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DNC Chief Attempts to Take Back Seat to Obama

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June 11, 2008 11:06 AM

ABC News' David Chalian Reports: Now that his party has a nominee, don't look to the chairman of the Democratic National Committee to call the shots on how Democrats proceed through the rest of this election cycle. Gov. Howard Dean spoke with reporters at a breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor this morning in Washington, DC and repeatedly answered questions with caveats such as "that won't be my call" or "the nominee comes in and runs the DNC."

While playing that deferential role to the Obama campaign, Dr. Dean parroted Sen. Obama's remarks delivered to reporters yesterday when asked about the controversy swirling around Sen. Obama's decision to ask former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson to head up his vice presidential search committee.

"Jim Johnson doesn't work for the campaign. He doesn't get paid," Dean said. "He is a volunteer," he added.

The Obama campaign's effort to draw a distinction between "work" and "volunteer" has clearly not yet quelled critics who question Sen. Obama's judgment in tapping Johnson to take the lead on what will likely be the single highest profile executive decision Sen. Obama makes throughout the course of the campaign. Jim Johnson has come under fire for acquiring favorable mortgage rates as a friend of the CEO of Countrywide Financial Corporation, the mortgage lender at the center of the subprime mortgage storm.

Chairman Dean also offered up a preview of what we may expect to hear from Democrats should Sen. Obama choose to opt out of the public campaign finance system as many party insiders expect him to do. "It is wrong and unfair to criticize Sen. Obama should he do this...Sen. Obama has not taken one dime from lobbyists' money -- not one dime. When the Republican National Committee does what we did two days ago and decide they're not going to take a dime of lobbyist money then we can be lectured by Republicans about campaign finance reform. Otherwise I think it is great to have people who are giving small donations -- 3 million Americans who supported the presidential candidates is exactly what we need in this country," said Dean.

When pressed by a reporter on Sen. Obama's pledge to remain in the public finance system should the Republican nominee agree to do the same, Dr. Dean reversed course and said he wouldn't comment until Sen. Obama had made his intentions clear.

REPORTER:     "Why shouldn't he honor that pledge?"

DEAN:        "I don't know what he's going to do.  I'm not going to comment on this until I do."

REPORTER:    "Do you not think he should honor the pledge?"

DEAN:        "I don't know what he's going to do and I'm not going to comment on it."

REPORTER:    "Would it be wrong for him to break the pledge?"

DEAN:        "I can say it a third time.  I'll be happy to do it."

June 11, 2008 in Kucinich, Dennis, Tancredo, Tom | Permalink | User Comments (56)

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neil1785 : Yep the great one is coming to fix every wrong in Washington, we are now going to be a country of hand outs, government is going to subsides everything.

Food stamps, food ration cards, milk money, gas money, free school including free college, what more can we ask for we are going to have 4 years of plenty from the new messiah.

I am surprised the media is now quiet when for months they were all going strong telling us this was it, this is what we had to select, the media should be doing cartwheels now, it is kind of puzzling that they also seem to be having a little voter remorse.

Posted by: SJ | Jun 11, 2008 1:56:01 PM

Obama is a joke. Now everyone knows it.
The only thing that fueled him was his campaigns hatred for Hillary. Now that she is gone they won the battle but don't know how to win the war.

Posted by: Samantha | Jun 11, 2008 1:56:09 PM

That is what he said in his economic speech and I have yet to see anyone in the media rip his nonsense apart, am sure the media has capable people of tearing Obama statements to shreds but they are not doing it, so I would say silence is consent to his nonsense.

Posted by: SJ | Jun 11, 2008 2:02:48 PM

He who does not remember history will be punished by history.

The phony hypocrite Bho is as big a gamble as GWBush. He is a blank, having no record of accomplishment, except a full list of deception and empty slogans. He framed the dems candidates as racist to take advantange of his Affirmative Action candidacy. He or through his associates accuses Joe Biden as racist because he praised the hypocrite Bho. He framed the Clinton campaign as racist. He equates the Clinton administration to that of GWBush. He will say, and do, anything to deceive people to get elected.

We cannot vote this gamle in Nov. There have already been 8 years of disaster of such a gamble. This phony hypocrite wants to deceive the voters into another 4 years.

Posted by: fat cat | Jun 11, 2008 2:51:59 PM

The first fool's decision is to entrust a loser, who chose the VP for the last loser nominee Mr. Kerry. He will major boneheaded mistakes to the country if he ever gets elected. What a pity for this phony to have deceived the dems.

Posted by: fat cat | Jun 11, 2008 2:56:06 PM

Let's us be rid of the "Obamination"

Posted by: Samantha | Jun 11, 2008 2:56:38 PM

roxanne -

Oh, yes. The phony BHO is afraid of debates and town hall meetings because he has no substance to back himself up, if he lost his paper in this hand. He will "ehn" and "uhr" ten times before completing a sentence, which still need to be corrected by his speech writers "what he really meant was ...".

When you have no substance, you change your mind and what you say every other day, just to fit the need of the time.

You only need to remember how he was crushed by HRC in the single only substantive debate.

Posted by: skinny dog | Jun 11, 2008 3:03:22 PM

Oh please; that DEAN WHIMP took a back seat to Obama as soon as he announced he was in the "race."

Posted by: irma | Jun 11, 2008 3:13:39 PM

I remember how the media loved Dean until the "YEEHAW!" I knew he was a loser long before he proved me right.

Posted by: irma | Jun 11, 2008 3:15:38 PM

Obama said he would meet with enemy countries without PRECONDITIONS. McCain's big push now is to say Obama would meet with enemy countries UNCONDITIONALLY. No preconditions is very different from unconditionally. I thought McCain is supposed to be the honorable one. The honest one. Guess not.

Posted by: X marks the spot | Jun 11, 2008 3:30:23 PM

Howard Dean's early campaign was media savvy and had grassroots support, internet contributions, and Obama's campaign, and now everybody else's is a little indebted to that model. Joe Trippi set it up and it was Dean's way to seek change from the ground up. Obama respects and knows this about Dean's campaign and if bloggers don't, well maybe they are too young. Dean's ruinous moment after Iowa was also instructive to future candidates. What he intended as a way to encourage and cheer his supporters looked for all the world like a lunatic denial of the loss. What people needed just then was reality. Of course Dean was exhausted and surprised at the loss but he hurt himself badly by just not acknowledging it. Another mistake in that campaign I think was how all the intense young Dean supporters descended on Iowa to observe the caucus. People don't really like outsiders coming in and telling them how to vote. So it was a little bit of unbridled enthusiasm but almost all of Iowa prefered Kerry.

Posted by: Gaias Child | Jun 11, 2008 3:32:49 PM

The reason Dean and others were working to get Hillary to quit before so many state primaries had been held was because they knew they were going to need a lot more time to vet Obama. They can keep on vetting right up to the general election, and they will still not be finished. This latest judgement call is a sign of more things to come. Obama is so inexperienced and he is operating by the seat of his pants. I guess he is counting on CNN and MSNBC to cover his back.

The idol of so many is green and lacking in knowledge on so many issues. We saw that it the debates, and it is still so evident. Bring on some more Patrick and Cuomo speeches. Maybe, we can be convinced.

Posted by: georgia | Jun 11, 2008 5:27:54 PM

yes obama!!!!!

You guys for the most part are just not ready for an African American president. Get ready, like it or not, before the world is over, there will be an African American president. It seems it all about race. America is paying for alot of things stemming from the past.

Posted by: rtate95 | Jun 11, 2008 6:00:02 PM

Obama is an empty suit...but that suit is stuffed with guys who wanted to be President and never made it...like kerry and Kennedy and Dean...and these guys have been part of the nasty Obama machine from the beginning....McCain is a reasonable alrernative to the "slime as you go" corruption plan that we are pretending is a democratic party.

Posted by: Jackie | Jun 11, 2008 9:01:01 PM

star neither the Republicans nor Democrats have been doing there job.
If we want to step up and if this Country is ever going to have real change it won't be with a rank and file, corporate candidate like either Obama or McCain. So it shouldn't make any difference if people vote McCain because Obama won't be doing anything too different.

Posted by: alpaig | Jun 11, 2008 9:12:22 PM

Democrats are week. We need a new DNC Chief and a new nomination process.

Posted by: Mike | Jun 11, 2008 9:14:44 PM

rtate Given the state of the economy and Iraq I cannot imagine voting on the basis of symbolism or redemption. Clearly, there are some (but few) who would never vote for an African American or a woman but for most people their personal decision as to whom to vote for ( unless they just vote party and don't need to think about it) is a bit more complex. If you can't appreciate that then it probably says more about you then it does them.

Posted by: alpaig | Jun 11, 2008 9:16:29 PM

Xmarksthespot What's the difference between no preconditions and unconditionally to you?

Posted by: alpaig | Jun 11, 2008 9:18:04 PM

angie When you say McCain and Clinton agreed on the war in Iran are you talking Kyle Lieberman? The vote where the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was designated a terrorist organization? Of which Obama agrees, at least he did at AIPAc? How did Obama vote on Kyle Lieberman? He didn't. He couldn't get his sanctiomonious behind to the Senate to cast a vote. At least the other two showed up, stood up, cast a vote and were willing to take the political flak for it. In fact Webb attached a bill to Iraq funding (which Clinton co-sponsored) a week later which would have required Bush to get authorization from Congress to attack Iran. It was quietly squashed, and by whom? Nancy Pelosi and company. Thank them for giving Bush the green light if Bush does an aerial attack on Iran before he leaves office. The Dems, just like Obama did last week, succumbed to pressure from AIPAC. It amazes me though that Obama can intentionally miss and important vote such as Kyle Lieberman and then turn around and attack those who at least cast a vote.
But we'll all get to hear about how his judgement was best, sorry, he should have shown up and cast his vote showing us really what his judgement was. He should have had the character and leadership ability to stand by his convictions instead of pulling a "this is what I would have done had I been there". Just like when he mixed up the voting buttons about 5-6 times and was able to say "I voted this but I meant to vote that" or when he hid behind
his "present" votes to avoid political flak.

Posted by: alpaig | Jun 11, 2008 9:27:30 PM

Hussein Obama is an empty suit. Not electable.

Posted by: Jack | Jun 12, 2008 1:39:08 AM

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