The Looming Takeover — Obama Campaign takes over the DNC

Personally, I find the idea of Obama and Dean working together on the campaign THRILLING! What a magnificent combo!


http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0508/The_looming_takeover.html

The AP is reporting that negotiations to give the Obama campaign the reins of the DNC are underway:

Barack Obama is quietly planning to take over the Democratic National Committee and assemble a multistate team for the general election, the latest sign that he is putting rival Hillary Rodham Clinton and the nomination fight behind him.

Top Obama organizer Paul Tewes is in discussions to run the party, several Democratic officials said Tuesday.

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said no final decisions have been made on general election plans and that such decisions would be premature with Obama yet to clinch the nomination.


DNC executive director Tom McMahon and DNC political director Dave Boundy traveled to Chicago last week to meet with Tewes and other campaign officials to discuss merging efforts. The party officials have held similar meetings with Clinton campaign officials and last week got an agreement with both campaigns to start raising money that will benefit the eventual nominee.



It’s normally a matter of course during the general election to expand the size of the party apparatus and hand over control to the nominee. “Effectively the DNC becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of the nominee’s, even before the convention,” Democratic consultant Chris Lehane told me last week.

Dean has indicated that he will likely step down as DNC Chairman if Obama is elected -- I think the President gets the authority to name the Chair. That doesn't rule out the possiblity that President Obama (I loved typing that) won't ask Dean to stay on, but Dean may have other projects in mind.

when a Democrat is in the WH. He said he would not likely be on board for that. I doubt he will stay on.

He could stay, but probably won't.

New mountains to climb. If nothing else, he could travel to every city in America and allow all of us to buy him lunch and a beer.

as Obama. Got close to meeting Gore but not quite.

In the "meet and greet" portion of the evening, he was approached by everybody under the sun with their own pet version of how MI and FL should be resolved. He listened to them very politely and responded to their concerns. Personally I would have been tempted to scream, "Oh, for Chrissakes, give it a rest, will you?!"

But that's why Howard has his job and I have mine!

Look how far he's taken our party although we have so far to go.

He is the real thing. None of it is an act.

Proud to have known him since he was "Howard Who?"

a great habit of picking them for my Dem Prez candidates.:)

I vaguely remember posting back and forth to you about Dean a while ago:hi:

I met him in December 2001, and became a Deaniac before there was a name for us :hi:

Dr Dean not only has a medical background as a practicing physicisn, but he's been more successful than practically anyone in implementing health care reform at the state level. He's run large organizations successfully and fully understands the legislative process.

not just the guy sitting in the chair--though that guy would be an Obama/Dean tool, and not a Clinton tool.

but I think the value of the strategies and tactics speak for themselves.

There are currently more than 400 members of the Democratic National Committee. So unless we've added a whole boatload of states recently...

as "vice chairs" or some such.

My point was that the Chairmanship was not
a Presidential appointment.

I well remember lobbying the voting members
in my state, in support of Howard Dean.

http://www.baltimoregroupblog.com/2005/01/28/dnc-chair/

to make other candidates go away. Terry McAuliffe was eventually unopposed when he was elected Chairman. Maynard Jackson presented a minor insurgency, but he was persuaded to give up the campaign.

But I do stand corrected. The President cannot unilaterally appoint a Chairman.

because we didn't HAVE a president at the time...
and Mark Brewer made sure everyone got a shot, even
though his guy didn't make the cut.

I will be grateful to him forever for this...
despite the situation we have in Michigan right now.

Just the idiot repuglican at the helm...

:hi:

I was thinking of this the other day. Unless there's a dramatic reversal in fortunes, Barak Obama is going to be the 44th President of the United States. And assuming that he is at least modestly successful (think Bill Clinton without the scandals) then he's going to be the leader of the Democratic Party for the next eight years. And when he retires? He'll be only 55 years old -- at least five years younger than Hillary Clinton is today. He'll still be in a position to guide the party as the "elder statesman" and chances are that people who worked for him in his Administration will be the next generation of national leaders. Barak Obama is going to reshape the Democratic Party for the next century.

As somebody once said, "Bring it on!"

EDIT: Typo.

And I'm not surprised, not even remotely. Too many of Washington's finest who've been on with Obama have been known not to think of Dean very kindly.

(Oh, I know he'd be tossed if HC won the nomination, but I never thought his position was guaranteed with Obama, either, thanks to Rahm & Nancy, et al.)

a dem presidency is a political one, and he's not into it. However, I'd bet that if Dean wants a position in Obama's administration, he's got it. Obama knows how much he owes Howard for not being partisan toward Hillary.

:woohoo: get onboard...

hilary's alternate universe have any bearing on our reality. Dean has left the DNC is fighting shape for someone like Obama who fully appreciates what his 50 state strategy can do.

No wonder james carville is always frothing at the mouth.

They have all been in this position before, when the reins were given over to Bubba in 1992, before the convention, when it was obvious that Bubba was going to be the nominee.

The Laurel and Hardy of the Democratic Party.

:rofl:

--unlike Clinton, who has her own database which she shares with no one.

Secretary of Health and Human Services.

I hope he gives every one of the Clinton people a one way ticket to Palookaville.

All aboard!

:headbang:

If that pisses the McAuliffe's of the world off... so fucking be it.


She no longer exists, as far as this campaign season goes.