"Why is Rahm Emanuel Still Trashing Howard Dean?" (mydd/the Hill)

[greeneyedboy]

saw this on Jonathan Singer's mydd.com diary today.:

Enough already. Really.

In today's issue of The Hill, Jonathan Kaplan takes a look at Democratic efforts to reach out to so-called "drop-off voters" -- those who vote in presidential years but tend not to during midterm elections. In the course of the article, Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the Demcoratic Congressional Campaign Committee, could not restrain himself from making a direct jab at Howard Dean and the efforts at the Democratic National Committee.

"Did they waste a year and a half not targeting drop-off voters? Yes," Emanuel said, referring to voters who cast ballots in presidential years but not in off-year elections. But he said House Democratic candidates would be fine, because, "It's not like we have slouches over there ... they know what they're doing."

Realizing that voter turnout could determine whether the Democrats control the House or spend another two years in the minority, Emanuel hired Michael Whouley and Jack Corrigan, longtime Democratic field operatives, to implement the DCCC's strategy. The committee has worked with 70 campaigns devising a field strategy; it is helping pay for field programs in several campaigns, said a senior Democratic aide.

Stacie Paxton, a DNC spokeswoman, said, "Unfortunately, the congressman is misinformed. We've been targeting drop-off voters for more than a year and we contacted three million drop-off voters this Saturday at the DNC's third national organizing day."

We are less than four weeks from election day. Is it really necessary to continue to wage the public intraparty battle up until the day voters go to the polls?

I understand the egos are large. I understand that there are real differences in opinion about strategy. I also understand that no one wants to be pegged as the scapegoat should the party fail to pick up the 15 seats in the House required to take control of the chamber. And I understand that the post-election storyline is already being formulated today. But, seriously, can't these guys just keep it together for another 27 days and refrain from tarring one another in the press? It really makes the Democratic Party seem like amateur hour. And, perhaps more importantly, it runs the risk of decreasing the excitement within the base -- which could seriously undercut the party's ability to get out the vote and thus win on November 7.

if you want to let the DCCC know your thoughts about this, here's the contact form:
http://www.dccc.org/action_center/contact/ .

[eleny]

1. Given the past week's events - Dean's 50 state strategy is genius

Dean has had people and money out there all over the country. When the Foley thing broke, we were poised to make hay in all those states - including the red ones. Hindsight awards Dean the oak leaf cluster for his head.

[Cha]

5. How right you are!

This time Dean's prescience is really paying off.

rahm better get his ego checked into a freakin' clinic or something.

[eleny]

7. Thanks!

Dean never seemed like a power-grabber to me. I hope this gives him much deserved respect among Dems of all stripes.

:hi:

[davidwparker]

2. Dean doesn't kiss the rings of the NY liberal elitists. Rather, he's for

a distributed Democratic party. That is, all politics are local.

[Warpy]

3. LIBERAL elitists?

I find the east coast establishment quite conservative.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. Chicago is in new york? That's news to me and all other ill in noisians.

And Rahm is a liberal? that guy is so DLC that he breathes, shits and pisses red.

[Demeter]

6. Because Rahm Emanuel Is a Visible Failure & Everyone Knows It

so he just digs his hole deeper and wider. Typical GOP response.

[bemildred]

8. Rahm and Dean are mortal enemies, politically.

Dean is a far bigger threat to Rahm's ambitions that any Republican. Rahm wants to run the Democratic Party, no Republican wants to do that. But Dean is doing that now, and better than Rahm can.

[yurbud]

9. Rahm is one of those that want Dems to be the business party without

religious nuts.

So we'll have a choice of religious or secular corporatocracy.

[The Roux Comes First]

10. Rahm needs a heart transplant . . .

and I don't mean the literal organ.

I offered some uncomplimentary thoughts thanks to link at post end and encourage others to do so also. Mine were along the lines of throwing himself under bus if he can't find a way to adopt progressive principles and morph into an actual human.

[filterfish]

11. Because Rahm is Lieberman with more business savvy

he's the type of dem that would support the dems becoming even more interventionist