Does it really matter that much who the Party Chair is? NO!

[Quixote1818]

Personally I really don't care that much who ends up being Party Chair. Hell, look at Ed Gillespie! He is strange looking, not very likable, not very charismatic, doesn't set party policy or have much to do with leadership or party platform and Bush still won. Most Americans don't even know who the Party Chair is. It's a thankless job that is probably more symbolic than anything.

As far as Clinton or the DNC being worried about Dean getting the Party Chair position, well they may be worried but it's probably a bleep on their radar screen and at the bottom of their to do list yet the way some people around here act you would think that Clinton and the DNC's worlds revolve around stoping Dean. I think Dean would be fine as the Chair person and he is probably the best person for the job but if anyone thinks who ever the Party Chair is, is going to totally reform the Democratic Party, I think you are dreaming. I truly believe all this anger about any tiny little bit of opposition to Dean is being blown out of proportion in a huge way. Many Dean people feel like their candidate was given a raw deal and so you feel like this is your chance to stick it to them and get your guy in their NO MATTER WHAT and if anyone but Dean gets it then fuck the Democratic Party. It's like the victims who feel abused huddling together with this you and me against the world mentality on basically a position that is thankless and really has little to do with Party Platform. Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill.

Step back and take a breath and try to evaluate all this with reason and not emotion because in the end Party Chair really has little power and Dean's influence on the party will be diminished if he is Party Chair compared to what it would be as a candidate in 2008.

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

[Walt Starr]

1. The DNC Chair race is the line in the sand for me

This far and no further.

If you stand for nothing, you'll fall for anything. The Democrats proved THAT with the IWR!

[Robbien]

2. Wrong. The RNC chair is not powerful because the RNC power

is all behind the scenes with their every day morning meetings and their Wednesday power meeting chaired by Newt and Grover and the corporate elites.

The DNC has no center of power. The chair is an opportunity to create one.

[Rose Siding]

3. It's not about the candidate, it's about the reform

It's about where the money comes from. Who gets access? Whose views are represented?

Dean offers reform with more public access.

[bryant69]

6. This is it

The Chair has a certain amount of influence on where the funds go--and he can elevate and de-elevate people--if you put a middle of the roader in there, than middle of the road candidates will get money and elevation. If you put Dean in there, we will see a different result.

Bryatn
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[John_H]

10. We all know Can you please provide one example from his record

that shows he is anything but a middle of the roader.

[bryant69]

12. You mean you want me to prove isn't a middle of the roader?

OK, he actively and loudly opposed the invasion of Iraq at a time when the other candidates did not.

He's not an extreme liberal by any means, I know that. But compared to the other big candidates, he's by far the most liberal.

[Quixote1818]

19. Yes, he knew how to get the base behind him even if that is not what

he actually believed. http://www.antiwar.com/justin/j082703.html

[bryant69]

23. Well if you want an isolationist foreign policy

I'd advice against supporting Dean. But since I don't want an isolationist policy I'm comfortable supporting Dean.

From the article you pointed me too ". . . but what about World War II?" There was a triumphant finality in his voice, as if to say: Gotcha! "What would you have done then?"

"Stayed out of it. After all, what did we get out of it? Soviet-occupied Europe and half a century of Cold War."

"What are you" – the poor kid looked frightened, for a moment, as if he'd seen a ghostly apparition – "some kind of isolationist?"

"You got that one right."

[Quixote1818]

26. It's not about being an isolationist it's about imperialism.

Dean has the same view of handling Iraq as Bush and Rice do. He said so. Absolutely we have to stay engaged with the world and Iraq but not try to impose our values on them. Our mistake in Iraq was to minimize the the Sunni Muslims rather than letting them come to the table. Once we took control we should have steeped back and been an honest broker between all sides. Instead the Republicans picked who THEY wanted to run things and saw Iraq as a place they could turn into a perfect little Republican utopia with a flat tax and all the other BS they pulled. So what are we left with? A looming civil war! We should have created a weak central government and given the majority of the the power to the states to decide their own fate. Dean agreed completely with Rice and he was wrong. Also, Iraq is completely different than WWII. It's apples and oranges. The longer we stay the worse things get at this point. Dean would have made the same mistakes the Bush administration did. As she said in her article:

"Dean would impose a 'hybrid' constitution, 'American with Iraqi, Arab characteristics. Iraqis have to play a major role in drafting this, but the Americans have to have the final say.' Women's rights must be guaranteed at all levels." At least the Bushies keep up the "democratic" pretenses and never openly proclaim their authoritarian intentions. The imperious Dean, on the other hand, makes no bones about America's role as the hegemonic power: with the Dean administration at the helm, the Americans will always have the final say. The man isn't running for President. He won't settle for anything less than Emperor.

[Quixote1818]

13. Good point!

[Wiley50]

4. I totally disagree

The DNC Chair is mainly concerned with raising money. In the past, it has been controlled by the DLC and therefore overly concerned with raising Corporate money.
With Dean as chair, We would see more emphasis on involving the grassroots. Just the same way Dean financed his campaign.
Where the money comes from is where the party is controlled from. We desperatly need to this change.
We can no longer be Repub-lite. They never give us as much money as they do the real repubs anyway.
Dean's forte has always been getting us to remember that we are Dems and need to act like it.

The Democratic wing of the Democratic Party

[Cheswick2.0]

5. If that is your opinion then leave it to the people who do care

many of us feel that this is a turning point for the party. Will we have populist reform or not? How they chose is very symbolic. Why do you think there is so much attention being paid to this race?

[Quixote1818]

8. I will but you all leaving the party if Dean looses will accomplish nothing

Let me state again that I do think Dean is the best person to be chair and he could make some positive changes but in the end I really doubt it will change things much. The hard core Dean followers who are threatening to leave the party will in the end be right back in 2007 campaining for who ever the Democratic nominee is.

[Rose Siding]

14. The labels are irrelevant

Moderate or liberal, the public's welfare is not represented by a Star Chamber of pols and wealth.

[Walt Starr]

18. Actually, I won't be leaving the party, it'll be leaving me

all I will do is make it official.

[lojasmo]

7. McCauiffe scuttled Gore's exploratory this cycle, so if you think....

the DNC chair doesn't have any power, you're delusional.

[Quixote1818]

9. Could you explain or give a link.?

[lojasmo]

34. Can't find my source. Please accept my retraction, and appology. N/T

[robcon]

11. I think the fuss is funny.

I couldn't name the party chair before McAuliffe, and I suspect many others couldn't without google. Not a biggie.

[Quixote1818]

15. Yes, this is more about angry Dean people wanting to think they

have influence than it is about anything that will make a difference in 2008. I think they should take their frustrations out on a big fluffy pillow. All this fuss is about pride I believe. However, I actually do think Dean would be a good Party Chair and I am for him but it's not something I am particularly concerned with. However, if it's important to them then great! Let them feel like they won something even if it wont matter much down the road.

[Zensea]

31. If you're not concerned why are you posting a thread about it

and posting in the thread over and over?

Nothing wrong with being concerned about it.

[Rose Siding]

16. It's amazing isn't it?

I couldn't have named one either. But look where that got us: Preemptive war as US policy, increasing poverty and a consolidation of wealth, a one party govt, decreasing university enrollment, and an entire Congressional session devoted to the destruction of social security and regressive tax structuring.

Not a biggie.

[Quixote1818]

17. Yes, it's all Terry McAuliffe fault. The bastard! Give me a break.

[Rose Siding]

21. Why would you think that?

The current system is the problem. Apathy, an abandonment of participatoy democracy and waning public accountability are the faults.

[Quixote1818]

22. You don't think Terry said everything you just said over and over?

This line you are giving is nothing new. It's all been said before by all kinds of Democrats. What gives you the idea that Dean is the only person saying these things?

[sophie996]

20. nonsense

thinking it didn't matter is what's gotten us into this deplorable condition, with the shadow party DLC careerists running our once-vital party, and so-called Democrats rolling over for *'s ghastly, incompetent, nominees.

[Quixote1818]

25. Don't give me that line. As if I didn't work my ass off to make a

difference. I just pick my battles differently than you do. Sure party chair is important but you all who think it's going to change the world are dreaming. Again, I am for Dean as party chair but I am honest with myself as to how little influence he will have. Thats just reality. And if he doesn't get it I am not going to go kicking and screaming and leave the Democratic Party because low and behold many other democrats think differently than I do on some issues. I thought diversity was good not bad? To be honest with you I thought Terry was a really good Party Chair. He was tough as hell! He stood his ground and said most everything Dean has said. Why don't you all see that????

[killbotfactory]

24. I disagree

Here's why
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1527124

[Quixote1818]

27. Actually, once Clark steped into the race he was raising money faster

than Dean. Dean had the most but Clark was actually raising money at a faster pace.

[Capn Sunshine]

28. That's a specious claim

can you cite ANY evidence this is true? And what exactly is the criteria for "faster'?

Every conversation about Dean's sucesses seems to provoke a mention of Clark in certain quarters. Why is that?

What's the good General been doing lately? The only thing I know is he isn't active in the chair race. Or anywhere .

[killbotfactory]

30. It's not how much money, it's from where it came

http://www.opensecrets.org/presidential/donordems.asp

Dean had the least amount of 2000 dollar contributions, and more than double the percentage of 200 or less contributions

[CWebster]

29. In these particular times

it does more than at a time when the party was strong, confident and well-defined.

We are at a crossroads and that is why it matters.

[YNGW]

32. Can't Help. Can Hurt.

The candidate is the focus. Either the candidate is good or s/he isn't. It doesn't matter who heads the party if the candidate isn't any good.

On the other hand, the chairperson can hurt the party. S/he isn't going to say anything that's going to help the party to those who have either left or are wavering, but s/he can say and/or do something that will hurt the party and in turn the candidate.

That's the fear of Dean. Sure, he says things that are red-meat to the base, but the fear is that he will go out of control and start floating conspiracy theories and saying things off-the-wall which will turn off middle Americans.

I plan on just sitting back and watching what happens. Either way, there are pros and cons.

[CWebster]

33. Yeah, like he has been wrong all along

and Hillary and Lieberman have been right on.

[KissMeKate]

35. yes! Terry McCorporate showed us that! eom

[KittyWampus]

36. The Dean Supporters Who Are So Emotionaly Invested That They Need

to constantly portray him as the victim of some grand conspiracy... and see him as THE savior are actually quite small in number.

There's a certain loud group here on DU but I think in the real world they don't add up to all that many.

There's probably a lot of Dean supporters in the real world who are much more reasonable.

Also, it pays to remember, there aren't just Democrats posting here... there are disruptors doing what they can to divide us.

It seems as if using Clinton as a Boogieman works all too well.

[CWebster]

37. Speaking of dividing...nt