"The Dean Conundrum"

The Art of Democratic Foot Shooting!


Although I number myself among one of the first to follow Howard Dean to the ends of the earth, if need be, today, I feel disillusioned, as if Dean is a man wearing blinders, so deaf to external advice and guidance, so willing to gamble the future of the party, that I am truly worried that he has veered dangerously off track and will alienate those who have stayed loyal to the party even in spite of its losses and other disastrous misadventures.



Let’s face it. Dean’s attempts to remake the democratic party by going to the grass=roots have not proven out whatever Mr. Dean would like to believe. He may be picking articulate and intelligent young people but they are absent of experience, absent of the ability or knowledge to change the status quo and that is evident from their “invisibility” at the meetings, activities, campaign and communications efforts. . .



. Although through his earlier activism, he did through his example encourage dozens of progressive democrats to seek office, his attempts as DNC to change the way the State parties operate has been a serious clunker—despite his pouring money into the fifty states. One might legitimately ask what has been the result. And there seem to be few if any downright accomplishments that a newly rethought Dean strategy might suggest.

Why even care? Aren’t the longer term implications what’s at stake?

No! Democrats cannot keep losing elections and call themselves a party.

And if they keep siphoning off assets that would normally go to candidates who are competitive in state races, that’s what will happen.

At no other time in recent memory have republican office holders been more vulnerable but instead of rushing money to their poorly provisioned war chests, the DNC holds to its

abstract notion that the longer term outlook for democrats is more important than what is happening today in contested districts where the opposition is drowning in money. That is if anything dangerously short-sighted, naïve and contemptuous of the strategizing of the various congressional democratic committees.

To propel needed change, we need to do what is necessary to support local candidates and we need to do it now.

Therefore, if this means taking back some of Dean’s powers it should be done if only to assure democrats of a competitive run against their more vulnerable republican opponents.

If we fail to seize the reins right now, we will find ourselves facing the same dilemma in 2012 only with a candidate base that has not become demoralized and disheartened over a party that does not recognize its role or obligation to the people.



Les Aaron

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