I was a Dean supporter when he ran for president. He’s an amazing individual who would have made a great chief executive… if the “liberal media” hadn’t skewered him over “the scream.” But Dean didn’t fade into the background after that incident. He went on to develop the strategy that won Obama the election. 

First of all, Dean pioneered Internet fundraising. Before Dean, every campaign was primarily funded by large donors and federal matching funds. Dean blazed the trail to funding campaigns on small individual donations. Dean and Joe Trippi were the first people to fully grasp the power of direct social networking over the Internet. Obama just refined the technique. 

Second, Dean’s so-called 50 state strategy was conceived of before he became the chair of the DNC and implemented after. If there’s any single factor that lead to Obama and the Democratic party’s success, it’s the 50 state strategy. Before Dean came along, the Democratic party had offices in red and purple states that were empty for years. They paid the rent but never staffed them. Dean hired the staff for all these offices and created the infrastructure that allowed Obama to be competitive in states where the pundits said he had no chance. If Dean hadn’t done the ground work, Obama would never have been able to ramp up his ground game as quickly and effectively as he did. 

So, why is Obama ignoring Dr. Dean? In my opinion, Dean should have been named to head HHS. It seems as if Obama appointed Daschle because he needs a point man in the Congress to get his national health care plan through, and I can understand the move as a practical matter given Dean’s lack of experience on the Hill. But what about other jobs? Dean should have been the front runner for Surgeon General, but Obama gave the job to Sanjay Gupta. One could argue that this was also a move to solidify his plans for national health care, making Gupta a high profile spokesman for the plan. Gupta is TV friendly and known to many people with an interest in health care, but Dean is no slouch when it comes to communicating over the idiot box. Additionally, Dean is far better known than Gupta and would have made a solid and authoritative advocate for national health care. 

I’m pretty supportive of the picks Obama has made for his cabinet so far but I’m upset that Dean isn’t among them. All the choice high profile slots are filled at this point and Dean is out in the cold. Unless Obama turns to Dean in the near future I think it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he intends to turn his back on the man who paved the way to his ultimate victory. That’s a very shabby way to treat Dean IMO.