Howard Dean is now using the DNC as his own personal political machine: he must be removed as chair

Howard Dean is now using the DNC as his own personal political machine.

Yesterday, I noted the conflict of interest inherent in the DNC using its own website to host a movement promoting Dr. Dean's reelection as party chair. Today, courtesy of the Clinton Democrats website, I have learned that the DNC now refuses access to previously welcome bloggers who are now critical of Dr. Dean's preferred candidate for the Democratic nomination this year. Yes, the DNC heads a private organization, and yes, it is within its technical rights to refuse or permit access to its website as it decides.

But a major political party is not an ordinary private organization. It occupies a quasi-public space in our political culture, more like a publicly traded company than a small private business. True, in many publicly traded companies, management tries to quash any shareholder voices that are critical of management. But when the dissatisfied shareholders become numerous enough and their voices loud enough, generally the CEO, and sometimes most of the board of directors, ends up gone.

The DNC should be run according to ethical standards appropriate for a major civic institution. Dr. Dean chooses to run it as Boss Tweed ran Tammany Hall.

Howard Dean must be voted out from the chair and replaced by somebody who understands that you cannot fix a major rift in the Party by pretending it does not exist. The party officials who will be voting on the next DNC chair are being lobbied now. They must be put on notice that rank and file Democrats will not stand for four more years of Dr. Dean as DNC chair. To help with that effort please consider a supporting an advertising campaign to directly target those bigwigs with that message, a campaign sponsored by Democrats for Principle Before Party.

Comments

[RedDragon62]

This is SHAMEFUL!
We really need to do something about this Heidi! we have to get this out to all the sources we have at our disposal.

[democraticjack]

Dr. Dean's efforts to privatize the primary process succeeded. He now seeks to further enpower himself by stifling free speech and dissent. It's scary and it's happening now. I support and I applaud the DG/DFPBP.

[MS BLUEGRASS]

HOW CAN BOW...OUT! THE SCREAMER IS A DREAMER IF HE THINKS WE WILL TAKE FOUR MORE YEARS OF HIS CORRUPTION. SHOVE THE GOV--OUT! THE DEAN SHOULD NOT BE SEEN....AT THE DNC!
Excuse me, I got carried away! Let's see, two things the chairman should do in his term of office:
1. Raise money for the party. He has not done that, they are broke.
2. Elect the next President. I am certainly working against that one in MI due to the disrespect of all of MI in this election season.
If we all work with the GOP perhaps we can get these undemocratic sorts like Dean and Obama outta here! I have been a loyal DEM for 40 years, but not any more.

[Dem4Hillary]

New article says that Obama will get to choose the DNC chair if he wins. So, he MUST NOT win so that DEMOCRATS can choose the DNC chair.

The article suggests that Bill Richardson is at the top of the list to chair the DNC.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cq/20080918/pl_cq_politics/politics2953746

Richardson's Obama Alliance Could Lead to DNC Chairmanship

When Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson campaign together Thursday at a rally in Espanola, N.M., another topic could be a subtext: Richardson's future role if Obama is elected.

Richardson has long been viewed as a potential Cabinet member if there is an Obama administration. But one other intriguing possibility is the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee. The current chairman, Howard Dean, is unlikely to want to shepherd the party through another cycle after four years at the helm, and Democrats are beginning to speculate about his successor.

"I'm hearing a lot of talk about Bill Richardson chairing the DNC," said one of Obama's supporters, Rep. Artur Davis, D-Ala., during a conversation off the House floor Wednesday.

DNC officials are revealing no insights. "We expect Sen. Obama to be in the White House, and it'll be his decision as to who'll be nominated" to succeed Dean, said Stacie Paxton, national press secretary for the DNC.

If Obama is elected, he will designate his choice for the chairmanship, and DNC members would be expected to ratify his decision at a meeting immediately after Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

If the Democrats do not win the White House, a special party meeting would be called for an election to be held between Jan. 1 and March 1, said DNC officials. Dean and his predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, were both elected in meetings during the month of February.

Richardson, for his part, is downplaying the possibility. Spokeswoman Caitlin Kelleher said that he has "zero interest" in the position "at this time."

"He has two years remaining as governor of New Mexico and is not looking for a job," she said.