Informed Speculation

Want one good reason the Democrats have been unable to put Bush away, despite his mounting problems and increasing unpopularity? Look no further than their chairman:

The Democratic National Committee under Howard Dean is losing the fundraising race against Republicans by nearly 2 to 1, a slow start that is stirring concern among strategists who worry that a cash shortage could hinder the party’s competitiveness in next year’s midterm elections.

Of course, anyone with a lick of sense would have realized that Dean was not a good fit as a progressive ‘outsider’ in the most establishment of posts. It’s the big donors that the DNC is concerned with, not the Kos Kidz:

As critics see it, Dean has disappointed on two fronts. The DNC has not replicated the success of Dean’s presidential campaign two years ago in tapping vast numbers of new and smaller contributors over the Internet. And skeptics say he has not yet established rapport with and won the confidence of high-dollar donors.

Obviously, Dean can’t blame himself, so who’s the scapegoat? Why not John Kerry?

The explanation most offered by Dean allies for the sluggish start is that donors are tired of giving after watching Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) fail to deliver the White House. Kerry’s fundraising success last year raised expectations among Democrats that the days of competing at a financial disadvantage with the GOP were over. For now, they are not.

For once, and perhaps for the only time, I find my sympathies lie with Kerry…Dean is the culprit, not Kerry, and if the Democrats fail to capitalize on Republican woes in 2006, you can be sure he will be shown the door quite quickly.