[madfloridian]

Most of us just assumed from the start that everyone would have credit for such a huge win. I think if Carville had kept his mouth shut instead of talking to two publications to diss Dean...it wouldn't have gotten so much attention.

Yes, a couple of folks went on TV to say it was all about Rahm, but I think it would been ignored if not for Carville's big mouth.

Dean on Fox tonight gave credit to them for the congressional races, though he could easily have taken some for himself on those. He did say that they got 6 governorships and 9 state houses were added.

So let's stop the attacks on Rahm and Chuck. I don't give a damn who attacks Mr. and Mrs. Matalin, though. Here is what he said on Fox tonight.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,228923,00.html

"WALLACE: The election results were barely in when a top Democratic strategist, James Carville — you can see where I'm headed with this — a former adviser to Bill Clinton, started going after you. And let's take a look at what he had to say.

"The RNC —" this is from Carville — "The RNC did a better job than the DNC —" that's the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee, "— this year. He says the House and Senate Campaign Committees made up for your shortcomings and that Congressman Harold Ford should replace you as chairman of the DNC.

First of all, what do you make of this criticism, and do you have any intention of stepping down?

DEAN: I have to say I get a laugh out of that one. (And he did have a big smile there). Here we have — let's leave the federal races aside, because the DCCC and the DSCC did do a wonderful job. But the truth is we got six additional governors. We got nine additional legislative chambers. New Hampshire now has a Democratic house and senate for the first time in a century.

We did great. And I think the time really has come now, now that we're in power, at least in the Congress, to pull together, to be unified. We've got a lot to do in the next two years. We've got to elect a Democratic president, and so...

WALLACE: Do you have any intention of stepping down?

DEAN: No. I talked to Harold last night, and he has no — he doesn't want the job. This is some kind of inside the Beltway silliness."

I don't especially like Rahm, I have no opinion on Schumer. But they did what they had to do. Dean negotiated with them at the end quite satisfactorily.

I wish we could all shut up and enjoy the win. I listened to Laura Flanders tonight while we were eating, and my hubby looked at me and said turn it off again. All she did was gripe about everything, and we haven't even taken office yet.

Kudos to all the Dem leaders, to the blogosphere, and the groups like MoveOn and PFAW and DFA and others.

[WildEyedLiberal]

1. Dean is gracious

His opponents, not so much.

The past two weeks have been very illustrative of people's character. True colors have been shown, which is ultimately for the better. Once a comment has been made, it can't be unmade, and there are a couple of people who are going to be dealing with the fallout for a long, long time.

[William769]

2. One of the reasons I like Howard Dean.

The war over this on DU, is why I am losing respect fast for many here.

[Oleladylib]

3. Schumer is an Ace and we are lucky to have him as our Sen. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

4. Someone has class, and someone doesn't.

It's also excellent politics for Dean, to take the high road of being "the uniter" of the Democratic Party (which is, of course his job), leaving the role of bad guy to be played by jackasses like {someone who's too irrelevant to be worth naming} and Emmanuel.


EDIT: Forgot to include Schumer in the list of jackasses. My bad.

[marmar]

5. I'll admit that I'm not the world's biggest Rahm fan....

but I'll give credit where credit is due, and his tenacity and dogged fundraising definitely paid off, and he's a much-needed force in the Democratic Party. As to his comments on the "left" of the party....that's a subject for a different thread.
:dem:

[madfloridian]

6. We'll worry about that as things come up.

But he deserves credit now, and we should be giving it to him. If the others don't act gracious we can say we tried to do so.

:hi:

[Cha]

7. Dean is a natural diplomat ,

intelligent, a very hard worker and we're most fortunate to have him for our DNC Chair.

Thanks for all the info, mad.

[elfin]

8. Dean has built infrastructure for the future

I did phone work for both Kerry and this midterm. Our little Waukesha, WI office has expanded to bigger quarters with COMPUTERS for phoning and a lot of assistance and many more door knockers plus better amenities (FOOD!).

The atmosphere was professional compared to the supposedly more important 2004 effort.

No, we did not unseat Senslessbrenner, but our presence has expanded mightlily. I credit Dr. Dean as well as Governor Doyle.

[lancdem]

9. Wallace was trying to make a mountain out of a molehill

Dean did a fine job.

[gulliver]

10. And Schumer gave credit to Dean on the Maher show.

It's great when everyone gives credit instead of trying to take it. We need to stay focused on governing and keep an eye on the Republicans, not try to figure out who deserves what credit for the win. The voters deserve the credit, really. They made the right choice.

[greeneyedboy]

24. EXACTLY. e pluribus unum = democratic (big D and small d) victory

[bigtree]

11. plenty of folks already reported Rahm giving equal credit

here's a reported one:

Rahm Emanuel was reportedly "quick to credit other Democrats"

Rahm Emanuel, Basking In the Glow of Victory\

By Wil Haygood
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 9, 2006

{snip}

He got two hours' sleep the previous night, he said. His eyes looked tired and at times he rocked on his heels as if he might fall onto an imaginary sofa.

He was quick to credit other Democrats, noting 18 months of hard work that went into the results. Still, on a day of victory and pride, he shifted his shoulders, he gulped from his water bottle, he let show a sliver of a smile. And demurred when asked about his personal future.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110802239.html


folks want to spread a second-hand account of what Rahm said about our party's victory and where credit is due? Use this one.



http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[upi402]

12. but I love Laura Flanders

:shrug:
She has always proven to be right as far as I've seen.

[bigtree]

13. this will go down without the hundreds of responses because it doesn't serve

the dividers

:kick:

[madfloridian]

14. You are right.

Thanks.

[Egnever]

15. LOL replace Dean with Harold Ford!

Thats just cracks me up! Time for carville to disappear into the primordial ooze he crawled out of.

I was horrified to see him and begala doing commentary on election night. These clowns and their thinking played a big part in putting us in the minority in the first place. Time to put em out to pasture for good.

Dean needs to bitch slap both of those clowns.

[Johnyawl]

16. I agree Egnever, put Carville out to pasture. What election has he won since '96?

He's no longer a 'Democratic political consultant', he's a bloviating inside-the-beltway-talking head.

[JNelson6563]

17. Ah excellent!

Unity is the key my friends. Screw Mr. Matilan, throw him to the wolves. Our hard working and dedicated leaders worked things out among themselves and we have many victories to show for it.

:toast:

Julie

[madfloridian]

18. Yep, but Mr. Matalin sure got attention he needed.

With the help of the media. Funny how that works.

And now Ford is saying he decided not to run for chair, when we already have one.

Odd stuff.

Dean is always gracious, much more than I am sometimes.

[WI_DEM]

19. The truth is we gained over 500 legislative seats and the GOP

had to compete in many more districts than before due to Dean's 50-state strategy. What has Carville done in recent years to help Democrats? except get rich on CNN.

[Leopolds Ghost]

20. Nah, we were talking about this before Carville. We should thank Carville

For getting this into the open. I got a post modded merely for posting a New Republic article about Rahm vs. Dean. That's how intense it was last week.

The reality is Rahm was angling for a post by denigrating the "antiwar wing of the party" behind the scenes.

It was a classic post-election attempt to close ranks and whip the "progressive" Dems into line, just as with the 2004 debate on an antiwar plank in the platform.

It looks like he lost, because Pelosi is now siding with Murtha over Hoyer.

However, the Blue Dogs were in open revolt over how many "liberal African American chairmen" there would be in Congress. I saved an article in the Post about this from before the Election. These are the people it will be (hopefully) Murtha's task to mollify.

Hoyer would have simply appeased the Blue Dogs with cash for votes.

"You vote our way on social issues, we will ignore Murtha's war stance and cave to you Blue Dogs on economic/corporate slush fund issues and give you money for your lobbyists/your district."

[jgraz]

21. Wake me up when you get tape of Rahm sharing credit with Dean n/t

[FogerRox]

22. Statesmanship.

[rateyes]

23. Howard Dean speaks for me, and is

one class act.

[madfloridian]

25. Video up at Fox now.

http://www.foxnews.com/fns /