Vilsack Withdraws From DNC Chair Race - Rosenberg New Fave?

A summation from MyDD via Daily Kos:

Simon Rosenberg, who currently heads the New Democrat Network, is becoming the favorite to become the next chairman of the DNC. But the former Clintonite also has a strong following among "outside" Democrats--activists who came to the party via former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and other Internet voters who read the blogs. Rosenberg's straight talk about what the party needs to do has been remarkably consistent and his 527's effort to win Hispanic voters was more successful than expected. Also in his favor: He's a tireless fundraiser.

There's time on this (decisions not made until January), but it's interesting nonetheless to see Vilsack's momentum slow. 'From the roots' really doesn't mean 'status quo'. The hope is that the electors figure that out this time.

Update [2004-11-22 14:43:28 by DemFromCT]:
Timing is everything. Vilsack Won't Seek Chairmanship of DNC

DES MOINES, Iowa - Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Monday that he will not seek the chairmanship of the Democratic Party. "These challenges and opportunities require more time than I felt I could share," Vilsack said in a statement. "As a result I will not be a candidate for DNC chairman."

Note: The MyDD piece also discusses strong support for Dean as expressed by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Rep. Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), and provides a link to a discussion among Democratic members of Congress about Dean's qualifications for the post from The Hill.

I think this quote from that discussion is one of the most glaring examples of what's wrong with the Dem Party I've seen lately. And that's saying someting:

Rep. Robert Matsui (D-Hawaii), a Gephardt supporter and current chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Dean represented too much of a gamble for the party. “We need someone who is part of the Democratic establishment. Someone who is more of a known quantity. It’s extremely important that we don’t go through a debate about ideology.”

Yeah, we wouldn't want some needless debate about ideology, now would we?

(Photo of Simon Rosenberg courtesy New Democrat Network.)