Looking solely at DNC hard money is one indicator of the positive impact of Howard Dean's chairmanship but it nevertheless understates the improvement.

The Fifty-State Strategy has also grown contributions to state parties nationwide that are not included in the hard money total. Much of that money would not have been raised without the renewed emphasis on building up local and state Democratic organizations by the DNC under Howard Dean.

Republican committees have outraised Democrats by more than $100 million, but the GOP right now has a total cash on hand advantage of about $22M.

  This is partly a result of the Francine Busby challenge, among other "unwinnable" races that the Dems are finally running candidates for. We're making the pugs spend money they didn't expect to.

  Dean has done a bangup job as DNC chair. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the Dems in Congress will re-enact the timidity of 2002 and 2004 and (again) get destroyed in the midterms -- and Dean's going to get (wrongly) blamed. The Dems' regaining Congress depends less on Howard Dean's fundraising than it does on the Dems' willingness to stand up to Bush on no-brainers like Bolton. If Schumer caves on Bolton and on other issues, the GNP of Brazil isn't going to save the Dems in November.

Sea changes that force new paradigms are always rejected by those who want to judge everything by the standards which are being replaced.  Howard Dean is forcing a new paradigm on the Democratic Party.  Essential to the new paradigm is people-powered politics and the rejection of big money special interest politics.  The inside-the-Beltway crowd has trouble seeing the value of this sea change.  That's why they spend so much time talking about money.

   It's not just that they don't see the value of the sea change, it's that they're THREATENED by it.

  Part of me still believes that the DLC crowd took out Dean not because they were afraid he'd lose the general election, but because they were afraid he'd win it. Then the DLC would have faded into permanent irrelevance.

Yes, Dean is a better man than Kerry, he's a better speaker than Kerry, he would have been a better candidate than Kerry....

As President...

No fukin' contest even with a ReThug Congress Dean would have exposed what's really going on in this country.

It's being run by the rich exclusively for their interests.

And that's something the Democratic Party could not tolerate.

So they took Dean out with help from the Corporate Media.

So be it.

Now the blowback begins and it's not gonna stop. Not with the numerous tactical and strategic errors the ReThugs have made. People know the the Republican Party the Party of Corruption, Treason and Death for what it is.

And they are starting to see that the Democratic Party is just the same.

send your nickels and dimes to Bruderly, he CAN beat Stearns.  

no fooolin

People, it is time to take off the rose colored glasses. The DNC has very little money onhand, especially compared to the RNC. This reminds me way too much of the implosion of his campaign after Iowa - it turned out that Dean had burned through all that money he raised. I like Dean, and I want him to be the greatest chair in the history of the DNC, but the DNC is nearly broke. The money that is going to the 50 state strategy is well spent, but where is the rest of it going?   A lot of Democrats are kvetching about Dean, not because he threatens them, but because they are very afraid that the DNC does not have the financial capacity to win in November. The Post said today that the DCCC has hired Michael Wholley to do GOTV - good news for targeted races, but Wholley should be doing GOTV for the entire DNC.  

Lou Dobbs is calling Howard Dean a sellout today:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/01/dobbs.A ugust2/index.html

And how about that firebrand advocate for the Democratic Party's traditions and values, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean? Once considered a presidential candidate with a refreshing vision for America, Dean now spends no time pursuing ideas and proposals that would help working men and women. Instead, he's devoting his time and energy begging for money at the same contribution slop trough as his opponents while hurling insults at Republicans and indulging in petty name-calling.

Until we get rid of the old line/inside the beltway boys in charge nothing will change, and we will continue to lose elections.  

Its a new day.

AND WE ARE THE ANGRY LEFT.

Until we make people see that the "Left" is anything on the other side of Bush's Far Right Neocon/Theocracy/Corporatism, we are doomed.

SCREAM HOWARD SCREAM!