Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Cost of the War in Iraq
(JavaScript Error)
Thursday, May 11, 2006
The Front Lines UPDATED
Howard Dean, I love you:According to the New York Times, tension is building between DNC chairman Howard Dean and Democratic congressional leaders. “Dean was elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee on an unusual promise: To send millions of dollars in contributions to build up state Democratic parties, even in states that vote solidly Republican." Dean " has done precisely that. But the policy that has defined his tenure -- while delighting state Democratic chairmen -- has embroiled him in a battle with the two Congressional Democrats leading the effort to retake Congress this fall.”Poor ba-beee
In a "heated meeting" last week, Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) "challenged Mr. Dean on his 50-state program, saying it was undercutting Democratic hopes of taking back the House and the Senate, Democrats said. They warned that Mr. Dean was squandering an opportunity by sending money to parties in states that are a long way from becoming Democratic.”
The Washington Post notes that the argument was so fierce, Emanuel “stormed out of Dean's office several days ago leaving a trail of expletives.”
Howard. You just keep on doing what you are doing. Building a base everywhere is the key to more than just winning one election. It's the key to a liberal movement.
Screw Schumer and Emmanuel.
UPDATE: Kevin Drum weighs in and makes a good point. There's never a good time to do long term planning and building. But if there is a good time, it's when momentum is on your side.
6 Comments:
About Me
- Name: Greyhair
- Location: Wine Country, California
I'm a very lucky person with every allergy known to man but still happy to be enjoying a wonderful life living in the best place in the world!
Blogroll
The Big PictureBillmon
Blah3.com
Born at the Crest of Empire
Eric Alterman
Eschaton
FireDogLake
Feingold's Blog
Dan Froomkin
The Huffington Post
Hullabaloo
The Illustrated Daily Scribble
Jesus General
Juan Cole
Matilda's Advice and Rants
Mia Culpa
MsJan Quilts
Needlenose
The Oil Drum
Political Animal
Political Wire
Spooks of the Ozarks
Talk About Corruption
TalkLeft
Think Progress
War and Peace
The Washington Note
Other Resources
]^23BE4D2A]^23807975]^23A1312B](](],]]]black],]1]1]3]2]1]1]1]1]1]1]1]1],](](]^23B4A99D])])]Bending^20the^20Third^20Rail]Because^20We^20Can](],](],](]black](](](]^23666](](](]^2306000C](](](],]50]5],](](]^23D1C0B9])])]^23B69789]1]5],](](]^23C5C5CB])])]^23919198]^23B09696])])]^23494980]26]black]black],](](]^23333](],](]^23333]^23132079]^23EA3312],](](]^23D5BEB4])])],](](]^23EDEDED])])],](](]^23CCC])])],](]black]^23666]15]3]25]20]black],](](],](],](](],](]black](](](],](](](],]black](](](],](](]^23333](](](](](],]^2336F]^23333](],](]Written^20at^20^24TIME^20by^20^24AUTH.]20],](](]black])])]^23ACACBD])])]^237C7C80]30]black]black],](](]^23333333](],](]^23333]^23132079]^23EA3312]]]]^24PROFILE]]]Recent^20Posts]]]^24RECENT]^20]]Blog^20We^20Like]]]Horm])blog.horm.org]Hallucinations^20Of^20Reabsorbed^20Mind]Phorm])p.horm.org]Another^20Phormation]^20]]]Other^20Resources]]]^3Cimg^20src^3D^22)psyc.horm.org/barimg/bar_psycho.png^22^20width^3D^2280^22^20height^3D^2215^22^20alt^3D^22PsycHo^3A^20Free^20Template^20Generator^22^20style^3D^22border^3A^200px^20solid^20black^22^20/^3E]^24PSYCHO]PsycHo^3A^20Free^20Template^20Generator]^3Cimg^20src^3D^22)psyc.horm.org/barimg/bar_firefox.png^22^20width^3D^2280^22^20height^3D^2215^22^20alt^3D^22Get^20FireFox^21^22^20style^3D^22border^3A^200px^20solid^20black^22^20/^3E])www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/]Get^20Firefox^21]]]]Home]^24HOME]First^20Page]Other^20Links^20We^20Like]]]Psychic^20Template^20Generator])psyc.horm.org]]]]]^20]^24CUSTOM]]Archive]]]^24ARCHIVE]^20]^26^2361470^3BPsycHo}){kind=small}
It is analogous to telling a sports team to take it easy in the hard games and just go for the 'easy beats'. Taking it easy can become habit forming.
The sports analogy is a good one. Teams that slack off will get flabby and then lose the big one. I like that way of putting it.
The baseball analogy is nice exccept in this case what is going on is a team restructuring. Again this takes years before the team is close enough to really being competitve and even then it's no gaurantee for success.
What should be unsettling here is that this in-fighting is a drain all around for the Dems. Base building really should be done year round, mid-term elections however need to be about what can be done in the present, not the long term. I agree this isn't the ideal, but thn again if this were ideal you wouldn't be facing this issue at all.
I think there are plenty of resources to do that which you are committed to do. And there's certainly plenty of resources to do both short term tactics and long term strategy.
There is no reason for Schumer and Emmanuel to be cheesed, rather it's a fight between the consultancy and the netroots. The resources topic is a red herring and proxy for the real issue, "who's going to control the Democratic party?"
I for one am tired of the losers being the ones to set the strategic direction of the party. Time to try something different.
Mike