About the only thing the average voter, both red and blue alike, seems to know about Howard Dean is the looped image of his red-faced scream in Iowa during the Democratic primaries. Many pundits, on both sides of the spectrum, believe that image will hurt him as he accepted the Democratic National Committee Chairman position this weekend. What these voters and pundits don't understand is that as abrasive as he seemed as a potential president, his energy and campaign excellence is exactly what the Democratic Party - and U.S. politics in general - needs to rebuild its image.
The common complaint about a majority of the Democratic presidential hopefuls, including John Kerry, was their constant harping on George W. Bush's policies covered up a basic lack of a plan for the country. Dean was actually the first and most vocal opponent of Bush policies like the war in Iraq and gay marriage, but he was also the only one that presented an alternative to the Bush administration agenda - one that focused on domestic policy and terrorist protection at home rather than eliminating a nebulous, perceived threat abroad. Unfortunately this all was lost in the ensuing media circus surrounding a three-second sound bite looped until Dean was rendered irrelevant.
Even though according to his critics his personality and look was not "presidential" enough to win a national election, his ideas and passion were enough to make the other primary contenders seem bland. Dean's willingness to take chances by putting out ideas and formulating actual plans backed up by facts is something not only Democrats need, but it would be a shot in the arm for politics in general.
Political policy ideas aside, the real genius of Dean as DNC chief is the grassroots campaign tactics he brings to the party. While Karl Rove and the Republican campaign machine have made inroads into what has been called "middle America" with effective smear tactics and the surprising success of supposed "moral values," Democratic campaigns have been reeling and haven't recovered since the 2000 presidential election.
The Dean campaign may not have invented the blog, but it revolutionized political campaigns when it utilized its "Dean for America" blog as a base for his national supporters, organizing Dean house parties and collecting donations through the site. The Dean campaign dominated the early fundraising race this way, collecting donations not from traditional routes - smaller numbers of wealthier donors giving lots of money - but by getting thousands of average citizen donors, giving as little as $10. The Dean campaign said almost 60 percent of their fundraising came from donations of $20 or smaller. By focusing so much on these smaller donors, the Dean campaign cultivated a large and fervent following, gaining momentum as a fighter for the average American that almost made up for his image as an abrasive personality.
Pundits often said as a presidential candidate Dean was burdened with image problems ranging from being too secular, too liberal, and even too crazy, as a party chairman these same attributes will make Dean, and the Democratic Party, succeed. The DNC chairman's job is to guide the party's national policy and campaigns, and prior to Dean's ascension, the Democratic Party was rudderless on both parts. Dean's vision and passion will go a long way to righting the Democratic ship and restore the party from its current reactionary doldrums.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
