The Chairman's Colorful Cabinet - Jamal Simmons

[FrenchieCat]

Jamal Simmons, who wrote this, was the traveling press secretary for Gen Clark. I had to chance to meet him and have a discussion with him at an event in New York City, last year....the opening party of WesPAC, Wes Clark's PAC organization.

We discussed the media's role in the primaries, and how they had distorted and manipulated most of the reporting on the Dem candidates. We much agreed that it was a heavy handed role that must be lightened before the next elections, in order for Democrats to have a chance in becoming a majority party in DC once again. He's a young, very hip and totally good guy.

As Far as our new Democrat Party Chairman, Howard Dean! He's rocking!

The Chairman's Colorful Cabinet
Howard Dean is bringing minorities to the top of the minority party. That's rarer than you might think.
By Jamal Simmons
Web Exclusive: 05.03.05

(snip)

Dean recently joined this notable list when he brought Cornell Belcher on as the first African American to serve as polling director for the Democratic National Committee (DNC)....While other pollsters will do work for the DNC, Dean deserves credit for putting Belcher front and center.

As a fierce supporter of Donnie Fowler -- who campaigned for DNC chairman promising to end the reign of the “Aristocracy of Consultants,” include people of diverse backgrounds at the decision-making table, and give greater funding and assistance to the state parties -- I have been pleasantly surprised at the Dean chairmanship so far. Dean has shaken up the consultant pool, increased diversity, funded state parties, and is searching for messages to appeal to more voters. There are now African Americans and Hispanics throughout the DNC building, including Karen Finney, the party’s first African American communications director.

Other Democrats should follow Dean’s lead and begin an internal effort to do what we have been asking private corporations to do for years: diversify senior management. That means we should recruit, train, and hire more black campaign managers, fund-raisers, researchers, ad-makers, and pollsters. It also means African American campaign staffers have to continue to work at gaining the skills to perform the jobs of the “Indispensable Five.” A team with diverse backgrounds and ideas will only help our party reconnect with the American people.

Dean and Belcher are making an effort at reconnecting the party with the voters by launching a project to find the issues and messages that resonate with Bush voters. After losing the presidency (twice?) and six consecutive congressional elections, this is the most important thing for Democrats to figure out. Democrats want to protect the nation from terrorists. We want to help working people, their families, and businesses compete (and win) in the global economy. And we want to help parents who are raising children in an over-sexualized and hyper-violent culture. We must find a message that will convince voters that we can be trusted to do these things. Hopefully, the diverse team that Dean is assembling at the DNC will have better luck finding that message than Democrats have had in the recent past.
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=V...
Jamal Simmons