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Skriven 2005-11-12 09:18:00 av Jeff Binkley (1:226/600)
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Go Howard Go ....

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2005/11/11/AR2005111101833_pf.html

Democrats Losing Race For Funds Under Dean

By Chris Cillizza
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, November 12, 2005; A01



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.

The former Vermont governor and presidential candidate took the 
chairmanship of the national party eight months ago, riding the 
enthusiasm of grass-roots activists who relished his firebrand 
rhetorical style. But he faced widespread misgivings from establishment 
Democrats, including elected officials and Washington operatives, who 
questioned whether Dean was the right fit in a job that traditionally 
has centered on fundraising and the courting of major donors.

Now, the latest financial numbers are prompting new doubts. From January 
through September, the Republican National Committee raised $81.5 
million, with $34 million remaining in the bank. The Democratic National 
Committee, by contrast, showed $42 million raised and $6.8 million in 
the bank.

"The degree to which the fundraising has not been competitive is 
obviously troublesome," said former congressman Vic Fazio (D-Calif.), 
who is now a lobbyist here. He expressed confidence in Tom McMahon, 
Dean's executive director at the DNC.

One House Democratic leadership aide, who spoke on the condition of 
anonymity to preserve relations with Dean's operation, put it more 
bluntly: "There is plenty of time, but the red flashing sirens should be 
going off there."

As Democrats are riding high in the wake of Tuesday's elections, running 
unexpectedly strong even in traditional Republican states such as 
Virginia, the DNC's fundraising problems represent a potential cloud. 
But those results could also boost the spirits of partisans in ways that 
will make it easier for Dean to even the balance.

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.

DNC officials acknowledge that elements of their fundraising operation 
have started more slowly than expected. But they and other Dean 
defenders say his record should be viewed in context.

In the previous election cycle, the DNC had raised $31 million, compared 
with the RNC's $80 million, at this point in 2003. But the cash-on-hand 
disparity -- the main concern of party strategists -- was less daunting 
then, with the RNC sitting on $27 million to nearly $10 million for the 
DNC.

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.

"We will have the resources to do what we need to do," said Karen 
Finney, a DNC spokeswoman. "We are committed to investing in state 
parties and rebuilding the grass roots from the bottom up."

Finney noted that the DNC has staff in 38 states and will have 
organizers in every state by the year's end. She also noted that it 
donated $5 million to the winning gubernatorial campaign of Virginia Lt. 
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

Dean took over as DNC chairman with a background different from that of 
most of his predecessors. He succeeded Terence R. McAuliffe, who began 
as a fundraiser in his early twenties and had known many major donors 
for two decades.

In his presidential campaign, Dean drew cheers from activists for his 
sharp criticisms of what he described as an accommodationist party 
establishment, too beholden to Washington interests.

Dean's first eight months at the committee have also been marked by the 
departure of several members of the fundraising staff, including finance 
director -- and longtime Dean loyalist -- Lindsay Lewis, who resigned in 
late September and has yet to be replaced.

DNC sources said the post will be filled by the end of the month and 
point out that Joseph "Jody" Trapasso, a longtime party fundraiser, has 
stepped in.

Several Washington Democrats not favorably inclined toward Dean said the 
party was willing to gamble on his "potential for hoof in mouth disease" 
-- in the words of one lobbyist -- because of the unexpected fundraising 
prowess he showed in the 2004 race.

Dean, a virtual unknown nationally when the race began, shocked the 
political world with his ability to raise dollars over the Internet -- a 
fundraising medium that had not been fully tapped before his campaign. 
Dean raised about $20 million online in the primary season -- about 40 
percent of the more than $50 million he raised for his entire campaign. 
Using techniques pioneered by Dean, Kerry raised more than $80 million 
online in last year's general election campaign.

So far, the DNC's Internet sums pale in comparison, but Finney said a 
turnaround is underway. In the past six weeks, the party has raised 
$845,000 from e-mail and Web donations; slightly more than half came 
from an e-mail appeal sent in conjunction with the indictment of former 
House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).

One Democrat with close ties to Dean and the DNC said that expectations 
were unfairly high for the governor's ability to raise dollars through 
the Internet. "It is a very different process to raise money for a 
presidential campaign than it is for a party committee," said the 
veteran fundraiser, who talked candidly about DNC finances on the 
condition of anonymity. "Donors are a little skeptical that the DNC is a 
good investment."

As some see it, Dean's larger problem is with the care and feeding of 
wealthy contributors, people capable of giving the maximum $26,700 
allowed annually under federal law. Bob Farmer, a past DNC finance 
chairman, said that "where the chairman can make an impact is with the 
big donors and the big fundraisers."

Dean does not enjoy long relationships with these people and remains 
uncomfortable asking for a significant contribution after just meeting a 
donor, said party operatives familiar with his style. One high-dollar 
donor in the Washington area said the outreach by Dean has been woeful: 
"The only explanation I can fathom for the virtual total lack of quality 
communications is they are still in the process of figuring things out 
in terms of who their major donor list is."

Dean could not be reached for comment last night.

A source close to the DNC agreed that the high-dollar donor program 
needed to be "stepped up" and that since September it has been. In the 
past two months, Dean has spent at least six days in New York meeting 
with affluent givers either one on one or in small-group settings (15 or 
fewer donors). He has done similar meetings in Los Angeles and San 
Francisco, with plans to go to South Florida.

The sessions will pay dividends in the coming months, said a Dean 
loyalist: "These guys have to date for a while before you can ask them 
for money."

Cillizza is a staff writer for washingtonpost.com.

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