Another Convention Mess?

As I've mentioned recently, I just finished Terry McAuliffe's What a Party. In it he talks about being appointed by President Clinton to serve as ambassador to the Court of St. James, only to be subsequently asked by Vice President Al Gore to take over Convention duties in Los Angeles, where the local committee planning the 2000 Democratic Convention fell well-short of fundraising goals and was in danger of failing the party. It appears that this year's host, Denver, is having similar problems.

It seems absurd in this political climate that Democrats are short on fundraising, especially when compared to the GOP. There is a level of professionalism and responsibility that seems to be lacking in the Democratic party and it's absence is troubling. This stems from the top of the DNC down. Howard Dean has to make sure that the fundraising project for Denver is on schedule. He has to make that happen. He also has a bigger role in settling the ongoing morass of a primary. He is going to have a chance to put the primary all back in order at the Rules Committee meeting this weekend and he would be wise not to miss the opportunity. He has a chance to put his party together, or allow the party to be stretched further by allowing the "wily" Harold Ickes to dominate the Rules Committee in favor of Hillary. Here is to hoping that he puts his foot down, puts in place an agreement that brings the party together. This might just be the best hope to make sure the Convention reaches it's fundraising benchmarks. This might just be the best hope to make the Democratic look like a professional organization.