Welcome to Howard Dean

I've said previously that I believe that Gov. Dean understands what the party needs to do. If he can keep his mind on that, he will be a great help to the party. This has nothing to do with ideology, and I don't think that Dean will seek to be an ideological chairman, though the other side and the media can be counted upon to try to bait him, as in the Washington Post's reaction.

Sen. Kerry and other party leaders have warmly welcomed Dr. Dean, indicating the great unity of the party. Keeping that unity is one of the main functions of the party chair. The other two are fund raising and building infrastructure. Appearing on tv from time to time is also part of the job, but not the decisive part. Dean understands that he can't represent the party well by helping to inflame old disputes. That's why he refused to give CBS an interview this week when they wouldn't agree not to show 'the scream'.

We grassroots Dems have our own jobs to do, and Dean will be successful to the extent that he helps empower us. We need to be about the job of organizing our community. We need to also remind those in charge of their responsibility to provide us the tools and resources we need to do the job effectively.

DEMOPHOENIX