Doug Ireland has done a mixed job covering the DNC chair race (his previous article inexplicably spoke of the NDN as a DLC front group, which I'm sure comes as surprising news for both Simon Rosenberg and Al From), but his latest post, "Dean Wraps It Up", strikes me as about right, unfortunately.
Dean enthusiasts are going to be in for a very rude awakening when they discover the DNC's irrelevance in setting the party's message and policy agenda. For the moment, the people to keep an eye on are Pelosi and Reid, both of whom progressives have good reason to be ambivalent towards.
Meanwhile, we need to keep an eye out for good presidential material. As the Dean campaign showed, early grassroots support from progressives can define the primary race. Kerry, Clinton, Bayh, and Biden are all totally unacceptable as political incompetents with blood on their hands when it comes to Iraq. Russ Feingold, who I'm increasingly drawn to, is making noises and being talked about.
Posted by Michael at February 1, 2005 09:30 AM | TrackBack