Have we already forgotten Dean's words as he stepped down as chair.

[madfloridian]

From his speech which I saved, but can not find the link now.

Together, we pledged that we would never run another 18 state campaign. We promised to compete in every state, for every level of office. We promised to stand up for our Party and fight for an agenda that reflects our values. We promised to show up everywhere and ask everyone for their vote.

We promised to modernize our Party, renew our commitment to the grassroots, expand our donor base and draw young voters and new voters into the Party.

And that is exactly what we did.

Barack Obama won 9 states that President Bush won in 2004. We picked up 8 Senate seats in 2008 and 6 in 2006. We won in places like Alaska and North Carolina-states where no one thought Democrats could be competitive. But we knew better.

We picked up 24 House seats last year after winning 31 in 2006. We had 22 Democratic governors when you elected me your chairman. Today we have 29.

Our Party now controls at least 60 of the nation's 98 state legislative chambers, which will not only impact redistricting, but will make our Party's bench even stronger.

We picked up 55 House seats, 14 Senate seats, 7 governorships, and we control 60 of 98 state legislative chambers....done while he was chairman.

He never was given an ounce of credit by the party leaders.

We are already starting to lose that advantage.

I had a call from the DNC soliciting money today. I know they outsource the calls, but this was one frustrated guy. He said everybody was angry, and they wouldn't explain why. I said do you want to talk about it, because I will. I talked about all the aspects of the ignoring of the base of the party that is the part of the party that wants what is best for the country, not what is best for the corporations. I told him that under a Democratic administration we would see the privatization of Social Security, Medicare, and education. He asked for details, I gave them.

He said they were worried that not just the Blue Dogs were going to lose in 2010 but many others as well, and that I should donate to help them. I said that I feared the progressive voices were not loud enough, they needed to be more forceful.

I told him that under a Democratic administration there had not yet been time to stand up for the rights of women and gays. That we had to wait for a more convenient time.

Here is more from Dean's speech that day in January, not long after President Obama introduced Tim Kaine while Dean was in American Samoa fulfilling his last promise to the party. They did not even invite him to the press conference where Kaine was introduced. He was not even asked.

President Obama led more than a campaign. He inspired a grassroots movement and won a broad and diverse coalition of voters of all backgrounds in every part of the country. He set a new direction and a new tone for our nation and our politics, and people responded. I have no doubt that Barack Obama will be a great President and Joe Biden will be a great Vice President.

Let me also be clear about one more thing: As much as we have accomplished together these last four years, our work is not done.

This has been a truly historic and transformational election --- one that reflects the passing of the torch to a new generation. This new generation wants us to put aside the divisions of the past and come together around the shared task of building a common future. Barack Obama was right in 2004 when he said there are no red states or blue states. There are only American states, and we all share the same values. If we are to keep those voters engaged, and keep them in the fold we need to keep the promises we made.

We cannot afford to lose the millions of new voters and young voters who participated in this campaign for the first time. We have to keep the promises we made, and keep finding ways to engage them.

We won in the West and the South because we showed up and asked people for their vote. But we cannot become complacent. We all know that the political landscape can change very quickly. We need to keep showing up and keep asking people for their vote or we can lose those parts of the country just as quickly as we won them.

There is more that he said.

I have always believed that our values are core American values. We value work over wealth, tax policies that invest in the middle class, fiscal discipline, and equality and justice for all. Those are core American values. What we have lacked is a full time, professional party to help communicate those values and organize around them and a leader to inspire people to the cause. In President Obama, that is exactly what we have.

I am humbled by what we have accomplished here over the last four years. Today, we have a great president and vice president and a Party that is stronger than ever. And we did it by empowering people to take ownership over their democracy. Together, we moved our country forward.

Now back to one of his opening statements. He was right about what he was leaving for us as a party. I wonder if he is cringing over the way we appear to be going backwards right now, fearful of losing seats already.

My friends, let me begin by thanking you for the opportunity to lead this Committee and this Party for the last four years.After logging more than 727,000 miles visiting Democrats in all 56 states and territories, I say with confidence that I return to you a Party stronger than the one we inherited four years ago.

And we are already losing special elections and races that were won before. There appears to be no effort to continue to build the party at state levels. What was started appears to have been stalled in place.

Afraid to stand for what Democrats traditionally stand for. Fearful.

[No Elephants]

1. I had a similar, but briefer chat with two or three callers from the DNC. I opted out

of their mailing list, but cannot manage to opt out of their call list or their mailing list.

Sine 2008, I have contributed, on my own, to candidates outside my area--Al Franken, to help him pay for his long fight against Coleman, to Grayson, just to say "thanks for standing tall" and to Marcy Winograd.

I will contribute as much as I possibly can to anyone who, like Winograd, is challenging a Purple Snake. But not another dime to the DNC until it stops supporting incumbents, no matter what and until Democrats who get elected start acting like they care about people again.

On edit: Silly me. I keep thinking my little donations actually matter, when others are contributing millions. I don't even know why they calling people like us. I guess to make sure we keep feeling invested?

[bertman]

2. Excellent post, Madflo. For many of us, the backstabbing of Dr. Dean was the first and most

telling sign of things to come. After that, nothing is much of a surprise.

What really sucks is that the people in the Democratic party who pull the levers of power are all wealthy individuals. The economic decline will not be felt by them until long after the working classes are in agonizing pain.

Because these folks are in the top 3% or 4% of income brackets, they are insulated. But their immunity will only last for so long. I'm thinking that many of them are going to be very surprised when the chickens come home to roost.

Looking at the decline of the Democratic party that has taken place in just 12 months it almost makes me glad that Dr. Dean was not in charge and beating his head against the wall that Rahm and the DLC have erected. With the direction that President Obama has chosen and the Democratic leadership has endorsed, it would have been exceedingly difficult for Dr. Dean to rally the troops. Many of us feel like the mask has slipped from the current party leadership's face, revealing a visage that is fearsome and ugly to behold, and not at all what we felt was the face of our Democratic party.

[CrispyQ]

3. I agree completely about the backstabbing of Dean.

The dems would not be where they were without Dean. Emanuel is a nasty little shit, imo & I think it speaks volumes about Obama, that he selected Emanuel.

I could not have expressed this better:

"Many of us feel like the mask has slipped from the current party leadership's face, revealing a visage that is fearsome and ugly to behold, and not at all what we felt was the face of our Democratic party."

[emsimon33]

4. Dean is one of the few true Democrats (and patriots) left

God bless him. I shall always be grateful for his genius that showed what could happen if the grassroots were focused.

[defendandprotect]

5. How could it be any clearer, that those in control of the Dem Party want Dean OUT . . . not in...

And they want all that he speaks for OUT of the party -- not in!!

What does it take for Dems to understand this?

Do we believe that they are somehow rejecting winning policies because they

don't understand what they are doing? Really????????????????????

Those in control of the party understand quite well what they are doing --

and it has everything to do with destroying the party, moving it to the right,

failing to contest elections we could win as Dean has very well shown us --

until the Democratic Party is useless for any liberal progressive causes at all!!


These things do not happen by accident -- they happen by design!!

This is the DLC design -- the corporate wing of the Democratic Party -- for whom

a liberal, progressive Democratic Party is inconvenient!!

The Democratic Party is to be moved to the right until it too represents corporate/

fascism as the GOP already does.

[bertman]

8. Excellent analysis, defendandprotect.

[defendandprotect]

6. One of the questions I have about Dean is how long he will cling to the edges of the

party trying to help us --

Will he finally move on?

Byron Dorgan has -- which I think shows us that even someone considered a

"moderate" in the party is now not even welcome -- and any issues that Dorgan

fought for -- negotiation on drug prices and reinstating Glass-Steagall -- are

now to be automatically rejected -- out of hand! -- Off the table!!


"Disgusting" -- indeed!!

[bobbolink]

7. What Was Left Out.....

There hasn't been time to stand up for POOR FOLK, either... never is, is there?

Are our effort, even our votes, Wanted?

If so, then it would be well to REMEMBER us, too.

[defendandprotect]

9. Howard Zinn evidently said he wished Obama would listen more to MLK, Jr. . . .

So right, so true -- !!!

[Myrina]

10. Too late to Rec, but here's a kick ...

.... well thought-out and well-stated as always!

[Overseas]

11. K&R. //nt

[Mithreal]

12. As soon as the message started showing up at the bottom of their cages

the conservative Dems turned away from everything Dean had told them.

Sharing a piece about everyone's favorite snake charmer.

http://www.progressive.org/wx060909.html

[Goldstein1984]

13. "...the mask has slipped from the current party leadership's face..."

And there was nothing behind that mask but a moderate Republican.

I left the part eleven years ago, so I'm never bothered by their calls or junk mail. I just pay attention to what I can, and target my donations to worthy candidates around the country.

This could get me TSed, but if, in some weird race, the Republican candidate was campaigning on a platform more democratic than the Democratic candidate, I would have no trouble donating to that candidate. It's principles over party for me.

One last thing. Mark Begich is, in all likelihood, a one-term Democratic senator from Alaska. He was only elected because of the turmoil in the Alaska Republican Party over Ted Stevens' Legal problems. They are over that now. Alaska is a Red state and an oil state, and for Begich to win again I fear that he will have to go so far right that he ceases to be anything approaching a candidate that would satisfy a progressive.

It's frustrating to be a progressive in Alaska. Local races are all we really have. Other than that, I work my political will through contributions to Outside candidates and support for NGOs.