If you desire more evidence of the “scuffling at the gate” problem I posted about yesterday, here it is:
“While not on the agenda, Iraq was raised in a meeting Dean had with state party officials Friday.
Washington State Party chairman Dwight Pelz told Dean the party’s “murkiness” on Iraq was causing problems with the rank and file and that tension between activists and the national party leadership in Washington could sap their energy this fall.
“I understand it’s always better to have a lot of passion around an election,” Dean said. “But what more passion could we possibly invoke than stopping George Bush from continuing to destroy the country?”
Responded Pelz: “It’s not working.”-from the Knight Ridder story today.
No. it’s not working.
I have a hunch Dean knows it’s not working but can’t change the “murkiness” by himself. I’m still glad Dwight Pelz said this out loud.
Howard.
We’re the folks who brought him to the DNC Chair dance.
What a contradiction:
A component of the Democratic party ‘blueprint’ will include honest and open government (which will ensure privately–behind closed doors–only after the Nov. midterms)?
Methinks not, Howard.
Know what trust and betrayal mean–as well as the consequences.
This is akin to living w/a drunk (enabling behavior).
Pelz “gets it.”
Howard just lost his credibility (@least…with me, he did).
It’s impossible to ignore Iraq until after Nov.–it simply won’t go away (and pissing off the base moreso than we already are isn’t a wise ‘idear’).
I’m not one of those ‘rah rah’ folk, who perceive that Howard can do no wrong, BTW.
He needs to behave like the leader he was elected to be.
All we progressives need to do is: nothing…put ‘er in park, and remain on idle.
Dean is one of the least murky politicians out there, but he is very constrained by his current position. I don’t how he, by himself, can get the Dems in Congress to be more unified and forthright. The situation still sucks and I, for one, have no ready answers at the moment.
Howard Dean is also a doctor in an influential position! He should be speaking out daily against Medicare D(isaster), as opposed to holding meetings to develop a platform against it. Guess he doesn’t give a damn that people have had to be hospitalized as they have been unable to get rx’s. Yeah, I know–wait for him to actually do something about it.
In all of the articles that I have read for preparation for all of the Medicare D(isaster) diaries that I have written, I only saw one wait and see quote from Howard Dean re: Medicare D(isaster). The fact that he has not been speaking out tells me that he doesn’t give a damn.
But, on the other hand, he probably feels why the hell should he? He’s got health insurance.
Dean can yap all night about medicare, but until we get more dems in the congress, it ain’t gonna matter. so i think he is concentrating on that.
Dean can yap all night about medicare
He hasn’t been!
my point is it wouldn’t matter if he did until we get more dems in congress.
The first links to a diary that links to a column written by a doctor. The second is links directly to another column written by the same doctor and states, that a single payer health care system would be beneficial. The third links directly to a WSJ article that says what a rip-off Medicare D(isaster) is.
One.
Two.
WSJ.
Howard Dean is also a DOCTOR! If anyone w/any credibilty should be speaking out about the horrors of Medicare D(isaster) and stressing the importance of resolving this nightmare now, it should be a doctor. By his silence and the “wait” attitude, it comes across like he doesn’t give a damn.
That is how I see it. And I have written and researched enough about Medicare D(isaster) to know. And, I call them as I see them.
About damn time he was finally called on something!
Yup.
‘Cuz some crybaby eager to undermine his work will go running to the press about it. And we all know that’s a story that will run.
Still…glad to see this happened. Perhaps it’s a “make me go out there and do it” strategy–it’s not coming from me, but rather, it represents the voices of the state parties, etc.
I give Howard wide latitude to “do what he’s gotta do” because I know the kind of crap he’s gotta put up with. People who cannot win an election but love in-fighting are trying to undermine him.
Sometimes, I wonder why the good Dr. Dean doesn’t just say the hell with all you losers and go on back to Vermont. Thank goodness he hasn’t, but ya know, you just can’t blame him for thinking it.
My thinking on this is that if Washington State Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz thinks the lack of a firm party line about what to do in Iraq is "causing problems with the rank and file" he could just go back to Washington State and have the state party develop and agree upon a policy. That would seem more helpful that saying on a national stage that Dean’s "murkiness" on Iraq is "not working".
I don’t see this as a Dean issue, this is a party leadership issue in general.
We need more like Murtha and Kerry to come to the fore and speak out against our current policy in Iraq and demand a withdrawal of our forces.
I’ll add my voice to the esteemed Jane Hamsher’s entry at FDL,
Go read.“Image may Not Be Everything”
Jane recommends we read the American Prospect article, The Politics of Definition by John Halpin and Ruy Teixera on closing the “identity gap” for Democrats.
Jane’s personal assessment on what ails Democrats
I say we have too many committees trying to pin the tail on the donkey. Imho, DSCC and DCCC are at cross ends. Bush may get to the under 30% level and we’ll not capitalize at the vote this November.
Bu$hCo sucks. BFD. We already knew that. Anyone with a pulse knows that. Running on a Bu$hCo sucks platform without providing a clear policy alternative assures that Bu$hCo can continue to run the country into the ground unabated. That state Dem chair got that part right on.
Stopping the murkiness on Iraq would be a damned good starting point. No need for nuanced ambivalent verbal gymnastics – just a simple straightforward message that Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time for the wrong reasons, and that as a matter of principle the troops must be brought home pronto. For those Dems who have been against this stupid war from the start, it’s a message that should be well within their comfort zone. For the others, it may be a bitter pill to swallow, but it’s time for the mea culpas and vows to never repeat this particular mistake (and I use that term to be polite) again. That may not resurrect the dead or help the maimed grow new limbs, but it would at least send a message that the Dems were on board in the effort to at bare minimum refrain from adding to the body count.
Have a simple message that contrasts starkly to what the goons and neoconmen running this country have to offer.
If the Dems can’t even do that when Bu$hCo is about as popular as ebola, the party is in dire straits indeed.
Yes it is. And, as I said ealier, someone has got to lead. And, I just don’t see that being done. “Wait till after the mid-terms.” is NOT leading–that is following.
Have a simple message that contrasts starkly to what the goons and neoconmen running this country have to offer.
If the Dems can’t even do that when Bu$hCo is about as popular as ebola, the party is in dire straits indeed.
Are voters really supposed to be satisfied w/that? And, are those who want to see change being played with AGAIN?
What about all of those who have been denied medical care due to Medicare D(isaster)? Yeah, I relapsed 2x due to pneumonia, and this morning I felt almost like I am going on my third. But, I am just a pissed-off, traumatic brain injury survivor, ex-democratic loyal voter, so if I die before the election, that works in the dems favor.
an anti-war song, you know that a whole lot of Good ole boys in middle america are seein’ the light and ain’t happy about it.
Check THIS OUT, and I’m not even a fan.
WTF are the dems thinking? They’re gonna blow it…
Peace
I really hate to say this, but it is possible that they may already have. And that hurts. I mean, I want to believe that they won’t, but when I compare my needs and values (and those of others that I consider friends) w/the actions of the dems…I really sometimes wonder.
Is the task of rebuilding the mess that bushco has made of this country even possibe? I hate thinking like that, as much as I hate the fact that I, like many others, may be forced to leave the country. I mean, Canada is cool. God knows that I spent enough time there growing up. However, I don’t want to.
But, the fact of the matter is that the health care system has been taken over by the insurance carriers who forced Medicare D(isaster)down everyone’s throat. And I know that I wouldn’t be the only one.
Somehow, I find little comfort in that.
I have a summary of things about Iraq that are going on now, but why should I bother to post it? The hatred of certain Democrats here is just palpable. It makes it impossible to post stuff that is reasonable about the party that is working hard to get itself together.
There is a huge battle going on in the party about Iraq. Here is something Howie left out of his post from the link.
There is a battle going on for the heart and soul of the party. I do not understand things here. I have been lurking and reading some of the posts of people hurting inside. I know the feeling.
I miss Susanhu, she is one of the reasons I came. I have never really been part of things here at all. I don’t know what it is, nor does it really matter.
The hatred shown in this thread toward the one man right now who is trying to get the party back on track from its hijackers is just unreal. I can’t understand. Yes, says one…about time Dean was called on something…I could go on.
Doesn’t matter. I would like to belong here, but I don’t, not for now at least. I don’t have the feel of it, I don’t have the pulse. I am a pretty decent person, but there is low tolerance here for anyone who is moderate at all. I can’t help it much, I was raised in that kind of environment.
I am dedicated to trying to bring the Democratic Party back to where it was once. I can not do it here. I felt sad reading some of the posts today, and I felt the pain.
There is a battle going on in the party, but it can NOT be fought right out in the open. It just can’t. There are all kinds of people in the world. This forum has a way of letting people know when they are not fitting in….a coldness sets in and it chills.
Best to all. I will read, and maybe be back someday. But it is not subtle here when people are not acceptable….it is chilling.
I don’t know where you’re going, floridagal, but I know the “scuffle” or conflict or whatever you want to call it won’t be going away anytime soon. I’m going to try to find opportunities to make the “tension” as productive as possible, and I know others who want to do the same.
Floridagal. I’m sorry you don’t feel welcome here. You have added a lot to many of the conversations.
I, personally, do not see hatred toward Howard. I see passionate disagreement with some of the actions he has taken or not taken. I, personally, still have a lot of respect and affection for the man. I do, however, feel like he has failed to be as strong a voice for progressive principles as I would like. (Which is partly due to his position as DNC chair. He allowed the beltway crowd to back him into a corner of limited relevance.) I do not, however, believe that “calling him out” on issues indicates hatred of the man.
I also have to point out that Howard is not the “one” man who is trying to get the party back on track. Many, many of us are also trying in our own ways.
For me, I feel more comfortable at BT because it is more about progressive values than about the Democratic Party.
You say you are more moderate than many here. I would be curious to know where your disagreement lies? Is it in policy issues like women’s rights, gay rights, the War in Iraq, labor? Or is it more in strategy?
Anyway, I wish you well and hope you don’t stay away too long.
We need you voice. We need everyone’s voice!
I’m not here as much as I’d like to be because of the demands of my real life. But absolutely stay…please.
Gee, I don’t know, Howard. Let’s think about this for a second? Maybe the passion to prevent America’s young men and women in the armed forces from dying for nothing? Maybe the passion for equality and justice for all, even women and homosexuals? Maybe the passion for a world with air we can breathe and water we can drink? Maybe the passion for a healthy economy, with good domestic job opportunities? Maybe the passion for a medical system that actually serves the needs of the people?
Seriously, this man has been listening to kos too much. We tried the whole “stopping George Bush” thing in 2004. It turned an easy-win election into something close enough that the Republicans could steal it. If we try it again, we’re going to get even worse results. To win, we must focus on the positive. Don’t give people something to fight against, give them something to fight for. But kos and the rest of the right-of-center gang of consultants will never fall behind that, because that requires actually taking a stand on the issues, instead of just using “electoral strategy” to win.
Perhaps this is the first clear demonstration of what will happen to our Dr Dean.
By absorbing him into the party infrastructure, in a highly visible position, the party has embraced him in a bear hug that he will have a very hard time escaping. Now he sees the real polling data, hears the whole range of party interests, gets bombarded by the media consultants, and is urged to moderate his position “for the overall good of the party.”
There will be tears and wailing here in the liberal blogosphere as Dr Dean moves to the center. And if he doesn’t, he’ll be out on his ear right after the 2006 elections.
I think you are confusing policy with strategy and political tactics. Dean has always been a moderate on policy. In his current position, his job is to keep his “troops” united, as best he can, for the next battle this fall over control of Congress. So he has to be mindful of a range of policy positions as he attempts to beef up the party infrastructure in 50 states and energize the grassroots into action. It’s a tough job that has been called a “balancing act.”
The only bear hug some in the establishment have given Dr. Dean is one meant to strangle him.
They do not like him, but since he out-smarted and out-hustled everyone else (support of netroots, going to the state party chairs, etc.) they had no choice.
Don’t mistake that, however, for love–or even acceptance.
Thus he doesn’t speak for me; he’s not congressional leadership; he’s not raising enough money; nor is he spending it right. And that stupid-ass attitude is not going to change overnight.
Am I happy about that? No. Is that the reality he’s facing? Yes.
I love y’all but you can be hard on a guy. :<) When you operate in an atmosphere when he still hasn’t won over the press and is battling to make irrelevant the Dems who live for in-fighting, you must pick your battles and fight smart. And these folks have the dubious distinction of being quite good at infighting. It’s the only talent in which they excel.
Hell, even Alma Brown, widow of the (now) esteemed Ron Brown, said publicly at the New Orleans event that “Ron and Howard” were a lot alike because there were so many who doubted that they could run the party, etc. (I can’t find transcripts but you can look/listen to DNC Chairman Howard Dean Remarks at Spring Meeting on C-Span)
(Regarding the NO meeting, see here for the line about “The scene felt somewhat like a campaign-style event.” Do the reporters routinely remind their audience that EVERY stupid shrubya event is scripted in front of the most fawning, boot-licking, invitation-only crowd of rethugs?)