Bill Clinton's A Convert To Dean's 50-State Project
NOTE: This post is updated above.
Will Howard Dean's Democratic National Committee be ready for the November elections? Party leaders and congressional campaign strategists are nervously pressuring Dean to stop spending money to staff organizers in states and instead commit to transfer the bulk of the DNC's kitty to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
At a tense meeting in February, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid urged Dean to give to the Senate committee the same amount as the Republican National Committee was expected to transfer to the GOP's Senate committee. Reid argued that the DSCC's historically rare fundraising advantage could be wiped out with a single check from RNC chairman Ken Mehlman. If Republicans shuffled their cash, Reid said, the outcome of several critical Senate races might be jeopardized.
According to three sources familiar with the meeting, Dean said no. Of course, he said, the DNC will spend millions on the midterms. His argument was this: While the DSCC and DCCC's role is rightfully incumbent protection, Dean, on the other hand, was elected chair to tend to overall health of the party. And that includes his responsibility to hundreds of non-federal candidates as well. His investment in state parties, Dean promised Reid and House Min. Leader Nancy Pelosi, would pay off and the benefits would accrue to Democrats at all levels.
Though the DNC has raised a record amount of hard money for an off-year cycle, it trails the RNC by several car lengths. Overall, the GOP will have more to spend on its races in the fall as the DNC has sent much of its money to state counterparts. (It's not as if the money is going into a hole. The DNC organizers are using it to find new voters and to update voter files and prepare coordinated campaigns for 2006.)
Both Dean's admirers and his critics blame the money gap on the priorities of major donors, who are race-and-cycle centric. And Dean, in the words of one of his friends, "never sucks up to donors" and is "clinical" when he discusses politics with them.
A new DNC hire -- finance director Carl Chidlow -- was brought aboard to help bridge the two cultures. Chidlow was deputy finance director for Sen. John Kerry's record-setting presidential bid and considered one of the party's best professional fundraisers.
A friend says Chidlow decided to accept Dean's job offer after finding evidence that Dean truly was committed to competing everywhere. One of Chidlow's prime tasks today: to evangelize Dean's state-based efforts to major donors.
And Dean has one supremely important new ally who, when he goes public, will almost certainly help with donors. In late February, Dean traveled to Harlem and sat down with former President Bill Clinton, often said to be privately disparaging of Dean.
But as Dean walked Clinton through his 50-state capacity-building project, Clinton became a convert. He vowed to help Dean win the attention of donors. [MARC AMBINDER]
A couple years ago the 50-state strategy was the crazy idea of lunatic leftwing bloggers who had the insanity to think the Democratic party should try to compete everywhere, instead of focusing on an ever-narrowing field of battleground states while Republicans continue to expand their targets.
Funny how things change.
The hardest thing for any organization to do is accomplish change. Whether in the private sector or the political, Howard Dean and his supporters seem to be the only ones who see the big picture. The nature of the republican machine is not accidental, nor is their dominance today. They saw the writing on the wall 20 years ago.
This is not easy, change never is. But finding ways to articulate another close loss is not producing the positive results necessary to grow the party. The emphasis on fat cat donors always comes with big fat strings.
The effective way to change all of this begins at ground zero with people in every town in every state.
Thank the lord, it's about time.
Outstanding. Bottom to top is the right way. No use having a giant stature with feel of clay. Make the foundation strong and there will be huge payoffs down the road.
Dean is unilaterally disarming, at a unique moment in time that could lead Democrats to reverse the tide in national politics that has drown Democratic ambitions for more than a decade.
Already an underperforming fundraiser, he's turned to his unproven "50-state" strategy (an accurate hat-tip toward the blogger community, which cooked up this pro-Republican in sheeps clothing).
Once the present Iraq debacle is behind us, Republicans will recapture the mantle, and the Democratic opportunity of 2006 will be in the ashcan of history.
Fire Howard Dean!
Hope not fear -- the Doctor is here.
i would like former bill clinton to know there are many americans, myself included who do not approve of the war in irac. we would like our troops to say so long, we did our best now it's time for you take control of your own lives. if you don't like whose in control revolt. it's happened in other countries why not this one? too many have died for what is appearing nothing. most citizens in irac do not want us there so do them a favor and us too. get the heck out of there. we shouldn't have gone in the first place.
When Bill Clinton or John Kerry speak, they make me feel safe. They're thoughtful, smart and care and they always have a plan...which so many critics of the democrats always say they don't. If either man was in office again, I would feel so much better. And even though Al Gore has been on his global warming promotion and not in politics, I think he's the person that can win this election and take us where we need to go. I wish Americans would wise up and listen to these men. They are brillant and very committed to the things that need to be done. They truly care! Go bill Clinton. Keep campaigning and take on Fox some more!!!!
By their fruits ye shall know them. This morning, the fruits of the 50-state strategy are tasting mighty sweet.
GODDAM, GODDAM, GODDAM : Please if somebody out there knows how to do it, bring Hillary's and her staff's attention to today's (Monday, 4/21) New York Times column by William Kristol. I think there are a lot, A LOT OF VOTES to be gained tomorrow if somehow, tonight on television, Hillary can make strong hay about "the shot heard round the world."
Read article thoughtfully, especially its end.
SURELY, MANY, MANY VOTES TO BE HAD. Somebody, somebody figure how to package this item, and get it thoroughly into Hillary's Pennsylvania campaign.
GODDAM, GODDAM, GODDAM.