Joe Trippi endorses Simon for Chair

Joe Trippi plays Hardball with Chris Matthews and endorses Simon Rosenberg.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Let me ask you, we have a fight going on for DNC chairman, are you for Dean, Joe Trippi?

TRIPPI: I'm coming out for Simon Rosenberg, the head of the New Democratic Network. I think he's somebody I think that's going to make a big difference, pull the party together and actually is very savvy about the internet grassroots and I think has proven himself...

MATTHEWS: So you're putting your old horse out to pasture here tonight? You mean you're so down on Howard Dean that here you are on national television dropping him?

TRIPPI: No, it's not about Howard, it's not about opposing him. I think Howard Dean should run for-- if he asked me for advice, he doesn't do that these days— but I'd tell him to run for the U.S. Senate, to run for President in 2008 if he wanted to, I think he's got a lot of assets. But I think this is, right now, about building this party.

MATTHEWS: Why wouldn't Howard Dean make a good Democratic National Committee chairman?

TRIPPI: I think this is really about pulling all the party elements into one house and moving forward, and really rebuilding this party from the ground up but knowing how to do that. I think Simon-- I've worked with all these guys, all of them, and I think Simon Rosenberg is the best person.

I have said all along that Gov. Dean should run for the United States Senate in 2006.