(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)
Change is good.
Not only is change good, it is what we spent the past year clawing and scratching our way to get. So, now we’ve got it. The problem with getting change, though, is that there is a lot of uncertainty attached to change.
This afternoon, here in San Diego, the Association of State Democratic Chairs Executive Committee met to discuss — for the most part — all of this uncertainty. There were about a dozen people here for the Executive Committee meeting — of the 15 or so members of the ASDC Executive Committee, only Colorado has both its Chair (Pat Waak) and its Vice Chair (myself) serving on the committee. Not California, not Illinois, not New Hampshire. Just Colorado. I know it is a point of pride for both Pat and me.
Because it was a closed meeting, I don’t want to reveal too many details. But I think it is safe to say that we have a lot of questions about what the DNC will look like in the near future, and what the partnership between the DNC and the state parties will look like. We’ll get those answers in the next month or two, but for now, that uncertainty has led to a lot of discussion among the state parties here in San Diego, and it is likely to dominate the conversation in the coming couple of days of meetings.
We were joined at the beginning of our meeting by a very relaxed-looking Governor Howard Dean, the Chair of the DNC. Gov. Dean’s first comment to the group was a reference to the increasing importance of the West in the national scene: “We knew the road to the White House led through the West, but who knew it also led through Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia as well?!†The Governor walked into the small meeting room here before the meeting began and folks were just chatting. As he strolled through the door rather nonchalantly, he seemed happily surprised by the standing ovation by the chairs and vice chairs in the room as he arrived.
After the Governor had briefly said a few words and taken a couple of questions, he headed out (he joined us again later for dinner). Tom McMahon, the Executive Director of the DNC, remained and we had a good conversation with Tom about the DNC and its relationship with each of the state parties. The conversation included topics like the 50-state strategy, the voter file, and the organization of the DNC under President Obama. It was a very productive meeting.
Tomorrow, we begin the day with a meeting among state chairs and vice chairs. Then, in the afternoon, we hold a joint meeting with the DNC Executive Committee. We’ll hear about plans for the transition and inauguration, as well as hearing some polling data in a closed session. I’ll write more tomorrow night, when I get a chance.