Slowly but surely, the Villagers and the DLC-types have been having their way with President-Elect Obama's political capital. Hillary Clinton gets her druthers. All the previous competitors who held the left and the netroots in thinly veiled contempt, get their druthers. The primary candidates who our hearts were with but our "common sense" told us "had no chance" are kicked to the curb and ignored.
And slowly but surely, the Obama that we thought we elected has become the Obama that is "one of them".
Over the last two months, all the "grown-ups" have been saying "give him a chance!" All the "grown-ups" have been assuring those of us who were concerned with the obvious absence of any "real" progressives in the his administration. Over the last two months, those of us who complained about the hold-overs from from the Bush "administration" were not "getting it". Those of us who groused about all the DLC influence were simply "hand-wringers". We were the "purists" who were petty and expecting too much before January 21st, 2009.
Now, I open my email and there is this from a friend.
Check after the jump
Obama appears with new DNC chief
WASHINGTON – President-elect Barack Obama appeared Thursday at Democratic Party headquarters with his hand-picked incoming chairman, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, but his predecessor, outgoing chief Howard Dean, was nowhere in sight.
Dean, who has clashed with Obama's top aides and Democratic leaders in Congress during his four-year term, is stepping down Jan. 21.
"My understanding is that he's traveling, so he couldn't attend," said Tommy Vietor, an Obama spokesman.
Obama's transition officials, however, did not immediately respond when asked whether the former Vermont governor was invited to appear alongside the president-elect and Dean's successor at the news conference.
But Democrats with knowledge of the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid angering the Obama team, say Dean won't attend the event at the request of Obama advisers.
I have always hated Rahm Emmanuel. Lots of people like to say, "Oh, he's an asshole but he's OUR asshole now!" Assholes still stink. I didn't like him before he worked for Barack Obama and I gotta say, I like him even less now that he has all this power.
Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy got these jack asses where they are. I'm done.