Should Barack offer Howard Dean a position in this Administration?

[kentuck]

Howard Dean has done a superb job at organizing our Party in places we had never been before. I'm certain that Barack Obama and others benefitted from his efforts.

With that said, should not Barack be looking for a position for him? Howard has said that he would like to be involved in policy in some manner or other. I think he would make a great Secretary of Education. Of course, his natural inclination would be toward HHS. But, I hope Barack is appreciative of all that he has done for our Party and this Administration?

[JeffR]

1. HUD

He'd be excellent.

[Dr Fate]

2. If Dean wants one, I would love it. n/t

n/t

[JDPriestly]

3. Yes. Dean is a great organizer, and Obama is going to need that.

Dean is not nearly as partisan as many of the people in the Bush administration were. Dean would be a great Surgeon General.

[Eric J in MN]

4. Head of the FDA (NT)

NT

[lostnfound]

29. God. That would be so reassuring. TO be able to trust what we're eating..

and make a dent in the toxins from China, the e-coli, the lack of mad cow testing, etc etc etc.
He's moderate enough to have good judment on the speed with which changes could be made, to deal with the behemoth food companies.
But he would certainly be trusted to look out for the health of the American people.
I doubt it would be offered, doubt he would take it..but I think he'd be great at it.

[camera obscura]

5. He should. But it doesn't mean he will.

[sutz12]

6. You'd think...

His 50 state strategy pretty much won the past two elections for the Dem party.

He must be qualified for something.

[tblue]

7. Works for me!

[elleng]

8. I think we already found one:

Surgeon General

[cali]

11. He hasn't the background or qualifications for SG

He does have the qualifications for HHS.

[elleng]

12. What are they?

.

[cali]

17. In brief, a public health background and expertise

in addition, SG is a pretty powerless post. And a quasi military one. Howard does not have a public policy health background.

[ColbertWatcher]

15. That would be an interesting place for him.

Considering how the GOP has subjected health in general and women's health in particular to their religious extremism.

[Sebastian Doyle]

9. HHS

A doctor in charge of health care. What would make more sense?

[snot]

10. YES. YES. YES. etc.

[Egnever]

13. If he doesnt

it will be my first big disappointment in Barack.

[Cleita]

14. It would help balance out the DINOs he's been appointing up until now. n/t

[Duende azul]

26. To really balance them out he also would have to appoint a bunch of Kucinichs´.

Or Wexlers, Feingolds, Sanders´ and the likes.



And for good measure Rev. Wright to head the presidential prayer squad. ;-)

[Cleita]

39. I'm all for the Kucinichs, Wexlers, Feingolds and Sanders because these are

the real American heroes who were the only ones upholding the Constitution during the Bush Nazi years. These are the true patriots. I don't know where you are coming from with the Rev. Wright. It's very snarky of you to say that. But I wouldn't mind if the Dalai Lama held that position if it in fact existed.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

16. Yes! Hell yes!!

Without Howard's work in building the car, Obama would never have been able to turn it into the hot rod that his campaign was.

Howard should be able to have any position he's interested in.

[DFW]

18. At this point, Howard has been offered nothing.

Not only that, his name has vanished from the news. Only the blogosphere is asking
how come Howard, after all he has done, and all the time and effort he put in to
make this happen, has disappeared from the face of the political earth?

I do hope the Obama team figures out what an asset Howard has been and could be. All
this crap about Howard being too partisan--hell he can be as partisan as he wants if
he's on our side--and he is.

[EFerrari]

33. That partisan stuff sounds like a red herring to me.

He's one of the fairest people in public life as far as I can tell. Is it a problem with Rahm?

I can't believe they'd be stupid enough to let someone with that kind of talent slip away.

[DFW]

41. Nor can I, but stupidity has a way of surprising us all

And egos, especially when the size of that of Rahm, can sometimes melt down
even the most seemingly immovable mountain of common sense. But I share your
hopes that Howard's talents will be called upon by the Obama administration.
If Howard is offered something challenging, he might well take it, but the fact
is that he hasn't, and he as yet has no concrete plans. As I told the other poster,
this could be outdated information by the time I post this, but it's the latest I
know of, and I was in touch with Howard yesterday.

[EFerrari]

42. Howard should be the centerpiece at a new think tank. A real one.

He's one of the most creative people we've had in the party in FOREVER.

I can make coffee, type and deal with the press or be the press.

lol

Seriously, I want to know where he lands. He changed everything.

[DFW]

49. I couldn't agree more

I'm sure that wherever he ends up, he'll make whoever he's working
with very glad he's around. But the big posts are filling up fast,
and I still don't hear his name being mentioned anywhere, and, at
least so far, neither has he. Our loss.

[EFerrari]

50. Howard won't get the credit he deserves because he's not airbrushed.

And, btw, I was not a deaniac. I sat that primary out, watching.

It may turn out that it's better for him and for his talents not to be swept up in this Obama administration. Maybe not easier as far as planning for the next step for himself, but maybe, better for him in the longer term.

I really do wish he'd get a think tank started while he decides where he wants to put his energies.

[mopinko]

34. you don't know that. i assume he has been offered something.

anything he wants, prolly. but he is not a leaker, so it isn't all over the blogoshpere. he is a no drama guy. wait and see.
he might just want to go back home.

[DFW]

40. Howard is a friend, and I got it from an email he sent me yesterday

He keeps things close to his chest and defends his privacy just fine without my help.
As of yesterday, he had been offered nothing (at least not outright). I've known him
long enough (almost 10 years) to know how straight he is. He guards his privacy for
the exact reason that he has no artificiality--the public Howard is the same as the
one-on-one Howard. But if he tells me something, I take him at his word. So far--zip.
Of course, things are happening at a rapid pace, and this could all change tomorrow.
This was as of Tuesday, 9 PM Central European Time.

[tavalon]

19. It would be a bone to the progressive, grassroots side.

You know, the ones who got his ass elected! He had better. I will not, and don't think many here will, take it well if he doesn't.

[Fumesucker]

20. That's why he won't be offered a position..

IMO..

Because it would be seen as "throwing a bone" to the left.

If there is one thing most bipartisan about DC it is that they all hate the left.

[tavalon]

23. Yes, they hate us but they would do well not to make that obvious

because we are the ones who did the most to get Obama elected. We can take away that support. They need to throw us a bone, even if they have to hold their stuck up noses while doing it.

[Fumesucker]

24. Who ya' gonna vote for, eh?

They know the left has no other realistic choice, they can do what they want to us.

I'll be surprised if we get a bone.

[tavalon]

44. My favorite Canadian?

I had one foot out the door before the election. But yeah, not much incentive there for them to be nice to us.

[varelse]

47. Who you'd vote for isn't really the question

The question is, who will you donate time, money and effort for? Who will you get out "on the ground" and canvass for? You have *one* vote, and only one in each election. It's all the other ones you get out through grass-roots campaign efforts that count - or not, if you're not inspired.

Obama was inspirational - in *this* election cycle, he represented a much-desired change in direction. In 2012, he'll be the incumbent. Hell, in 2010, barring unforeseen miracles, the Congress may well be dominated (again) by the opposing party. IF there's no motivation, or inspiration, for "the hated left" and the "netroots" to get out the vote this time, the margin of victory could be lacking - due not to your one vote, but to all the ones you and others like you were not inspired to win for this party.

I feel it is a mistake to discount or dismiss the party's "base" or to pretend it doesn't exist, merely because the majority of voters do not identify with or belong to either partisan base. It is, in the end, the partisans and the activists who shift the majority for or against a party or a candidate. In this election, theirs were lacking and "ours" were out in force. That may not be the case in 2010 or 2012.

[TexasObserver]

21. Yes. He should give a quality cabinet post to Dr. Dean.

Dean has proved he is a person of vision, a doer, someone who can get things done, even mundane things.

[barbtries]

22. yes

[MgtPA]

25. What really pisses me off is, Lieberman gets a pass, but nothing (so far) for Howard Dean. I mean...

...WHAT.THE.HELL??

[Truth Teller]

27. Yes and yes n/t

[cobalt1999]

28. ONLY if he is the best person for the position.

No one is "owed" a position.

I hope Obama is selecting the best person for each position instead of appointing a list of people who feel they are owed something.

If Dean is the best candidate, great. If someone else is better, go with the someone else.

The objective is the best, most efficient, and workable staff. The objective isn't to reward folks with their desired jobs.

[OhioChick]

30. Yes. n/t

[Le Taz Hot]

31. Yes, he should.

But it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Rahm, the petty, vindictive, spiteful little fuck who hates Dean will make sure that doesn't happen. I hope I'm wrong but every day is bringing more disappointment with this administration-elect.

[MiniMe]

32. I trust Barack, it is totally up to him

[w4rma]

35. Unless Barack believes that rewarding his opponents and punishing his friends is a good tactic. (nt)

[bigwillq]

36. YES!

:bounce:

[snot]

37. YES!

[PVnRT]

38. No - we need him running the party

[fla nocount]

43. The offer would be nice, it would give Dr. Dean the opportunity to tell..

the Prince Regent to fuck off in a polite way. They owe him that.

[MadMaddie]

45. Absolutely!!

Dean has proven he can mobilize and energize millions of people. He put the framework together.

Dean could put the framework of a New Deal together to get Americans back to work. I guess this would be a new position.

[trayfoot]

46. Yes, he should!

I would have preferred Dean over Daschle for HHS.

[Cha]

48. This is the site to suggest such things..

http://www.change.gov/

[rvablue]

51. B/C of his sheer brilliance at ass-kickiness....how about putting him in charge of the FTC....

I am so tired of every representative, senator, journalist, et. al., rolling over and taking it while our Treasury is looted.

I know that Dean doesn't have the longest financial resume, but I do think he has excellent organizational skills and can hone in on a problem and fix it like no one else.

We need a serious butt kicker to go out and say no more, not unless you turn over the books, account for every single dime you get from the federal government and not unless you submit to an extensive list of regulations......like not giving huge bonuses to rich mofos while the hourly wage worker suffers a lay off.