The "New Favorite" in DC (email from The Hill):
A much better switch than I expected.Simon Rosenberg, who currently heads the New Democrat Network, is becoming the favorite to become the next chairman of the DNC. But the former Clintonite also has a strong following among "outside" Democrats--activists who came to the party via former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and other Internet voters who read the blogs. Rosenberg's straight talk about what the party needs to do has been remarkably consistent and his 527's effort to win Hispanic voters was more successful than expected. Also in his favor: He's a tireless fundraiser.
The Hill, last Thursday they had an article that was moslty about Dean, cons and pros. Rep. Robert Matsui (D-CA), the DCCC's chair, resposible for losing ~4 Democratic seats this cycle in the House, said "We need someone who is part of the Democratic establishment.... I frankly think we should look to someone like Tom Vilsack."
Matsui was joined by Stuart Roy, a spokesman for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), in opposition to Dean: "The only thing better than having Howard Dean as DNC chair is Nancy Pelosi as minority leader. They have their bases covered from San Francisco to Burlington. YEAAAHHH."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii) came out strongly for Dean, who is more openly campaigning for the position now:
Zoe is right. It's hard to believe that members of the DNC (who mostly live outside of DC) are going to put the DNC into a deep freeze for the next couple of years by electing someone like Vilsack. But maybe Kerry's & the establishment are gaining on the realization that Vilsack would be a disaster as DNC Chair.Dean's supporters, however, said that his grassroots fundraising prowess was unrivaled. "Governor Vilsack is an admirable person, but he is currently running the state of Iowa," Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) said. "Dean is ready right now. I have told Governor Dean that I think he would be terrific. He has the experience of running a state. He has the capacity to keep involved the young people. He has shown that he is a prolific fundraiser. He has the time to do it," she added.
We can't just hope they make the right choice of reform over establishment, we must lobby for the change. So we are moving forward with a grassroots campaign for Howard Dean as the DNC Chair. The DraftHoward.com site is going to be the center of the netroots/grassroots effort, so sign up there to get involved.
