With blogger darling Howard Dean flailing in his presidential bid, Democratic party chair Terry McAuliffe, who's had his not-so-harmonious moments with Dean in the past, sends a peace offering to a Dean constituency he obviously considers worth luring into the party's Big Tent: The "Blog Community." In an open letter published on the political blog Daily Kos, McAuliffe appeals to Democratic bloggers everywhere, many of whom were attracted to Dean for not being a Washington regular, to join the Establishment in the fall showdown against Bush-Cheney '04.
McAuliffe writes: "Your grassroots activism will be the key to our victory in 2004. And the leadership of Kos and others like yourselves in the blogosphere has truly transformed our Party. I thank you all for helping make our Party better, stronger and more responsive to grassroots America." Being anointed a leader and all by the party chair, Kos follows up with a note asking bloggers to play nice with McAuliffe: "There is obviously a great deal of hostility toward the national party around these parts, much of it justified. But the party is genuinely working to retool itself, and while not perfect (who is?), they are making stead (sic) progress."
Kos visitors had mixed reactions to the McAuliffe memo. "Where was this message when Dean was doing well?" asked a dubious Walter B. Another posting by someone named "Windowdog" and titled "Time to close ranks," was more open to the DNC chair: "I'd prefer someone other than Kerry, but ABB, dear god please ABB." ABB, of course, is that Democratic mantra: Anybody but Bush.
Shares