The latest from the Daily Kos
The battles for the DNC and RNC
Tue Nov 9th, 2004 at 17:30:05 PST
The RNC will be free of drama. Bush gets to pick, and his campaign manager, the wierdly robotic Ken Mehlman, looks the likely choice.
The AP lists the following names as possible Dem contenders, with my quick impressions. Note that this new DNC chair needs to be an innovative, think outside the box sort of guy. We can't have much of
the same old establishment crap that has failed us miserably the last three election cycles.
Howard Dean
My tentative pick. Would take him out of the '08 running, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I see him as a great DNC head. I don't see him as a viable presidential candidate. (Bring on the flames.)
Simon Rosenberg
An incredible visionary who would be a tremendous leader of the party. While a "centrist", he transcends ideology into that space I like to operate in -- partisanship. If there's a fault, it's that he's really, really nice. We might want more of a pit bull.
Tom Vilsack
The Iowa governor puts me to sleep. And I'm predisposed against him for failing to help deliver Iowa (which might be unfair).
Mark Warner
The Virginia governor has his sites set either on the Senate in 2006, or the White House 2008. A stint as DNC chair would preclude both of those.
Roy Barnes
Former governor of Georgia. You want a good Diebold-fueled conspiracy theory? His electoral loss in 2002 qualifies. Seems like an okay choice, unless he's being considered for geographic purposes. I refuse to play the, "We must appease the South to have any chance of winning" game.
Harold Ickes
Well liked former Clinton aide, he's supposed to wield a mean message. Could be a good choice, though he would be seen as laying the groundwork for a Hillary '08 bid. That perception, true or not, could be a deal breaker.
Inez Tenenbaum
Losing Democratic candidate for Senate in South Carolina. Not sure why she's made this list...
Donna Brazile
Few of us around here appreciate her public appearances, but she's supposedly a killer organizer. Perhaps the DNC chair should be split in two -- a fundraiser/public face and an organizer?
Ron Kirk
The former African-American mayor of Dallas got trounced in his Senate race in 2002. But he was a popular figure in Republican Dallas and has had some crossover appeal. A good public speaker. An intriguing possibility.
Dennis Archer
I know very little about this former Detroit mayor.
Wellington Webb
I know even less about this former Denver mayor.
Antonio Villaraigosa
Villaraigosa is a former speaker of the California Assembly and failed Los Angeles mayoral candidate. He's an old school political machine type of politico. I want someone more innovative.
John Edwards
I don't know why, but I just don't see this one. In any case, he's clearly running again in '08 so that would preclude the DNC gig.
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Ok, my personal pick is Rosenberg. Why? He's a centrist and a friend of someone I know. Dean is energetic but though he is a centrist, he ran a campaign as a leftist. We don't need to go further to the left but stay in the center.
I'd actually like Simon Rosenberg and Howard Dean as co-chairs. As you stated, Dean is a centrist. I disagree that he ran his campaign as a leftist, but that doesn't really matter at this point.
ReplyDeleteAnd as a Georgian, f' Roy Barnes. I think those Diebold rumors are unfounded, but he still doesn't deserve to be Chair. He's rather despicable behind closed doors.
I wouldn't mind John Edwards.. but, there's something that's not quite sticking with me. And if he's planning on running in '08, which I think would be a bad idea, he better do something in the next four years besides sit on his ass.
Edwards may be finished but I think he would make a great AG to Evan Bayh.
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