CDP praises Dean in face of criticism
The Washington Post reports that Democratic strategist James Carville, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee head Rep. Rahm Emanuel and DNC chairman Howard Dean are slapfighting about whether Dean's 50-state strategy paid off in 2006:
When Democrats picked up House seats Nov. 7 in unlikely places such as Kentucky and Indiana, Dean felt his strategy was vindicated. But Carville disagreed, comparing Dean's performance to failed Pentagon war strategies.
"I would describe his leadership as Rumsfeldian in its incompetence," Carville said at a post-election forum, according to news accounts. Carville asserted that the Democrats could have won more seats in the House than the 29 they have picked up thus far had a shrewder party leader been in place.
The Colorado Democratic Party seems to stand behind Dean. In a newsletter released Sunday, communications director Brian Mason writes:
As you know, Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee instituted a 50-State plan this year so that Democrats would compete in every state. Although the effectiveness of this plan is being debated nationally, it clearly benefited Colorado. Because of resources from the DNC, we had professional regional coordinators in every area of Colorado, working with the local parties and communities and helping turn out a historic vote for Democrats.
Carville ought to be slapped for comparing Dean to Rumsfeld. Even though the 50-state strategy isn't about short-term gains, we still saw immediate results in CD5 and slew of other districts where Democrats made inroads for the first time in recent memory.
When Democrats picked up House seats Nov. 7 in unlikely places such as Kentucky and Indiana, Dean felt his strategy was vindicated. But Carville disagreed, comparing Dean's performance to failed Pentagon war strategies.
"I would describe his leadership as Rumsfeldian in its incompetence," Carville said at a post-election forum, according to news accounts. Carville asserted that the Democrats could have won more seats in the House than the 29 they have picked up thus far had a shrewder party leader been in place.
The Colorado Democratic Party seems to stand behind Dean. In a newsletter released Sunday, communications director Brian Mason writes:
As you know, Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee instituted a 50-State plan this year so that Democrats would compete in every state. Although the effectiveness of this plan is being debated nationally, it clearly benefited Colorado. Because of resources from the DNC, we had professional regional coordinators in every area of Colorado, working with the local parties and communities and helping turn out a historic vote for Democrats.
Carville ought to be slapped for comparing Dean to Rumsfeld. Even though the 50-state strategy isn't about short-term gains, we still saw immediate results in CD5 and slew of other districts where Democrats made inroads for the first time in recent memory.
4 Comments:
As the nation has witnessed, the '06 midterm elections have mightily vindicated DNC Chairman Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy (see Joe Conason's piece on Salon.com). By playing the entire field, that is, the whole country, instead of continuing to pick over an ever-shrinking number of "reliable" states and districts, Democrats have picked up unexpected gains in places like Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and of course, here in Colorado. In fact, of the eight Rocky Mountain states; Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, four have Democratic Governors and now a Governor-elect. In three (Arizona, New Mexico and Wyoming. . . Wyoming!), the incumbent Democratic Governor cruised to re-election two weeks ago. Nationwide, Democrats now hold the majority of Governorships as well as the majority of state legislatures. All these gains for the Democratic Party are directly attributable to the 50-State Strategy. The persistent pig-headed arrogance of people like Carville and Paul Begala, typical of Jerome Armstrong's and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga's "Beltway Mafia", illustrate the urgency of the duty that progressives face to dismantle the consultant class in Washington and across the country, and to continue to give organizations like the Democratic Weaselship Council the irrelevancy they deserve. Given a small chance to work, Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy has made significant gains for Democrats nationwide. These advances, especially the state legislatures, have laid the groundwork for further gains in the Senate, and of course in the White House in 2008. Carville and his consultant-class ilk have had their day. Back in '92, they did the country a great service in getting Bill Clinton elected. But that was then. They haven't been able to manage a single presidential or mid-term victory since 1996, and now it's time for them to get their fat, happy asses the hell out of the way of real progress.
Carville used to be so hot. What the hell happened?
I agree with you that this wasn't about short term gains yet we had some and I am thrilled my future home of Colorado benefited.
Woo hoo...will be visiting in December and will do a celebration dance.
This is from an e-mail from D.Slater, State Party Chair:
I was chatting with somebody from the Northeast on Saturday who made a good point: the last race that James Carville ran was Harris Wofford’s US Senate race in Pennsylvania in 1994. He lost that year to Rick Santorum, a mistake it took until this year to correct...
So much for Carville's right to criticize. We here in the west KNOW the 50 state strategy works. I've got a Dem state rep in an HD that the Dems used to skip altogether some election years, not to mention all our other victories and close ones here and all over the "red?" west and midwest. Carville's day is over. Blue Colorado rules.
I think Emanuel has backed off of Dean and has abandoned Carville. Somebody needs to remind Carville that it isn't 1992 anymore.
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