The Daily Background

I know several liberal blogs interpreted Howard Dean’s absence at the DNC press conference announcing his replacement Tim Kaine as a snub, but the truth is actually much more simple and benign.

According to the New York Times, Dean “was in American Samoa to attend the inauguration of the state governor and raise money for the state party. That obligation forced the outgoing chairman to miss what by any measure is a very unusual (and in this case celebratory) event: A visit by a president-elect to Democratic party headquarters, in a fairly desolate part of town in the shadow of the United States Capitol.”

Also, Dean’s replacement is not a criticism of Dean (Obama surely appreciates his work as DNC Chair during this transitional period), it’s actually customary. When a person of one party wins the White House, they are expected to choose a DNC or RNC Chair to replace the old person. Otherwise, there are party elections (like the Republicans are having right now). Dean knew about this custom, and has pointed it out himself when asked if he’d still be the DNC Chair come 2009.

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog