New Leadership In Both Parties By February

Both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee will turn over their leadership ranks in a few months, and though only one of the races will competitive, the consequences for both parties will

RNC chairman Mike Duncan is thinking about running for re-election, but he'll face a slate of at least six potential candidates. The RNC will elect its new chair at the party's winter meeting in DC just after the inauguration.

DNC chairman Howard Dean has long hinted that one term would be enough for him; he does not plan to ask the Obama team to keep him on. So -- the DNC will vote, also the week of the inauguration, for its new leader.

By tradition, Dean would endorse the person he wants to succeed him, but by an even more powerful tradition, the president gets to put his stamp on the DNC. Will Dean defer to the Obama folks? He already has, aides say.

The bigger question: what happens to the DNC?  Does it become an extension of the White House? Does it retain a measure of independence? How much control does David Axelrod wish to assert over the party?

The party's different these days. Technologically, it's caught up -- or even more advanced than -- the RNC. The DNC chair could be the donor-janitor-in-chief, the 2012 campaign manager in waiting, or simply the keeper of the list.

Here's betting that some folks will petition Dean to stay on....

Comments

So is it just me or does this shed some light on why David Plouffe has been left out of the White House staff rumor mill? He'd make a lethal DBC Chairman.

Posted by Dirk | November 10, 2008 2:43 PM

Plouffe seems like a good choice to me too. Is there insidery consensus that suggests otherwise?

Posted by South Pol | November 10, 2008 2:57 PM

It kills me to give sage advice to the GOP being a Dem myself, but I'm going to.

Howard Dean won a CONTESTED race for DNC chair, a contest fundamentally between the state committeepersons/grass roots and the Beltway/Elite Dems.

There's no guarantee that a grass-roots-supported RNC chair will find success as quickly as Dean did as DNC chair but I guarantee such a chair will do better than a navel-gazing Beltway-elite type.

Posted by jfxgillis | November 10, 2008 3:03 PM

It does seem tailor made for Plouffe, but does he want it?

Posted by Greg | November 10, 2008 3:04 PM

I was thinking Plouffe would be a great choice, too, and certainly a way for the Obama folks to stamp the DNC with their brand and comfortably bring over their list to the DNC. Plouffe has such a cult following with Obama supporters that he seems like the most able person to transition Obama-ites to the greater Dem Party.

Posted by RP | November 10, 2008 3:11 PM

It's GOTTA be Plouffe. It's perfect for him.

Posted by ethan salto | November 10, 2008 3:14 PM

Does this mean that Dr. Dean might be up for HHS. His Dr. Dynosaur was the first state health plan in the country to cover all children. Obama's health care policy covers the same territory.

If there ever was a match made in heaven it is putting the a medical doctor who was a governor for eight years deeply involved in extending health care to all in charge of a national effort to do so.

Dr. Dean's best service to the nation might be ahead of him.

Posted by The Cybersophist | November 10, 2008 3:24 PM

Tewes ran it for Obama during the campaign. Given that (1) the model Tewes pioneered in the Iowa caucuses (pushing data and decision-making authority to the activist level) evolved into the most successful field operation in history, and (2) his popularity with the major donors is very high (they still can't believe he won Iowa by such a large margin), he seems like a good choice.

Posted by Troy | November 10, 2008 4:31 PM

Both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee will turn over their leadership ranks in a few months, and though only one of the races will competitive, the consequences for both parties will

Will what?

WILL WHAT?!?!?!?!?!

Posted by Oracle | November 10, 2008 8:03 PM