What happens when you put a lunatic like Howard Dean in charge of millions of dollars of donations to the Democratic National Committee?
He spends, and spends, and spends, but buys nothing.
Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are privately bristling over Howard Dean’s management of the Democratic National Committee and have made those sentiments clear after new fundraising numbers showed he has spent nearly all the committee’s cash and has little left to support their efforts to gain seats this cycle, ROLL CALL reports.
Congressional leaders were furious last week when they learned the DNC has just $5.5 million in the bank, compared to the Republican National Committee’s $34 million.
Senate and House Minority Leaders Harry Reid (Nev.) and Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), along with the Senate and House campaign committee chairmen Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and Rahm Emanuel (Ill.), have made their concerns — directly or indirectly — known to Dean, claims the paper.
Emanuel was particularly upset last week upon seeing the latest DNC numbers.
“A lot of people are scratching their heads as to what’s going on,” said one senior Democratic aide.
Another Democratic source familiar with the party fundraising apparatus said there is “obvious displeasure” among the leaders.
So, the DNC cupboards appear to be empty. Will there be an accounting for where the cash went? Will the MSM investigate DNC spending? Will Americans hear anything about this? No. Democrats up for reelection in 2006 will simply focus on raising their own cash, like they normally do, that is, if they have any hope in running sustainable campaigns.
If Republicans lose any seats this November, it will be entirely their own fault. A dysfunctional party is not a winning party, and it’s likely that the DNC’s woes will be GOP gains come November.