Howard Dean is not dwelling on the past.
The former Vermont governor may have lost the Democratic
presidential nomination, but his priority has since shifted to the
broader goal of reclaiming the presidency and Senate control for
the Democratic Party.
Dean, along with other Democratic heavyweights, like New York
Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senate candidate Barack Obama,
will make their way to Santa Monica on Friday for a fundraiser for
the Democratic National Committee to help in the effort to regain
Senate control for the Democrats.
The event, called Democracy for the Senate, will also feature a
performance by rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Dean said he sees this election as a critical opportunity to
reclaim some measure of control in an increasingly polarized
political field.
But the Democrats are facing an uphill battle.
Currently, there are 48 Democratic senators and 51 Republicans,
with one independent. Many of the 34 seats up for grabs in the Nov.
2 election are in the South ““ generally hostile territory for
Democratic candidates.
“It’ll be tough, but it’s certainly
possible,” said Barbara Sinclair, a UCLA political science
professor, of the Democrats’ chances. “(The Democrats)
have some strong candidates, but in tough places.
“A lot of the open states are in the South, where
it’s increasingly hard for Democrats to win at the state
level,” she said.
With five of the Democrats’ “open” seats
““ races with no incumbent candidate ““ in the South,
Republicans are confident about their chances of retaining control
of the Senate.
“When you look at the playing field, these are good states
for Republicans,” said Dan Allen, a spokesman for the
National Republican Senatorial Committee.
“We’re in an excellent position to strengthen our
majority,” he said. “I don’t think there’s
really anything working against us.”
Dean is optimistic about his party’s chances, but he is
concerned about the prospect of sustained Republican control. He
said seizing control this year is especially important for the
Democrats because the Bush administration has sharply divided the
country.
“I really think that the Republicans have moved so far to
the right that we really just can’t afford to have them in
office anymore,” he said.
“Bush is really right-wing, and I think Kerry is pretty
moderate,” he added.
Dean hopes the man who beat him out for the Democratic
presidential nomination, Sen. John Kerry, can sway votes toward
Democratic senatorial candidates. After Kerry’s post-debate
resurgence, some experts see this as a possibility.
Sinclair said a strong finish by Kerry “might provide just
enough push to get (Democratic senatorial candidates) over the
hump.”
Dean said he believes youth voter turnout will be a major factor
in this year’s election. To appeal to young voters, Dean has
touched upon a hot-button issue among the country’s youth:
the potential for a military draft.
“I think the president is likely to have a draft if he
gets re-elected,” he said. As justification, Dean cited the
fact that the National Guard is stretched thin, along with what he
considered Bush’s untruthfulness with the American people
when invading Iraq.
Rock the Vote, a nonpartisan organization that uses musicians
and celebrities to inspire youth activism, recently sent out fake
draft cards through e-mail to over 600,000 people in an effort to
get out the vote.
Friday’s fundraiser is part of a larger effort on the part
of the Democrats to raise money because the party that does better
fundraising tends to win elections.
“Most states are pretty big in terms of population, and
that means it’s really expensive to run a good
campaign,” Sinclair said. “You can’t buy a Senate
seat, but you can at least get into the game.”