LA Times: Dean has long-range vision for Democrats
May 06, 09:56 AM CST
Howard Dean, Chairman of the DNC, may come under fire from beltway insiders, but he’s doing great things outside of DC:
“I believe the Democratic National Committee should be an organization that is just what its name suggests, a national party,” says Steve Achelpohl, the Democratic chairman in strongly Republican Nebraska. “We cannot sustain ourselves, particularly in terms of presidential elections, if we only have 15, 18, 20 states in play. Dean stands for the proposition that we should try to play everywhere.”
The plan to do that, dubbed the 50-state strategy, is the fault line that divides Dean’s supporters and critics.
Since winning a four-year term as chairman in February 2005, the former Vermont governor has poured tens of millions of dollars into the state parties. Computer systems have been modernized, and voter files—the information used to solicit money and support—are constantly scrubbed, expanded and forwarded to Washington, building a national database that should greatly help the presidential nominee…
The investment, Dean and his supporters say, has already paid off. In Nebraska, for instance, the Democrats gained three legislative seats in 2006 and several local offices. In Mississippi, where the party hadn’t trained a precinct captain in a decade, the Democrats captured the Senate in 2007 and solidified control of the House. “I can’t say enough good things about the job he’s done,” Mississippi Democratic Chairman Wayne Dowdy said of Dean.
As the article suggests, that modernization has taken place right here in Nebraska, but it’s up to us to ensure that the 50 State Strategy continues past 2008:
(Dean) is confident that the 50-state program will help in November, and acknowledges that his chairmanship will be measured by one thing: “Whether we win the White House or not.” But the real success will come, he says, when states like Nebraska and Mississippi are just as competitive as the perennial presidential battlegrounds of Wisconsin and Missouri. By then, Dean will have long departed Washington, but he professes not to care.
“If you worry about the credit, you’re not doing the job, and that’s especially toxic in Washington because everyone worries about the credit,” he says, with an air of doctor-knows-best. “I think one of the reasons we’ve been as successful as we have is we don’t give a damn about the credit.”
What can you do to help? If you haven’t already, sign up to be a neighborhood leader ; as soon as we get a nominee, we need a dedicated team of volunteers to ensure that we can bring their message to the voters of Nebraska. You can also make a donation to the NDP or DNC to help provide the resources we need to elect Democrats across the state and the country.
Steve Achelpohl
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UPDATE: Steve also was quoted in the New York Times earlier this month in a story regarding the Reverend Wright controversy:
But Steve Achelpohl, the Nebraska Democratic chairman who recently endorsed Mr. Obama, called the controversy over Mr. Wright “a bump in the road” for the candidate. Mr. Achelpohl said he thought – or hoped – that Mr. Obama’s denunciation of Mr. Wright on Tuesday would move the campaign beyond the problem.
“I think it’s been blown way out of proportion, and people will realize that,” he said. “This is a media-driven thing and a presidential candidate shouldn’t have to vet every person that he has had a relationship with in his life.”
In his years as State Party Chairman, Steve has done a great job of putting Nebraska Democrats on the national radar screen. That he is among the first people that the NY Times and LA Times call is a testament to his service and his abilities as a spokesman for midwestern Democrats.
– by Eric Van Horn | Send this to a friend
