What do you think the role of DNC Chair is?

[zulchzulu]

Poll question: What do you think the role of DNC Chair is?

I think many think the DNC Chair is not actually what it really is. Perhaps the perception is that the position lays the groundwork for political stances and makes decisions on who runs for office.

[NMDemDist2]

1. other, the Chair is the main fundraiser and a major spokesperson

Dean would ROCK at both :)

PS and I'm not even a "Deaniac" :D

[zulchzulu]

2. Would trhe Chair make any political policy decisions?

I'm curious if you think that is so.

[Guaranteed]

5. No, he'd just go on TV and say whatever he thinks is right. nt

[sendero]

3. Don't you think....

.... that regardless of the traditional role the party leader has had, his actual role and influence might be amplified and expanded given someone with the energy and vision to do so?

[zulchzulu]

9. Would the energy and vision include policy making?

Yes, the DNC Chair hopefully would have energy, vision and the ability to work with people...that's kind of like saying a secretary should be able to identify a computer in a crowd of appliances.

[sendero]

14. Any person...

... in any high-visibility position (bully pulpit?) has a lot more influence than if s/he is not.

Your implication is pretty rigid and I reject it. How about that?

Not only that - but making policy is not the problem the Democratic party has at the moment, articulating that policy is.

[Osamasux]

4. The ideal candidate right now would be an energetic administrator

who's main objective should be pulling this mess together. Fundraising needs to be handled, but the Chair should not be primarily a fundraiser. We need a platform. We need an effective Rapid Response Team. We need to identify and pool our resources. We absolutely must plan for life without 527 ads - if they remain a tool, great. If they are taken away, the 527s need a new outlet. We need more think tanks. We need to find useful roles for any effective people who lost their positions last November.

We need to identify weak Repuke Senators and Congressman. We need to identify strong candidates to oppose them. We need to unite those candidates with good campaign people. We need to strengthen the state parties. We need better mentor programs for future campaign professionals. We need a better way to get people on TV who will communicate our message well.

We need someone with vision, who can see what the landscape will look like in three years, five years, ten years, and put us in position now to succeed then.

To me, an excellent example of the skills we need now is Paul Tagliabue. Not him personally, but someone like him who gave direction, moved his organization forward.

[BlueInRed]

7. all excellent points n/t

[BlueInRed]

6. It's also one of the major TV faces of the party in non-election years

I say all of the above, plus party spokesperson in non-election years. For quite awhile, Terry McAuliffe was a major spokesman for the party and he was absolutely awful in that role.

I also think their control over money allows them to impact the direction of the party in many, many ways.

[zulchzulu]

16. I don't think McAullife was that bad...he was OK...did a lot of fund $$$

OK, being on MTP was not his strong suit, but he certainly raised a lot of money...notice that he had to defend the full strata of Democratic contenders in 2004 on TV interviews.

Well, at least the times I saw him...

[NYCGirl]

8. You forgot the spokesperson part. Check out this article — it pretty much

spells it all out.

http://slate.msn.com/id/2110985/

Excerpt:
Part of the mystery comes from the fact that the job description is changing. The DNC chairman will still be responsible for coordinating the party's daily message, for building the organization that handles the mechanics of electing presidential candidates, and for raising the money that funds that organization. But in the 1990s, one of the chief jobs of the party chairman was to "relate to a group of wealthy donors who financed literally a majority of the party's activities," former DNC national chairman Joe Andrew said. Now that six- and seven-figure party donations are prohibited, the importance of big donors has decreased. In 1996 and 2000, the DNC conducted the functional equivalent of the national TV campaign for the Democratic presidential nominee. The McCain-Feingold reforms put a stop to that, too.

Joe Andrew argues that the days of "chair as business leader, chair as fund-raiser" are coming to an end, and that future chairs will be more likely to play the role of political strategist. He may be right. But up to now, as Andrew put it, "There is no time, at least in the television era, where the national chair has really defined who the party is and what the party is all about."

[zulchzulu]

10. Would the DNC Chair have to explain nuanced right-leaning Dem choices?

Let's say the DNC Chair has to explain how Hillary Clinton voted for the new attack on Iran or had to explain why any certain front-leading candidate chose a decision that would not be seen as a vote that a lot of the Democratic base might vote for in polls.

Would the DNC Chair have to explain in nuanced form decisions like that while at a fundraiser where many of the moderates in the crowd might agree with?

Would alienating them at that fundraiser (and thus causing a storm) be worth it by not having them contribute money to the Democratic party even if they agree with 90% of the rest of the Democratic platform?

Perhaps these questions need to be asked of all the contenders for the DNC Chair.

It wouldn't just be "where do you want to take the party" questions.

It would and should be tough questions that would have to balance the value of the dollar to get money into Democratic party coffers over the Progressive Purity Litmus Test.

I'm thinking that Dean and most of the other contenders would end up being complacent to the moderate that they might politically disagree with in order to get the money for future races.

[NYCGirl]

11. He campaigned wholeheartedly for Kerry, didn't he?

He held up pretty well under the questioning by the talking heads of CNN, MSNBC, and even Fox and others when he was asked about Kerry's positions. And boy, did he prove he could stay on message like a laser beam!

What makes you think he'd have a problem doing that for the party?

[zulchzulu]

12. No worries

Actually I'm wondering if it would bother you since I know you're a very dedicated fan of Howard Dean.

Would you be comfortable with Dean being on Meet The Press and having to explain Hillary Clinton's (OK this is fictional) warlike speech about how Iran would rather blow us up if they had the chance...or any other candidate that might even have a very far-left opinion (like paying back all African Americans millions of dollars for slave reparations)...would he do it?

My point is that a DNC Chair would probably have to bend over ass backwards just to keep the fundraising numbers up...and the way things are going...it might be exactly that kind of scenario.

[NYCGirl]

13. I've been interested in politics for over 40 years, since my parents

worked locally in the campaign for John Kennedy. I know politics is often about compromise, and I know Dr. Dean can handle it, while fighting the good fight when it is necessary.

Does that answer your question? Be advised, like Dr. Dean has been "mislabeled" by the media, it seems that Deaniacs here have also been painted as politically naive. Don't fall for it.

[zulchzulu]

15. Thanks for that

Like you, my parents got me involved in politics. And like you, Dean could handle it. I just wonder if people who really like him might get disappointed when he had to play the "uniter" in some situations over just speaking his mind.

[DFLforever]

17. Many Dean supporters have been very willing to cover Dean

often to the disgust of other DUers who consider themselves the 'true progressives' of the board.

I support Dean for DNC chair because of his vision for the party, and because I think he is capable of being the best party builder, especially in terms of party infrastructure in the 50 states.

I don't really expect him to go on TV and defend the votes of all 40+
Dem Senators. No doubt a few like Timmy will try it out, though.

As a Deaniac I tend to trust Dean to not say what he doesn't believe, nor be goaded into saying something he prefers not to say. Witness his stumping for Kerry.

That said, the governor is a very practical, pragmatic man. Don't you recall all the bitching from DU idealists about his record in Vt?

[AntiCoup2K4]

18. DNC chairs have been known to "shape events" to some extent.

McUseless, for example shortened last years primary season, hoping to get exactly the candidate he and the DLC wanted. Unfortunately it worked. So while that wasn't a policy matter, it most definitely had an impact.