The Laughter of Dean & the Deaniacs

Chad Allen

Just over a year ago, Doctor Howard Dean was the talk of Washington or at least on Capitol St. in D.C., home of the Democratic National Committee. In his quest for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, he ruffled plenty of feathers among the Democratic Elite, yet he was a captivating figure, a political Robin Hood, if you will. He turned the world of politics upside down and through efficient and wise Internet communications, put much of the nominating power back into the hands of Joe Democrat.

A few moments of unbridled anger and not-so-gentle nudging from the Party’s chieftains and suddenly the good doctor vanished from contention. He was laughed off the political stage by some, both Democrat and Republican, but today’s laughter isn’t being heard from his intra or interparty enemies. Rather, it’s Howard Dean and his supporters who are laughing, and in fact hysterically, at such big Party names as McAuliffe, Clinton, Rodham-Clinton, and Kerry.

With the job now Dean’s, one has to ponder how life at the DNC will change. During the campaign, Howard Dean showed a keen mastery of fundraising and organization, without question two talents with colossal importance in the job as DNC Chairman. Consider that Howard Dean raised a whopping $47 million though January 2004, a record for that stage in the campaign. Furthermore, his legions of connected Internet supporters seemed to know anywhere and everywhere Dean was stumping for votes on any given day. Fundraising and organization are specialties of Doctor Dean.

Yet, the proven skills of the Gotham-born politician seems to strike little fear among GOP leaders. Many consider him a high-tempered, left of Left, politician who will run the DNC and the entire Democratic Party into the ground.

That seems to be the conventional wisdom among strategists and leaders among the GOP. However, this may not be the case depending upon whether Dean seeks power or a platform in his new position.

If Dean sought the DNC Chairmanship so that he might have a platform to spread his ultra-liberal views within the Party, then he will in fact drive the Democratic Party further from the mainstream, resulting in fewer election victories. Suppose though, a platform is not what Dean seeks, rather he seeks greater power within the Party and a more powerful Democratic Party. Indeed, if this is his motivation, my fellow GOP members may be drastically underestimating the former governor.

Remember that the primary responsibilities of a Party Chairman are organization and fundraising, two skills in which Dean has showed his prowess.

The Democratic Party is in desperate need of organization, as its major factions have virtually no commonality with the exception of abhorring President Bush and opposing the current activities in Iraq. Dean can bring organization to the Party, maybe not to the extent of Karl Rove and the GOP, but any organizational enhancement will be an improvement versus where McAuliffe left the Party.

Then there is fundraising. One can see Dean possibly being Clintonesque in his ability to raise money for Democrats. Look for him to concentrate not just on keeping the big donors, including George Soros, Hollywood, and others, but also upon the small individual donors. He had success with this strategy in the race for the presidential nomination and Dean certainly knows that a donor is a sure voter and likely to volunteer at the grassroots level.

We'll know more about the strategy Dean chooses in the coming months and into 2006. A key election will take place this year in Virginia for the governorship. Dean will see this as a testing ground for his skills, as there is little doubt that his hands will be in the race. If he is successful in Virginia, then it should be a wake-up call for the RNC that Dean is a threat.

However, if Dean becomes a regular on "Meet the Press" and can't stay away from the cameras and microphones, then based upon his past, the GOP should see further gains in 2006 and beyond.