Oregon Democrats: Clean Sweep for Howard Dean
As the DNC chair race reportedly boils down to Gov. Howard Dean, Rep. Martin Frost and Donnie Fowler, the Oregon delegation has cast its lot with Dean. Here's the announcement...
OREGON’S DNC MEMBERS ENDORSE HOWARD DEAN FOR CHAIR PORTLAND, ORE. – When Democrats meet in Washington DC February 12 to elect a new chair, Oregon will be supporting Governor Howard Dean. Several Oregon Democratic National Committee members announced today that they are backing Governor Howard Dean in his bid for chair of the DNC.“Oregon has a strong grassroots political tradition and Gov. Dean best fits our vision for our state and our country,” said Jim Edmunson of Eugene, who chairs the Democratic Party of Oregon.
“I’m delighted to be endorsing Howard Dean,” said DNC Committeewoman Jenny Greenleaf, a Portlander who was active in Dean’s primary campaign. “Dean understands how to use high-tech for high-touch organizing and has shown that he can draw new people into the political process. Oregon’s Democratic Party benefited immensely from the actions of Dean’s supporters during the recent presidential and local elections.”
The delegation had been holding off on a public announcement while waiting for the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) to make a recommendation. The ASDC voted this morning to endorse Dean. Portland resident Meredith Wood Smith, vice-chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon and ASDC executive committee member said, “The ASDC is enthusiastic about Dean’s candidacy. He’ll be a strong advocate for state parties and grassroots activism.”State party organizations had expressed concerns that the DNC was too focused on the presidential campaign and targeted states, leaving state and local parties struggling to provide much of their own resources. The ASDC based its recommendation on how the candidates promised to better support state and local parties.
DNC Committeeman Wayne Kinney, who is in the process of moving from La Grande to Bend, Oregon, also supports Dean.
“All of the candidates in the DNC race have a lot to offer,” Greenleaf said. “I hope they all remain committed to strengthening the Democratic Party.”
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Feb. 01, 2005
Posted in in the news 2005. |
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5:09 p.m.
Feb 1, '05
Update: Martin Frost has dropped out of the race, leaving pretty much only Howard Dean, Donnie Fowler, Simon Rosenberg, and Tim Roemer.
Feb 1, '05
The former Ohio State Chair David Leland left the scene today as well. Giving his endorsement to Gov. Dean.
Feb 1, '05
Fowler has some problems in Michigan from the Detroit FreePress today. "...People who said they were familiar with the situation told the Free Press that national party activist Donnie Fowler and Michigan campaign officials notified national party leaders they needed an extra $2.5 million on the last weekend before the Nov. 2 vote. They said they would have to curtail the state campaign if the money wasn't forthcoming, used lax accounting practices and were so disorganized that several campaign vans turned up missing, said the Democrats, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Fowler and Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer vigorously disputed those charges Monday, which they said were part of an effort by party rivals to undermine Fowler's DNC candidacy...."
10:17 p.m.
Feb 1, '05
The story you linked to clearly shows that such problems were not Donnie's fault & all he was trying to do was secure a bit more money for Michigan in the final days of the campaign.
I don't think the stolen van is a sign of disorganization - one cannot control every single thing that happens during a campaign. Mistakes are going to be made.
All in all, Donnie seems to have done a great job for the Kerry campaign in this important battleground state.
I believe his depth of experience, depth of character, & depth of conviction is hard to beat and is what sets him apart (even from Gov. Dean - who is miles ahead of many Democrats). Donnie, however, represents the future of the Dem Party much better.
11:51 a.m.
Feb 2, '05
I think it's going to be Dean, and here's why:
Taking their cue from Harry Reid, 30 of the Democratic Senators are standing up on the Senate floor to oppose the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General. And all of them are planning to fight Dubya's corporate takeover of Social Security.
That tells me that at least in the Senate, the Democratic Party is finally going to act like the loyal opposition; something many Dean supporters have been clamoring for since he announced for the Primary.
From what I can tell, many of the Democrats at the DNC are lining up behind Dean now. Oregon's just one - Florida did it last week. The state Chairs have thrown their endorsement behind Dean, and the AFL-CIO, whose leadership wanted someone other than Dean, were outvoted by their membership in favor of Dean.
Even the Republicans, when faced with this eventuality in broadcast media, respond with derision and ridicule, to a man almost with quotes about divisiveness and the "Scream."
And as any cursory reading of the late Lee Atwater's Official Neocon Rules of Engagement (may he rot in hell) will tell you, that's when you know you're on to something good.
From here, that looks like a steamroller to me. Follow, fight, or get out of the way, it's comin', and we're only beginning to see the reaction.
12:28 p.m.
Feb 2, '05
I think both Fowler and Rosenberg have a lot to offer. I hope Dean (if he wins) will be able to bring them in close to the action.
They're both relatively young as well. I could see either of these guys ending up Chair someday.
Feb 2, '05
I was once at a replacement meeting where county comm. were going to appoint a legislative successor to a vacancy (incumbent had attained higher office). Among the contenders were a very talented young woman who gave a great speech (and later in her life went on to great things), a well known person whose speech was partisan boilerplate, and the ultimate winner who talked in specifics about the concerns of the district. I think of that in relation to the DNC Chair election. Dean would be smart to make Fowler and Rosenberg assistants or something. But it seems to me that Fowler and Roseberg are like the young woman who gave a great speech and Dean is like the more mature ultimate winner of the legislative seat who ended up with concrete achievements in that legislative partial term.
The media loves a moment they can replay over and over (like the Scream) but I think that may just make it easier for Dean to be well known and maybe get things done. Imagine the future story "Dean, once only known for the scream, today was able to...".
I graduated from Carmel High School in California. For years, some people said WHERE? Then, Clint Eastwood became mayor. No one ever asked that question again. And like Tom Potter, Eastwood got elected paying attention to local concerns and was able to do concrete things while in office. My guess is the same will be true of Dean.
Feb 2, '05
John stated above that the leadership of the AFL-CIO wanted someone other than Dean and that the membership outvoted them. In the interest of being nitpicky, that's not exactly what happened.
The various unions that make up the AFL-CIO were unable to reach a consensus on a DNC chair, so the individual unions were left to make their own endorsements. Not surprisingly, unions such as SEIU, who endorsed Dean in the primary decided to back him for DNC chair.
Same result, slightly different process than was described.
Feb 3, '05
There is a lot of talk about how great Dean has been for the party, organizing new voters, using new technology, willing to turn us into a real opposition.
All this fails to mention the fact that all his great skills won him exactly nothing. Not Iowa, not New Hampshire, not the nomination. Sure he'd make a fiery opposition leader -- he'll also make us a permanent opposition party.
Dean, in terms of character and temperament, is indistinguishable from the President, has failed to produce results for his own candidacy and carries a firm impression of lunacy to most Americans. He is going to be our leader? What happened, was Sun Myung Moon busy?
Feb 3, '05
Joshua, Lots of people have lost presidential primaries and motivated many people to become involved in politics. I first got involved due to Eugene McCarthy and think Dean is in that category. I would invite you (as I have invited many friends) to read Dean's book You Have The Power, specifically the chapter "Losing our party" and specify what in there you disagree with. Image is one thing, specifics are another.
11:20 a.m.
Feb 3, '05
Welp Joshua,
Where to start?
Dean was a fiscally moderate governor of a small state who supported the rights of gays and gun owners, and (after much wrangling) sequestered a significant portion of his state's forest from development.
During the election, Gephardt and Leiberman employed every dirty trick in the book to take him out in Iowa, and the Repubs (who were terrified to meet this guy on the merits of his record) were happy to pile on with the effort to paint him as a lunatic.
Based on the success of "The Axis of Mendacity", I wouldn't support Dean in a presidential bid, but think that he is absolutely qualified to restore some integrity and fire to the top of the DNC.
Terry McAuliffe and his DLC buddies actually received money from some of the same billionaires that support the Hoover and Cato Institutes and other dismantlers of government, and McAuliffe profited hugely from the WorldCom debacle.
The newsflash here is that while Clinton managed to win by coopting Republican issues, like welfare reform, deregulation of the energy and futures markets etcetera, that is not necessarily the way to win going forward. I for one will be happy to work with a guy that's not quite so...er.......uh......sleazy.
Feb 3, '05
Ya, what Pat said.