Interesting overview of the current state of Democratic Party, issues,

[Pirate Smile]

goals, etc. It includes a must-do list for Dean which includes some things that are contradictory. A good read.

"Few see the potential of Dean's chairmanship better than Simon Rosenberg, who sought the job but dropped out in the face of Dean's juggernaut. Rosenberg is a perfect political hybrid: He heads up the centrist New Democrat Network and has developed a deep respect for the world of Internet politics and the way Dean used the new technology in 2004.

"People don't understand how disproportionately important the Democratic National Committee is going to be in driving politics for Democrats," Rosenberg says. "We used to have precinct captains and county chairmen: Your relationship to the party was brokered by many intermediaries. Now, there are millions of Americans who have a direct relationship with the national party which is more meaningful than their relationship with their local party." If you doubt that, compare how much money was raised for national Democrats online, and how much was delivered by the remains of the old local party organizations.

As party chairman, Rosenberg argues, Dean will have direct access to those millions of Democrats through e-mail and more control over the Democratic "brand" than any congressional leader could hope to enjoy. That prospect exhilarates some Democrats and petrifies others -- and helps explain why Dean went after the job.

But what, exactly, will he do with it? Much depends on how he and the party settle two core arguments:"

continued here http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18482-2005Feb12.html