Howard Dean says 50 State Strategy worked well for the GOP in 2010.

[madfloridian]

Howard Dean and Ari Berman, author of Herding Donkeys, appeared on Vermont Public Radio today.

Dean's 50-State Strategy Worked for GOP In 2010


VPR/Jonathan Butler
Former Governor Howard Dean (left) and author Ari Berman

Former Governor Howard Dean says Tea Party activists took a cue from his 2004 campaign playbook to score major victories for Republicans in the 2010 campaign. Dean made the comparison on VPR's Vermont Edition with Ari Berman, author of the book Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics.

Dean said during the 2004 presidential campaign he connected with huge numbers of Democrats throughout the U.S. who felt the Democratic Party in Washington had ignored them, a feeling similar to that of some disaffected Republican voters in 2010. Dean said the highest compliment to his so-called "50-State Strategy" was that the Republicans used it effectively against the Democrats in 2010.

He used to say that Democrats needed to go to people's doors in red states and tell them what Democrats really were about. He always said we could win that way. And we did, in 2006 and 2008.

On edit: Take time to listen to the audio. It's a great interview.

http://www.vpr.net/flash/audio_player/audio_player.php?id=32269

[madfloridian]

1. Excellent audio interview at the link.

http://www.vpr.net/flash/audio_player/audio_player.php?id=32269

[Overseas]

22. Very beautiful and satisfying. Thank you.

I'm going to listen again.

[madfloridian]

26. Lots of common sense.

:hi:

Lots of good stuff crammed into 34 minutes.

[Uncle Joe]

2. I agree, but they also re-branded putting the same bitter wine in expensive bottles.

That's what the "Tea Party" was all about.

Thanks for the thread, madfloridian.

[madfloridian]

35. That's true, the rebranding. But they did not ignore their base.

:hi:

[leftstreet]

3. ouch

K&R

Good article

[SoCalDem]

4. Challenge EVERYWHERE

and challenge HARD and relentlessly

Actually republicans have been doing this for a very long time now.

They have a "farm-team" system, in which no office is too small.

they encourage people to jump into school board races, town council races etc.

Once in, these people overwhelm and set their own agendas in place (school books ring a bell?)

It's good on-the-ground training for them when after a few years, they move on to bigger & better..

[madfloridian]

5. You are right. But they said in 2008 they would adopt Dean's plan...

because it worked so well for us then. Yes, Dean wanted to run people for even the most local offices...and he said that was what the Republicans had been doing all along. We did it, we won. Then we went back to doing things the old way.

[XemaSab]

16. I remember the Dean list

where there were people running for obscure offices such as county ag comissioner.

I miss those days. :(

[madfloridian]

20. And even road commissioners...

and county librarians. I remember how we felt like we were making a difference with every small donation.

We even communicated for months with a city commissioner from another state who won her seat because of DFA.

I don't think we make a difference now.

[Gold Metal Flake]

6. Angle was on a schoolboard.

The local races are the front lines and we are not represented.

Bring Back Howard Dean.

[OHdem10]

7. Steele did the 50 state strategy this time for the GOP. He said he

put up "victory centers throughout every state.

[Octafish]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

...excepting when it comes to Democrats acting like pukes.

[madfloridian]

13. How true.

[EFerrari]

8. Yes, we did. And since we know what works, why aren't we doing it?

That is, madfloridian, a rhetorical question. :grr:

[madfloridian]

29. Good question.

Obvious answer. It is so important to keep the left, liberals from having a voice they will do whatever they have to do.

[travelingtypist]

9. Too bad the Rahm and Schumer crowd took the credit for all of Dr. Dean's great work.

Hope Dr. Dean is laughing his ass off at how flat on their faces the DLCers fell without him.

[madfloridian]

25. They took the credit and kicked him out of party leadership.

[travelingtypist]

27. More like his term as DNC chair expired and...

...they didn't offer him anything in the Obama administration commensurate to his enormous contribution to the Dem majorities.

But yeah.

[madfloridian]

28. Well, actually...

when the president introduces the new chairman at the DNC without telling the present chair, and waiting until he is in Samoa....that sends a pretty clear message that you are not wanted.

[travelingtypist]

30. Not offering Dean a role as HHS secretary is a little more substantial

I think than this sort of a snub.

But whatever. You're making my point and arguing with me. That's kind of weird.

[madfloridian]

32. Not really. They did make sure he was out of leadership.

Period, bottom line. They sent out Carville to say he was a failure, Rahm screamed at him and used the f word, Begala said he was sending people to red states to stand around and pick their noses.

After Obama won, Dean was totally shoved aside.

[Nite Owl]

10. The sad part is this crew we

got running things now would never admit it. If lessons could be learned from the past two years there is chance of a comeback but it sure doesn't seem that way this past week. They learned nothing from this and we will be the ones who suffer their consequences.

[madfloridian]

36. Yes. By following the lessons learned this time, we could win next time.

But doesn't look like they will pay attention.

[upi402]

11. Sad, WE have to go door to door cuz the media is so full of crap

If the 4th estate was more than a fascist/corporatist propaganda organ we wouldn't need to push back -and neglect our families.

[madfloridian]

34. I agree it is mostly propaganda.

And the very few left voices we have are constantly being warned to be good.

[fascisthunter]

12. And people Like Rahm did the opposite

whose team was Rahm on again????

[Celtic Raven]

14. His own

:nuke:

[Celtic Raven]

15. Anyone who hasn't read Herding Donkeys

really should take the time to do so. It is an easy read, lays out what Dean was all about with his campaign and then the 50 state stategy, and brings everything up to the present.

Brought home for me WHY I like Dean so much.

[madfloridian]

33. I am reading it now.

:hi:

[Pryderi]

17. knr! WE NEED HIM RUNNING THE DNC!!!

[merkins]

19. More like running the country..

K&R

[MissDeeds]

31. Absolutely

Could not agree more!

[XemaSab]

18. Howard's looking mighty fine there

:loveya:

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. Exactly what many of us have been saying despite personal attacks. Thanks! n/t

[Overseas]

23. A great value of his 50-state strategy was myth-busting across the nation.

Talking with Democrats all across the country about our shared values.

But also asking voters to reconsider the cozy political platitudes-- "Republicans are fiscally conservative." Oh yeah? They've run up giant deficits every time they've been in power. They cut taxes in a time of war-- that's irresponsible. "Republicans are strong on defense." Nope. Sorry. They ushered in lots of war profiteering that cost us billions more, and created hundreds of thousands more enemies for our country with their war on Iraq.

Fiscally responsible? Not the GOP.
Strong on Defense? Not the GOP.

The intricate, well-funded propaganda structure to support those lies needs a counterpart. Myth busting. Show me the data. Show me the jobs created during the first five years of the Top Two tax cut.

And yes please thank you for the recognition of the stupidity of dissing 78% of the base. We were doing our bit in the "make him do it" line-- pushing for the most popular, effective democratic policies, to provide a counterbalance to the greedy GOP plans. And we got kicked. Quite strange. Disturbing to many more people than the 3-6 State Democrats thought it would be.

[madfloridian]

24. Good thought. "myth busting"

He often said that in the South some areas never talked to Democrats, did not know what we stood for. He even went door to door in NC and other areas himself.

[Celtic Raven]

42. 78% of the base

Think about that for a minute.

78% of the base is progressive, but we hear from some people that we're "the fringe left". Well, if that's the case we're a big damned fringe attached to a skinny strip of DLC.

[madfloridian]

43. The "fringe" is what they called us in 2003

those of us who supported Dean who is not really a liberal at all.

[defendandprotect]

37. And Kaine worked for us .... not at all -- not at all -- !!!

[Matariki]

38. but, but - keychains!? new website!? logo redesign!?

[madfloridian]

40. That new design logo is a joke.

It says nothing.

[mistertrickster]

39. Thanks for this. I looked for it on the DFA website and couldn't find it. nt

[madfloridian]

41. There never is much about him at the DFA website.

Maybe the occasional letter he sends out for someone's campaign. I don't post at the blog anymore. There is nasty criticism of people like me who dare question Obama's policy. Ironic, huh? Got pretty nasty, and I just don't post there anymore.

[Pryderi]

44. k&r again!

[upi402]

45. I just think that if we're true to ourselves

and stand up for our beliefs -and against the all the horseshit being spread- that we'll be better off. We should say it plain, loud, and often.

Middle of the road = dead armadillos and yellow stripes... still true.
Go south and tell the truth, loud and often. I think it would work. Obama dropped Dean for the corporatists who have successfully sunk the Democratic majority we gave them. Now it's time to hope for change in 2012.
my .02