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i couldnt find anything on the poll that reflected where i stand on the matter, so.
what dean was good at is develping new types of organization, particularly in using the web as an organizing tool. if the kind of tactics his campaign was developing can be expanded and refined, you might see something emerging that would rival the present leader in old-school machine-style political organization--which is (to my horror) the christian coalition. he was also able to mobilize lots of folk in their 20s who otherwise would have remained wholly outside the political system. so i think he is a good appointment for this position. i dont see him running for president on the basis of this gig, so questions on that order seem irrelevant. i am also unclear how is personal politics will impact on the democratic party: but in my view, anything that weakens the dlc is fine by me.
thinking about what something like this might mean in the longer run for american politics from present conditions seems tautological---the oppressive, conservative narrowness of the field of options is, to my mind, partly a result of the dlc style, which has driven the republicans well to the right. the field seems wide open for a more progressive position to develop--i would think that if it doesnt develop within the democratic party, it will develop outside of it. and i expect/hope---here my general optimism, which is usually concealed well, rears its head--that another term of bushworld should implode much conservative ideological appeal. in which case, the next election could well come down to organizational power--and if dean can integrate some of the things he intiated in the early phases of his campaign, then maybe the democrats can do something to help push the right back under its rock.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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