Our first election with Dean as DNC Chair....

Not bad. :)

when we won the majority for Pres (even though we had that stolen) and the Senate

This was a nice positive boost but until it's the day after in 2006 I'm not ready to let-up on the fight one bit!

that we can re-take BOTH the House and the Senate one year from now. I was somewhat optomistic, but today I'm much more confident.

And I think it's largely due to DNC Chair Howard Dean.

I'm thinking there will be a MAJOR shift in legislative power come January 2007. Damn I wish I could run for U.S. Rep. (Not enough experience and three small children at home -- bad timing)

As we've seen e-voting machines are just part
of the problems of fair elections and the recent GAO report
which the media just can't seem to report on
points out others.

You'll either win, or get practice and name recognition. Hook up with Democracy For America.

There are going to be 33 Senate seats up for grabs in 2006. 17 are currently held by Dems, 15 by Republicans, and 1 by the Independent. We are currently at 44-55-1 respectively. To take the Senate we need to hold all of our contested seats, and win 6 from the Pukes. There are some open seats: 3 Dem, 1 Puke, 1 Independent. In theoretical terms (seats being elected, number of open seats), the Pukes have the advantage. In public attitude/polling terms, we should have a shot, based on yesterday's results and all the polls.

In the House, we are ripe for big change. Current balance is 232 Pukes, 202 Dems, 1 Independent, 1 vacant. There are 12 Republican and 4 Dem seats open. To win we need to take 16 seats. We have the advantage in terms of open seats, and lots of advantage in public opnion (55% want Dems to take over the Congress, vs 37% want the Pukes to stay).

It won't be easy, but after yesterday, we have a shot.

IMHO, the House is the more important house of Congress. That's where impeachment starts, but maybe more important, that's where the best anti-Bush voices are coming from. Largely thanks to the CBC.

I want John Conyers in charge of some huge investigations and with subpena power. Then, we'll get something done!

I can't believe how many high profile Democrats gave enormous amounts of time in NJ. In the past, during elections you could see the candidate - but it was hard to see anyone else.

This year, there were at least 4 open events throughout the state by each: Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Baruck Obama, Howard Dean, etc. All of these people did a great job in backing Corzine. (I got canned phone calls from Bill and Hillary, Bill Bradley and Corzine himself. Kerry sent a nice GOTV email. - all co-ordinated via the Corzine committee.)

At least on of our assembley candidates - who lost, but did far better than normal in a county Forrester won by 12% - were DFA candidates. Several people in the county office were active for Dean last year and I was not alone in volunteering in response to Kerry's exhortations to get involved.

The lists we used for phoning seemed far improved from last year. So, it seems they did a lot of tedious work to clean up things - all really important going forward.

It's also clearly a function of the nationwide shift of opinion on Republicans - but watching this at a local level, the comment I most heard was "Morris County really has a Democratic party this year" - said with the type of wonder that you might here if a UFO landed.

to our guns, stand up, and fight for what is right and what we believe in. I don't for one second believe that we would have had the day we had yesterday if Howard wasn't where is belongs, head of the DNC.

Disclaimer: Didn't want him for pres, wanted Clark. But in his way, Howard Dean will be one of the greatest democrats of this or any time. He will be, he is, the man that is pulling us up off our knees and showing us that we have nothing to be afraid of, nothing to be ashamed of, and that bullies, liars and cowards always run like the chickenshit cretins they are when someone stands up to them.\

...Dem incumbents running ads of themselves standing alongside Chimpy, never taking a stand opposing Bush on anything.

Certainly, Doctor Dean doesn't deserve all the credit, but our Dem candidates seem to have gotten spine transplants from someone.

"Together, we're taking our country back!" :patriot:

As one thread said..In Virginia, Mark Warner had a lot to do with Tim Kaine's win.

And let's not forget how much that vile monkeyman helped out.

But, I was reading threads on here yesterday before the results that were saying how much better their GOTV was and I'm sooo Happy that we Got our own GOTV! :kick: :bounce:

here in California. Even with an abortion measure on the ballot the dems managed to get enough people to the polls to DEFEAT EVERYTHING. :)

about those "phone banks" I read that Rob Reiner and his posse were setting up!!

called me yesterday or the day before. :(

was was chair?

Well said. :applause:

department, either.

Yea! for both Howard and Wes. :applause:

:)

after our crushing defeat in 2004 when I felt like a loved one had passed on.

I almost don't know how to act..almost! :bounce:

Come on...the best thing Dean did (particularly for Kaine), was stay the hell off of the Sunday talk shows and away from the campaigns.

Maybe his strategies are behind the wins (though I don't buy that), but Dean is a lightening rod - plain and simple.

In Red VA - there's no way voters thought "hmmmm...Kaine's in the same party as Dean - he's got my vote." And in NJ -- Corzine won big with inner-city voters - never a big Dean constituency.

I do hope that everyone can learn from this and use it to Democrats' advantage in 2006 -- because history has not exactly shown that odd year wins translate into mid-term or presidential wins (see 2001).

that negative shite very well.

You have a point.

Dubya did eleventh hour campaigning for Kilgore in Virginia. His approval ratings aren't so hot right now. It was supposed to be a close race, Kaine won decisvely.

So, at least Dean had the sense to stay out of Kaine's way in Virginia. Good thing for us Dubya doesn't have the same sense.

I'll let other people defend Dean's work as Party Chair, for me, the real test is 2006

New Jersey throwing 6 campaign parties in one day!

Yeah, Dean does have good sense unlike stoopid.

Missouri preserved the Status quo.

Meanwhile Bogetto defined herself quite liberally and won.

http://www.janebogetto.com/

Jason Smith (R) talked them into believing he could change the Republican's minds and won.
By doing so, poor Bobby Simpson looked like a me-too guy because they agreed on just about everything.
He couldn't say anything about corporate tax loopholes (that is probably forbidden by party leaders) etc.
Nothing strong about health care like Bogetto.

Missouri was the testing ground for this.

http://www.digmo.com/election/story.php?ID=16974

I'm sure he's doing a fine job as DNC chair but I don't think he lead to the wins. We had outstanding canidates and local conditions. Not to mention an imploding republican party.

Organization

RNC state headquarters in 2004: 50
DNC state headquarters in 2004: 0

DNC state headquarters in 2006: 50

What are these DNC state headquarters doing? They are doing lots of things that help the local candidates in organizing, etc. They are also spreading the Democratic message in states where the national party message was heard only once every four years. Conversely, they are providing local feedback to the national organization.


Strength of Convictions

I really believe demonstrating strength of conviction is the single most important item in swaying voters. Carter seemed weak while Reagan appeared strong. Poppy appeared weak while Clinton appeared strong. Gore/Kerry appeared weak while Idiot appeared strong.

Don't underestimate the appearance of strength. And Dean gives off an appearance of strength of convictions.


Getting Rid of the Losers

Lest we forget, the Democrats in Washington whose lead is usually followed in electing the party chairman were soundly rebuffed this year. Dean was opposed by every leading Democrat in Washington who tossed up one candidate after another only to see the DNC rank-and-file tell them to go take a hike.

You said we won because we had good candidates. What made these candidates good? Did they speak with conviction, or did they win by avoiding any controversial stances? If the latter, then I guess you're right. Because the latter is certainly the sort of candidate the national party would have thrown its weight behind in the primary before Dean became DNC. If the former, well then....

The flow of cash into the DNC has dramatically increased since Dean took over.

We had NO State HQ's anywhere before?

Damn.

eom

were hitting the news in 92.

Clinton also had a fairly balanced news media at the time. Gore and Kerry suffered through a broadcast media that is about 90% controlled by GOP cronies of Bush.

The media set out to destroy Kerry, then Clark and Edwards, and then Dean. Kerry was the first one of those to regain his footing. Then the media set about fixating all their fire on Kerry.

Now, they are all still battling media perceptions used against them.

Sorry, but it is:

RNC state headquarters in 2004: 50
DNC state headquarters in 2004: 0


I don't know whether or not there were fully 50 Democratic Party state organizations in 2004, but there were many more than NONE.

The NATIONAL party had no headquarters in any of the states according to Dean. Some states may have had their own HQ. But if so, they were flying solo. I don't know Dean's exact strategy for putting DNC HQ in each state, but I would think he would search out any permanently staffed state HQ and simply incorporate them into the whole.

but I still think I disagree with how you're saying it, if not the accuracy.

Here's what I would agree with: prior to Dean at DNC, the state parties were pretty much on their own. Once Dean got in, he pledged -- and helped deliver -- DNC funding for some permanent staff positions in addition to whatever the state parties could typically come up with on its own.

The problem comes in that I don't consider the state party organizations separate in any way from whatever the DNC has provided. Dean would never have formed a different organization than what was already there. I mean, it was bad before Dean, the state and national party organizations, but not that bad. :-)

He didn't have to appease a liberal base of abortion and gay rights activists. He ran against abortion and for reducing it, while upholding the law on the matter of choice. He ran against gay marriage, but for upholding things like gay hate crimes legislation. Translating that to a national level is the problem. His convictions on the issues were good enough for Virginia, but they'd be seen as sidestepping taking a stand on a national level. We didn't get rid of the "losers" with Kaine, not based on the definitions most of the "netroots" uses.

His job is to lay out the ground work for volunteers, strategy, fundraising, etc etc. He is doing the grunt work in ALL 50 STATES that has to be done that is not headlines material.

So when the Dems win, be glad Dean is not making speeches next to the candidate because that means he is behind the scenes doing the grunt work that has to be done.

Hate to see (hear) you when something really bad happens.

I don't like Howard Dean, anybody around here will tell you that. But I don't think he's a liar. The email I just got said the DNC put $5 million into Virginia to begin building the kind of infrastructure needed to win elections, off years or not. It wasn't the Dean message, it was the Dean strategy of getting support into every state. He promised to do that, he did it and it had to help. I'll give him that. What we're going to do about turning a hodge-podge of local messages into one national message, I still have no clue.

What Dean has been doing has been building the state parties, helping them by giving them money, helping them raise money, etc. Putting trained organizers in some of the states, the like.

We beat them with one third of a palindrome!

They both deserve credit!

Won governor's mansions in VA and NJ, lost NYC Mayor.

out the country last night! Here in Washingtone State, Dem's took lots of local seats back and this is going on in other parts of the country! Taking the country back... it start with local, state and national. One seat at a time!

Very very much different than before.

Republicans have gained far too much power in local school boards and have been able to enact their idiotic education policies. The Dover school board election was awesome since we kicked those bastards out.

Saying basically the same thing. Dean is doing great. Too bad if you don't like it.

I never said that Dean wasn't doing a good job. But I have yet to be convinced that he is doing a better job than his predecessor.

I guess it depends on what your definitions of "better" and "job" are, to coin a phrase.

He's doing a completely different job than McAuliffe. McA had no interest in building the party, he was a money man. As a result, the party infrastructure suffered, but McA only continued that trend, he didn't start it. Dean is interested in probably undoing some of McA's so-called work by weaning the national party off of corporate teats through building a grassroots party. You may not think that's a good idea. You may prefer McA's approach.

I don't.

I've never seen anything like that before. It was especially astonishing how big the "spending limit" initiative lost. That's the sort of thing that appeals to lots of Californians.

:toast:

and tear down that wall of protection so the American people SAW the emperor wasn't wearing any clothes.

But, I think all our guys did a great job helping on all the races, but they all should have done more in Ohio on the election reform measures.

especially in VA.

I'm suprised more people haven't brought this up.

Normally, Republicans crush the Democrats when it comes to turnout in Virginia. That's how they turn close polls in VA and other southern states into wins and even landslides in some cases. However, this year the opposite happened with Kaine bringing out the vote big time in the urban and suburban areas and offset high rural Republican turnout and then some. Not only did he win, but he won by a slightly larger margin over Kilgore than Warner won over Earley in a race that Kaine had to play catch up in for nearly 90% of it.

Dean's grassroots organizing start it show and we will continue to take back one seat at a time!

They are points of significant power. In the case of state legislatures, we have ignored them for too long. It's time to beat the Republicans there.

"In elections since 1974, the Democrats have relied on the failings of the Republican Party to create electoral victories. Watergate helped Jimmy Carter win in 1976 and it was Bush the Elder's two recessions and flip-flop on taxes that helped Clinton in 1992. When you compare these to Republican victories, you can see how message-driven campaigns from Reagan's "Morning Again in America" to Newt's "Contract with America" beat overwhelming odds to forge decisive victories. Even when the Republican message was vague and confusing, "Compassionate Conservatism", it beats the messageless campaigns of Gore and Kerry.

Without a message, the Democratic Party will always be the party that cleans up after the Republicans mishandle the governing of America. Let's win 2006 and 2008 because we are the best party to run the country and not because the Republicans screwed up again."

http://sfam.blogspot.com/2005/10/why-democratic-victories-in-2006-and.html

wonder how widespread it was??

I'm a lot like Pavlov's dog, really.

It's sad to hear so many in his own camp reluctant to give him credit and get on board. The repugs and zombie MSM have really done a number on us all. If people would get behind him and give him their full support we could really get some things done.

I don't know if the good doctor should get all or most of the credit, but he's 1 for 1 so far.

Dean is amazing - a man for the time!

:bounce: