WV Dem state chair says Dean asked what they needed and listened.

[madfloridian]

Gov. Dean Announces Half Million Dollar Investment in State Parties
Dean Fulfills Pledge to Provide Personnel, Funds to all 50 State
From the DNC:
http://www.democrats.org/news/200504080003.html

Parties: Effort Begins With MO, ND, NC, & WV

Little Rock, AR — Speaking before the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC) today, Gov. Howard Dean announced that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) invest nearly half a million dollars to strengthen the state Democratic Parties in Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, and West Virginia. The announcement comes as the ASDC meets for the first time since Gov. Dean was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party.

The $465,000 investment was agreed upon while working with the state parties on their specific needs, and will fund a variety of positions and programs. The investment marks the beginning of a broader effort to make the Democratic Party competitive in all 50 states by strengthening state Democratic Parties.

"This is just the beginning," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Governor Howard Dean during the announcement, "today we are launching our plan, but as our team continues to work with the state parties we will announce additional investments in the weeks ahead. We have to show up if we're going to win, and we have to rebuild and empower our state parties."

Responding to the announcement, West Virginia Democratic Party State Chair Nick Casey said that, "Governor Dean pledged to take the Party back to the grassroots, and we needed this investment to accomplish exactly that. He asked us what we needed at the grassroots level and he listened."

Governor Dean, whose outreach to the grassroots has taken him to 14 states in only two months as Chair, will follow up his visit to the ASDC by joining the the Arkansas Democratic Party and the chairs of Arkansas county Democratic Party committees on Saturday for a "Grassroots and Grits" breakfast meeting...."

Dean in Arkansas at press conference.


AP photo courtesy Yahoo.

[saltpoint]

1. Dean is a damned talented guy and I still believe he --

-- will be awfully good for the party.

I liked our primary candidates by and large last winter/spring, and Dean was among them.

He can be my doctor or my party Chair any time he wants.

[wakeme2008]

2. better than the last DNC chair that

just listened to the DLC leaders.

[saltpoint]

4. There did seem to be a pro-DLC tilt to things back then.

I'm hopeful that Dean will not only do better by the entire party, but become THE model for all chairs yet to be.

I fully believe that's how capable he is. Southern Dems who coddled the DLC will have to speak with Dean face to face sooner or later, and I just don't think they've got the upper hand at all.

Go, Howard.

[Cha]

6. YES! Dean is setting the

bar very HIGH!

[JNelson6563]

3. Ah leadership!

I'd almost forgotten what it's like to have it. Cool. Rock on Doc!

Julie

[madfloridian]

5. You are right. He is organizing and leading.

I post these things when I see all the "where the hell is Dean" threads. People need to know what is going on.

[kevsand]

7. More like "where the hell is West Virginia?"

Seriously though: listening and responding; devoting resources to grassroots instead of bricks and mortar at the top; following through on promises to rebuild nationwide... if Dean isn't careful, I'm gonna start liking him! ;-)

Actually, I've said for a while now that I think he's probably the best thing that could have happened to the DNC at this point in time. We all need to pitch in to help him make this happen, regardless of what camp we started in or are headed to...

[MaineDem]

8. The State Party Chairs asked for this

During the campaign for DNC Chair, the Association of State Democratic Chairs asked for $200,000 each. Each of the candidates agreed. This is not Dean's idea.

I'm glad he's coming through for some states. The other states are waiting.

[gratuitous]

9. The distributions may not be Dean's idea

But it's up to him to come through on the promise, and he seems to be doing that. And can you imagine? The party chairman leaving DC and going to a meeting where he listens to other voices instead of just his own?

I like this about Dean. He listens to make sure the local party leaders have a coherent plan, offers some suggestions (not diktats) of his own, then hands out the money to help them achieve their vision. The national party chairman can't possibly know what's best in every state and locale, and Dean is determined that the Democrats will be competitive in every state, not just the safe Blue ones or the borderline Red ones. This is a strategy for winning elections, and that is a strategy for implementing progressive policies.

I'd be very, very worried if I was a Republican party factotum.

[madfloridian]

10. Well, Terry gave VA 5 million before Dean came on board.

And NYC got 1 million. Maybe it slowed down a little what he plans to do.

On Edit, I think you may be off on the others planning on that. Dean said that the first day he announced he was running. Not the exact figure, but that was his plan from day one.

[realFedUp]

11. I love the Doc's prescriptions....n/t