The former Vermont governor says he wants to run the party again, following his first tenure as chair from 2005 to 2009.
The dems need organization and focus on the young. Need a fifty State strategy and tech rehab. I am in for chairman again.
— Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean) November 10, 2016
This is a bad idea. Dean was unhelpful to say the least during the 2016 cycle, making news for tone-deaf and reckless remarks.
In February, Dean acted exactly like a conservative caricature of an elitist New England liberal by suggesting Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker couldn’t be president because he hadn’t gone to college. Not exactly the best messaging to win over the white working class.
More recently, he disgraced himself in September by saying that Trump’s constant sniffling in the debates could be due to cocaine use. There was no evidence for this, and yet Dean repeated his speculation on cable news a day later.
Fortunately, if the past 24 hours are any indication, there doesn’t seem to be momentum for Dean as chair. “Soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is backing Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison,” Politico reports. Bernie Sanders also endorsed Ellison’s bid, and Elizabeth Warren said he’d be “terrific.” When asked about Dean, Warren said, “I talked to him. Fine.”