Just moments ago, Howard Dean, Chairperson of the DNC, announced a new plan to address the problems surrounding the debacle with the Florida and Michigan primaries, along with the now drawn-out campaign battle between Democratic presidential contestants Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
Details below the flip.
In a formal press conference, Dean spoke with assembled reporters, explaining the details of a new plan for organizing the current Democratic primary contest.
Dean noted that the plan had been enthusiastically agreed to by the Clinton campaign and perhaps a bit more reluctantly by the Obama campaign. Dean was also at pains to note, however, that the new plan had the support of the leading members of the Democratic Washington, DC establishment and powerful Democratic backers nation-wide.
Dean described the plan this way:
The Democratic National Committee, in consultation with the necessary relevant parties, has decided to void the results of ALL the primaries and caucuses to date. Instead, the Democratic Party will determine the outcome of our primary contest by holding a single election in the state of Pennsylvania. Whoever wins the Pennsylvania primary on April 22 will become the Democratic candidate for president in the general election.
Dean explained that there are several advantages to such a re-vamped primary system. First, this plan will allow the party to quickly coalesce behind a candidate, avoiding a messy, prolonged, and bloody fight. Second, this plan effectively negates the festering problems with Florida and Michigan. And finally, this plan offers the best and most realistic chance for Hillary Clinton to gain the nomination by avoiding the manifest problem of having to address Barack Obama's lead in pledged delegates, popular vote, and states won.
Dean essentially acknowledged the prevailing wisdom this way:
If you can't win a Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, then you have no business even running for president on the Democratic side.
Interested parties were quick to weigh in on the new plan.
From the Clinton campaign, chief strategist Mark Penn observed:
I enthusiastically support Governor Dean's new plan. He has finally shown the courage and leadership expected of him.
A reporter for the AP then asked Penn to respond to his earlier observation on February 20th, where he said:
"winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign of who can win the general election."
and Penn cautioned that:
Well, I think that is generally true, except, of course for how a candidate does in Pennsylvania. From the beginning we have based our entire strategy on winning in the Keystone State. Look, it's Obama's fault for not really understanding the fundamental dynamics of running a Democratic primary campaign. I feel bad for his supporters in all those other states who he kind of lead to believe that their vote or voice actually mattered. It's a shame really.
David Axelrod, Obama's chief strategist, asked to comment on Dean's new plan, said:
Look, we have been aiming for a 50-state campaign strategy all along. And while we have built up what we though were insurmountable leads in delegates, votes, and states won, we simply forgot about Pennsylvania. I know it’s a big oversight. But Howard Dean, and others, made it very clear, you have to win the primary in Pennsylvania in order to win in the general [election].
I personally remain unsure about the wisdom of this new plan. But I do know that currently Hillary and Barack are beating each other up right now, and badly. Extending the primary battle up past the end of the primaries and on into the convention will dramatically reduce Democrats’ (our chances) for victory against McCain in the fall. So, I guess it is best to end it all as early as possible and this seems like the most credible way.
~ snark