Howard Dean joining CNBC

The former DNC chair has agreed to become a regular contributor to the business network; he hosted one show Monday morning.

Published March 23, 2009 2:39PM (EDT)

Howard Dean didn't get the Cabinet spot he wanted, but he does have a new job. The former head of the Democratic National Committee is joining CNBC as a regular contributor, a gig he kicked off Monday morning with a spot as the guest-host of the network's show "Squawk Box."

The announcement is especially interesting given the context provided recently by the fire the network has taken from "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, and the approving reaction Stewart's criticisms have gotten from the kind of people who make up Dean's base. The Huffington Post's Sam Stein reports CNBC's decision to bring Dean on was coincidental and unrelated, though. Stein quotes an unnamed source "close to the former Vermont governor" as saying, "This was in the works long before the Jon Stewart stuff."

Dean has some background in financial matters -- he did some time as a stock broker before going to medical school, and his father worked in finance.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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Howard Dean War Room