Howard Dean

Yesterday, I was marveling at the number of media requests I have been receiving over the past two weeks. The following passage from last Sunday's edition of the Chris Matthews show offers key insight into why (big hat tip to David Mizner in quick hits):

Ms. CONNOLLY: It may not be gays in the military, but I guarantee you there are going to be hot button issues that are going to be come up. You're already seeing some of that agitation...

MATTHEWS: Oh......(unintelligible)...trade issues. If we try to put up the trade walls, we're going to have a fight on labor issues, like this card check thing about being able to organize with individual decision making rather than a big voting election kind of thing. Those kind of issues could really reach, as you say, could divide the Democrats, right?

Ms.

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Four year ago, as we Democrats were on the short end of a Republican trifecta, we had to engage in soul-searching similar to what Republicans face now. The conclusion Democrats arrived at was that our problems were mainly non-ideological and related to strategy and infrastructure. This conclusion could be seen with the DNC's election of Howard Dean on a fifty-state strategy platform, in the papers produced by NDN with their New Politics Institute, and also in the netroots as perhaps best exemplified with Crashing the Gate.  read more »

James Kirchick packs so much absurdity into 1100 words defending Lieberman that Jonathan Chait has to set him straight.  

Some nuggets:

[The Democratic Party's] 2006 congressional takeover, engineered by incoming Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, wouldn't have happened if the party didn't run centrist and conservative Democrats in traditionally red states.

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To no one's surprise, Howard Dean has stepped down as DNC chair:

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, who rose to national prominence during a failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, will not seek a second term as chairman of the Democratic National Committee, clearing the way for a loyalist of President-elect Barack Obama to be named to the soon to be vacant post.(...)

"At this point he has said that he doesn't intend to run again," said a DNC source granted anonymity in order to speak candidly. "He has said so publicly for a while.

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A McClatchy News Service article on Yahoo News wonders how President-elect Obama will use his "Internet Army" once he gets to D.C.

I'm one of the 3.1 million Americans who signed on with My Barack Obama to make phone calls, knock on doors and donate money. Some of the toughest work was back before the Democratic caucus in March, which is when I signed up. Especially true at my house, with me and my cell phone in one room and Chris and her cell in another. I called for Obama; she called for Clinton.

But phone calling is only part of the equation. This Obama Internet Army may be a key ally to the president once he's inaugurated. According to the McClatchy article:

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David's been tearing things up lately with a series of posts on how Versailles is freaking out over the fear that Obama just might keep a campaign promise or two.  Well, no, it actually goes a bit deeper than that.  But not much.

The reality here is something I wrote about in a diary series last February, "Three Waves And A Wall: 2008 And The American Future", and now that the election is upon us, with early voting well underway, I thought it would be a good idea to revisit that series and some of what it had to say.  I started things off in a more down-to-earth way with "The House Vote and the Shape of Things To Come".  read more »

Yesterday, I argued that America was mobbing rapidly to the left. Today, I would like to posit a countering theory that suggests we are not in the middle of a quick, realigning shift in terms of either partisan or ideological preference. Rather, it seems entirely possible that we are just seeing a lot of good organizing during a favorable political moment, slowly pushing the country in a more progressive and more Democratic direction.

Explanation in the extended entry.  read more »

Can a comparison be both illuminating and misleading?  You decide.

Kos:

Douthat: This is what a lot of conservatives are going to be telling themselves after election day: That Obama cheated, that the media cheated, that McCain wasn't a conservative anyway, and that the only reason Sarah Palin wasn't a hit with swing voters is that the press - with an assist from conservative quislings like Frum and Brooks and Parker and Noonan - poisoned the well.

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From 2005-2006, we were treated to story after story after story on Rahm Emanuel, the tough talking cursing Chair of the DCCC who had taken on the impossible task of bringing the Democrats into the majority.  Democrats ended up picking up more than 30 seats, and Emanuel got huge amounts of credit.  These stories had lines in them like:

To those who expected a bragging pol, [Emanuel] was quite the subdued victor. He seemed peaceful -- as peaceful as a slow-moving shark.

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I just launched this pledge with a group of people, some of whom can be publicly identified right now and some of whom can't.  It's a pledge that we will push Democrats to be bold progressives going forward and push aside the corroded insiders who run our party right now.  Please take it and forward it to your friends.

This week, Democrats helped George W. Bush and Republicans loot the federal treasury and hand billions over to Wall Street.

For some reason, we can never find money for kids' health care, clean energy, or other progressive priorities. But when it comes to right-wing priorities like war and giveaways to failed Wall Street executives, Republicans always find the money and Democrats go along.

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Anonymous Liberal, who some of you may remember from his occasional pinch hits for Glennzilla, makes a point worth highlighting, The Media's Moment of Truth:

This election is a test of the political media in this country. If journalists can't find a way to dissuade the use of flagrant dishonesty as a tactic, they will have failed this country miserably.

A moment of truth, and a moment for truth.
Lest there be any doubt, media, you are already failing:

"Based on what you have seen or heard about Sarah Palin so far, please tell me whether or not you think each of the following phrases describes Palin. What about [see below]? Does this describe Palin, or not?" (9/10-11/08) - Newsweek

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The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza publicly ponders whether my buddy Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer will one day run for president. Some of you have emailed me about the story, asking if I know anything. You can read political reporter Mike Saccone's blog at the Grand Junction Sentinel for my answer to that question. You can read below for a bit more. If you don't care about this question because it's manufactured, substance-free, Beltway-generated media speculation about a hypothetical election at least 5 years in the future - I totally agree with you (as you will see in the Grand Junction Sentinel) and wholeheartedly endorse your decision not to read any further.  read more »

I have to run some errands, but I will be back in a couple of hours. This is an open thread for the start of the big night. Here is a picture of the set that will be used:

The festivities start at 5 p.m., eastern, 3 p.m. mountain. A schedule of events can be found in the extended entry. What are your expectations for tonight?

Time Shown as local - Denver, Colorado MST

3:00 PM - 5:00 PM (LOCAL)

Live Performances (before gavel)
Yonder Mountain String Band Performance
Jeff Austin, Adam Aijala, Ben Kaufmann, Dave Johnston

Voter Registration Presentation

Remarks
The Honorable Luis Gutierrez
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois

David Plouffe
Obama Campaign Manager

Ray Rivera
Obama State Director, Colorado

Call to Order
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

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Some people don't seem to like that I am not totally enthralled and inspired by the remarkable speeches at the Democratic convention so far. While I think the speeches have been decent, it is true that I am not enthralled. In the extended entry, I explain why, and also explain what I am looking for in these speeches.  read more »

Today, Governor Howard Dean took part in Blogger Tailgate ’08 to welcome bloggers to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. As Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Governor Dean recognizes the important role that blogs play in a Democratic victory this fall. This year there are more bloggers, with more access, than ever before. Hundreds of bloggers representing over 120 blogs will be covering the Convention from inside the Pepsi Center and INVESCO Field at Mile High.

Instead of a traditional event, we decided to take advantage of the Denver weather and mountainous backdrop with an outdoor tailgate in the Pepsi Center parking lot. Complete with pulled pork barbeque, hamburgers, and watermelon, bloggers had the chance to meet with Howard Dean and enjoy the Denver setting. Watch some clips from Blogger Tailgate ’08.  read more »