The Return of the 50-State StrategyThis comes near the
end of an article on how Howard Dean isn't doing the job with the high-dollar donors:
One way or another, Dean's moment of truth will come in March 2008, when a Democrat effectively locks up the presidential nomination. If the past is any indication, the nominee will insist on boring in on the 20 or so states most likely to clinch 270 electoral votes. But Dean, according to those who know him, will continue to insist on funding his 50-state strategy. "Any Democrat running for president needs to understand that ... Howard is not going to throw that over the side of the ship," says Steve Grossman, a Dean ally and former DNC chairman. And if they don't? "It's going to be a tough conversation."The 50-state strategy is a recipe for failure. That's not to say that the Democrats shouldn't work on developing the party in all the states, but sooner or later you've gotta concentrate on where you can get the best bang for the buck. There is no sense in a Democratic presidential candidate campaigning in Massachusetts, or in Idaho. They have to focus their efforts on the swing states--Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio for example.
Dean is the gift that keeps on giving. Thanks, netroots!
