Demand Reform

Since the delicious possibility was laid before me, I have supported Howard Dean’s potential appointment as DNC Chair. (Here’s just one reason why.) And although the majority of my endorsement of Dean is based on his suitability for the role and his perceived ability to effect reform, a sliver of it is attributable to a vote against the other contenders. Right now, it appears that Tim Roemer is the new establishment favorite (read: getting the anti-Dean vote).

I can assure you, being a Hoosier myself, that any Indiana Democrat should be considered suspect in terms of his or her liberal bona fides. That is not to suggest that our Dems in D.C. aren’t good representatives, especially considering their constituencies in a very, very red state, but I must admit that when I hear the name Evan Bayh being floated as a potential ’08 candidate, I get shivers up my spine. It’s not a condemnation of Bayh, who is by all accounts an ethical politician and a decent man, but he’s only the answer to your prayers if you believe the solution to the Dems’ problems is moving toward the center.

Tim Roemer is another matter altogether. (Roemer on the issues here.) Kos describes him as “an anti-abortion, anti-Clinton budget, anti-social security, fellow at a right-wing think tank status quo candidate,” and I can assure you it’s not an exaggeration.

On the Left, we often wonder why moderate Republicans don’t take a stand against the Bush Administration’s continual bastardization of traditional Republican tenets. It’s fair game for discussion, but it shouldn’t be examined to the exclusion of holding our own party accountable for contributing to the momentum of the country’s rightward slide into Bush’s radically conservative agenda. Dems racing toward the center only adds to that momentum.

Step #1: Stop worshipping Clinton.
Step #2: Stop ignoring your base.
Step #3: Elect Dean as chair and reform the DNC.

More to come. Watch this space.