Republicans having to buy air time in W. VA and Montana. Defending safe states.

[madfloridian]

That was the goal of Howard Dean when he started the 50 state plan. He said he wanted to make them spend their money in safe areas.

From the Idaho Statesman in July 2005:

"Howard Dean was deep inside enemy territory Friday, delivering an optimistic speech in Boise's Julia Davis Park outlining a new Democratic strategy to break the Republican grip on national politics.

"Often blasted by Republicans for being inflammatory, Dean was even-toned Friday, though he did take a few shots at the Iraq war and what he called Bush's unwillingness to listen to anyone who doesn't agree with him. "He's the president of 51 percent of the people," he said. "He doesn't want to be president of (the people) who didn't vote for him."

Dean received a rousing ovation after his speech, and many long-suffering Democrats in the crowd were upbeat about the future of the party."

Today the The Swamp remembers that as it points out that the GOP is forced into buying air time in two "safe" states.

Repubs buy TV time in MT + WVA

When Howard Dean announced his 50-state strategy after becoming Democratic National Committee chairman, a lot of students of politics thought, at best, he was being unrealistic. It seemed like a tremendous waste of money and time. This was the guy who flamed out so spectacularly in 2004 so the skepticism was justified, a lot of us thought.

Now, this week, we've seen the reports that Republicans are buying TV time in Montana and West Virginia. It goes without saying that for Republicans this is a bone-chilling development. It wasn't supposed to even be close in those two red states. Now, a week before Election Day, it is.

Now the 50-state strategy, which was adopted by Sen. Barack Obama to a greater or lesser degree, looks brilliant. Democrats are forcing Republicans to divert needed cash from states like Pennsylvania and Ohio and pump it into red states few saw being in play. And Sen. Barack Obama's 30-minute TV infomercial scheduled for tomorrow night on network TV will only add to the pressure on Republicans.

This is really a stunning development.

Meeting a big goal that began with derision from major Democrats gives a warm fuzzy feeling.

[Wapsie B]

1. Sounds like there aren't that many safe red states anymore.

[madfloridian]

3. I think you are right.

Not too many red states left.

[Botany]

11. Just a few

Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Tex ASS.

Some other red states still produce Dem. Senators, Governors,
and Congress Critters.

Nebraska is the strangest because I think Loup County, NE
is the poorest in the nation.

[Virginia Dare]

15. Utah and Idaho are about the only two left...n/t

[TxRider]

2. They are buying ads in Texas too. n/t

[madfloridian]

4. That's good, too.

Even if we don't win, it is way to cut down on the huge financial advantage the GOP had before this.

It's a good move, and appears to be working.

[vademocrat]

5. This is great news - Hooray for Howard Dean!

[madfloridian]

6. From Time"s The Swampland: Vindication.

Almost anyway. Or as Rachel says....maybe not.

The Vindication of Howard Dean

Markos Moulitsas has a post today about the vindication of Howard Dean's 50-state strategy. He's right. When Dean launched the project, many thought it was foolhardy. As late as October 2006, top Dem strategists and elected officials were bemoaning the way Dean had spread the party's money around instead of concentrating it on targets of immediate opportunity. The Obama campaign adopted the idea and hitched it to a candidate with the message and the appeal to capitalize on it in a national race. It helped that the Republican brand was in the process of imploding. But Dean and Obama put themselves and the Democratic Party in position to exploit their opponents' failures and maximize their own returns. That took both vision and political guts. And it took the netroots activism of people like Markos, who takes a bow for the collective. We'll know in a week just how well it worked.

From the post by Markos:

I keep saying it since I doubt people believe me -- when we were agitating for the 50-state strategy in 2003, 2004, and 2005, it was hugely controversial. Crashing the Gate may seem like a fairly conventional book today, but when Jerome and I wrote it in 2006, it was mocked as crazy talk. Funny how two years and a little success completely changed everything.

..."Ah yes, us loony bloggers, fighting for universal health care, to protect social security, to keep our government from unconstitutionally spying on us, and to promote a sane foreign policy that doesn't unnecessarily cost us blood and treasure. You know, loony things supported by a majority of the (apparently also loony) American people.

Here's what too many people still don't understand -- there's nothing loony about the netroots. This isn't fertile territory for the McKinneys and Kuciniches of our party. This is fertile territory for the Howard Deans of our party -- sensible, pragmatic progressives who aren't afraid to be Democrats. Why? Because we're the nation. We're not clustered in DC and NYC, we're spread out over all 50 states, and we know better than anyone what it takes to win in our own backyards.

We didn't rally around Webb, Tester, Schweitzer, Trauner, Brown, Massa, Burner and so many other moderate Democrats because they were little Kucinich clones, but because they were perfectly suited for the states and districts they seek to represent. It's that simple. Howard Dean wasn't an anomaly. He was our ideal.

My only concern about picking who can win in each backyard.....is a real one. We are sacrificing the rights of the gay community and the rights of women in order to win.

I can not get over that...these are the sacrificial lambs of the new Democratic party.

So if we win, though Rachel doesn't think so....maybe we can do something about it then. If it's not too late.

[Demeter]

10. Why Do You Think Gays and Women Are Being Sacrificed?

As a woman, I think Howard Dean and Dennis Kucinich represent my interests as an American AND as a woman.

If you want to know who I see betraying me and my daughters, it's Nancy Pelosi, Feinstein, and Emmanuel Rahm and Harry Reid. They are compromising America out of existence.

[sandnsea]

19. Oh good lord, nobody's rights are being sacrificed

What a straight-up kooky thing to say. Such a great post and then you had to go and poop on it. I do not understand why you're always doing that. We're going to make unbelievable progress in the next 8 years. We'll get there a lot easier if people join their hands and move forward instead of the constant handwringing that goes on around here.

[The Woodpecker]

7. Arizona in now within 2 points also

The most respected poll in Arizona by Dr. Bruce Merrill and Cronkite8 just released the latest Az poll and it's closed to within 2 points, and BHO is closing fast!

[madfloridian]

8. That is just amazing.

:hi:

[mvd]

9. The behavior of the campaigns makes me feel better

Despite the polls, there's a bit of unease and uncertainty hanging over the election, but seeing McSame having to defend red states keeps my confidence up.

[AnnieBW]

12. Make 'em spend!

HA-HA! Make 'em spend! :bounce:

[FLAprogressive]

13. More proof that Howard Dean rocks. nt

[DeepBlueDem]

14. DEFENSE...DEFENSE!!

:rofl: :rofl:

[Two Americas]

16. we are on the cusp of massive social and political change

I do think that Dean deserves much credit, mf, and thank you for reminding us about that.

There are very few Republican districts around the country that are not now in play, relatively speaking. I know that in Michigan, there is only one completely safe Republican district left - the extremely conservative area near Grand Rapids, HQ of Amway. It was especially gratifying to see Macomb county - the district cited as the archetype of the "Reagan Democrat" phenomenon - go strongly Democratic in 2006. Every rural county in Michigan was up for grabs in Michigan in '06 for the first time in decades. Then there was New Hampshire - there was an historic Democratic tidal wave there in '06 - and all across the plains states, the Midwest and the deep South the party is making significant inroads and gaining in strength almost everywhere.

When Dean first talked about going to Mississippi - isn't that where he made his first visit after being named to head the party? - and not writing off any part of the country, there was much skepticism and resistance to that idea. I think we can now safely say that he was right and the critics were wrong.

I don't agree with Dean politically on many things and never supported him as a candidate, but there is no doubt in my mind that Dean's work is the solid rock upon which the new Democratic party majority is being built.

You and I have disagreed politically over the years mf, but I stand in awe of your dedication, integrity and consistency in the face of much hostility and abuse. Thanks for everything you do.

[BobTheSubgenius]

17. Huge props to Gov. Dean.

In my eyes, The Very Honourable Dr. Dean gets nowhere near the thanks and congratulations he so richly deserves. A widely-criticized strategy that has paid major dividends.

[BlooInBloo]

18. Dean's strategy + Obama's fundraising model; + Obama's everything else = FTW!!!