It's all over except for the celebrating

But exactly who will be celebrating?

According to this story, Howard Dean has secured enough votes to win the race for DNC chair:

"One week before the Democratic National Committee votes on a new leader, the outspoken former Vermont governor has more than 250 public pledges from DNC supporters, according to the political newsletter Hotline -- well more than the 214 needed to win."

At this point it appears only Roemer and Fowler are left in the race with Dean. What once was a seven-person field has dwindled down to three, but really only one. So now what?

"While some Democrats are anxious about putting Dean in charge of the party machinery, others say the strengths he exhibited during his presidential run will serve him well in the organizational post.

"The DNC chairman's job is to raise money, fire up the base and beat up on the Republicans every chance you get," said Kathy Sullivan, chairwoman of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, who has endorsed Dean. "Howard Dean can do all of that."

Gordon Fischer, outgoing Iowa state chairman, said Dean's plain talk was part of his appeal but Democrats knew it could also land him in hot water. As DNC chair, however, Dean would not be the party's only national voice, he said, and he had proven his effectiveness in confronting Republicans."

Folks I know, liberal Democrats, Greens and even people who belong to parties-that-don't-exist-that-are-farther-left than that all backed Dean in '03 in part at least because he was far enough left that he appealed to their liberal-progressive ideals but he also was 'serious' enough to be 'mainstreamed.' In other-words since it was obvious that Dennis Kucinich and his Department of Peace wasn't setting the world on fire, Dean's fiery anti-Bush positions and progresive views would do. Some still feel this way now.

"Dean promised to make the party competitive in more states and focus not just on the White House but also congressional and state races.

"Howard Dean gets it, he understands fundamentally the things Democrats need to do. The DNC needs to change to help state parties more," said Joe Erwin, South Carolina state party chairman and a Fowler backer who said he would be satisfied with a Dean win. "

I understand their desire for 'fixing' things at the state level and broadening and mobilizing the base. The problem as I see it is that all of Dean's passion, his anger and his 'straight talk' combined with his plans for change within the party do nothing about solving the Dem's real problem; they are too far to the left of the American electorate. Exciting 20-year old college students who wish they'd lived through the '60s or even 60-year old party activists who did is great and all, but it only goes so far.

Americans in November, whether they agreed wholly with the President on the issues of Iraq and terrorism, sided with the President and in so doing, repudiated the liberal-progressive's ideas for dealing with these issues. Democrats didn't lose because they refused to enunciate enough liberal ideas, they lost because they incorporated too many! So why then would they elect the very embodiement of those ideals to a position as the Head of the Party!?

There will be celebrating all right come the 12th, but the identity of some of us lifting our glasses and making toasts just might surprise!