Where's Howard Dean?

Liberals are only welcome when it is time to raise money and get votes. Other than that the party is run by gutless moderates, who prefer to play kissy face with right-wing extremists, rather than following up on all the promises they made to get elected.

I actually don't think Dean is really any more "liberal" than Obama. He was against the Iraq war, and proclaimed it loudly -- that was main thing. As a former Deaniac (and a fervent Obama supporter), this freeze-out has been bothering me; I just don't get it at all. Dean did a great job as DNC head, in my view. I know he doesn't get along with Rahm Emanuel (for whatever reason), but I don't understand why Obama appears to be giving him the cold shoulder.

KT -- No surprise here. This is exactly what I expected. Ingratitude from the Democratic party establishment.

Dean wanted a cabinet post in the new administration - or at the very least some genuine appreciation for setting the table for Obama's big win. Take away Dean's 50-state strategy and you have a much tougher road for Obama in the election.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Here you go, Howard. Now, let's move on.

Coffee: I think the "star" treatment is only reserved for those who walk on water. "One Attaboy!" is what the establishment feels Howard deserves.

Outside of maybe the Shinseki nomination (and I think I am stretching to give him that) has BHO skipped a chance to kick the left in the teeth?

The Politico story is sourced to "Dean loyalists" and one "Dean ally"
Why aren't these people being named and what are they trying to accomplish by speaking anonymously to Jonathan Martin? Until we're told the answers to these questions, I'm going to attribute this to journalistic pot-stirring and assign it absolutly zero significance.

And who's talked to Dean before publishing gossip-rag material?

Obama is a creature of the Village -- Dean never was, and it was his 50 State strategy that made him persona non grata for Emmanuel and the rest of the corrupt Democratic establishment.
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Keep in mind that the political media is concentrated in DC, and Dean's strategy was all about returning power, money, and influence to state and local party organizations. And since KT and her "political reporter" ilk need the DC establishment for their sources, influence peddlers like Rahm and Schumer received far more favorable media treatment than did Dean.
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But ultimately, Dean really has no one but himself to blame for this -- he threw his private support behind Obama in a manner that guaranteed Obama the nomination, and did so to advance his own agenda . Dean wanted to piggyback his 50 State Strategy on Obama's grassroots organization, and fell out of favor because he wanted to continue to empower state and local party organizations, while Obama wants to centralize power in his hands and use the Democratic Party for his own personal benefit and self-aggrandizement. Dean found out too late that Obama's organizational efforts were designed to advance only one thing -- Barack Obama's personal power.
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So instead of genuine grass-roots organizing, and listening to what Democrats across the country have to say, we now have the astroturf of Change.gov, in which Obama sets the agenda for the grassroots, ignores their concerns when they conflict with his personal empowerment agenda, and co-opts grassroots concerns when they can be folded into the overall strategy of Obama self-aggrandizement.

PD @ 8 and 9: Agreed. But it is striking that we have seen no "event" at which Obama said a formal thank you to Dean with a photo-op, etc. Dean is a prickly character; and he may have got feathers ruffled in the Village but he did aa great job and I expected him to have been given some recognition by now. I guess the unnamed sources may not want to be exposed to friendly fire.

@KT,
Maybe you could do some follow up. You clearly thoght the story was significant eneough to link to. I have my doubts but I also seem to have knee-jerk reaction to anti-Obama news. I'd be interested in hearing what Dean himself has to say.

"I'm surprised ANYONE went on the record, given the fact that these are Democrats and the Obama folks now operate the party machinery in DC."
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Really this surprises you? The Democrats, for good or bad, have never had the republican, um, German-like discipline.

politics ain't bean bag

Derek: Liberals are only welcome when it is time to raise money and get votes. Other than that the party is run by gutless moderates, who prefer to play kissy face with right-wing extremists, rather than following up on all the promises they made to get elected.
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I've seen zero evidence that Obama isn't following up on the promises he made to get elected, including working to make us one nation by including Repugs in the decision making process. That said, they are repugs (=right-wing extremists) after all, who don't have a record of actions that serve more than their own power and ideology. As John Cole said:
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Maybe the Republicans will pull their heads out of their collective asses and decide that in the wake of the DOW dropping 80,000 points and massive unemployment and five quarters of negative growth there is something more important than capital gains tax cuts, Elian Gonzalez, Terri Schiavo, and the fairness doctrine, and join in the debate and act for once in good faith and with the best interests of the country in mind. A man can hope.
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I think we will learn a great deal this week about how Obama will work with his own caucus, as Dem senators push back against the nonsensical concessions to Repug ideology needed to bring them to the table.
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Harkin and Conrad want to see changes to the infrastructure investments. Kerry wants to alter the employment tax credits. Other Democratic senators expressed other competing concerns to transition team officials.
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And that's fine. David Axelrod told the NYT, "Obviously, it's a big answer to a big problem and there are a lot of component parts to it. These folks are not potted plants. They're elected officials, and they're doing their jobs."

KT, isn't this really "inside the beltway" stuff? Outside of the media, who love to foment these so called moments of tension, and those hardcore Deaniacs and non-Deaniacs, isn't this much ado about nothing?
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This isn't exactly Harry Truman carrying his own bags to Union Station after inauguration day?

@KT,
You've made my point. Dean, if contacted would be magnanimous and supportive and would hence cut the legs out from under the story.

Dee –
Apparently it's more like junior high.

Is this about Howard Dean or BHO's treatment of Dean? I'm not surprised in the least that Dean is on the high road.

"A signal that Obama's folks want to take the party in a different strategic and tactical direction?"
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Yeah all that winning elections stuff is old. Lets get back to the old ways, which I'm guessing is what Tim Kaine has been brought on for.
And then be shocked that you couldn't do business with the republicans.