A Gift from Heaven

Oh, Dr. Dean.

You are the gift that keeps on giving.
AP reports that DNC Chairman Howard Dean had scheduled an appearance in Columbia, South Carolina, another stop on his Red State Tour. Due to weather problems, the good doctor couldn't make the trip.

From AP:
"Unfortunately, rain and travel delays have prevented me from attending tonight's fund-raiser with the South Carolina Democratic Party, but nothing has dampened my enthusiasm for building the party so that we can elect Democrats in South Carolina," Dean said in a statement released after he canceled his trip.

Dean has been stirring interest at the state level and has reinvigorated efforts to reach people who give small donations to political causes and candidates. Dean can keep those people engaged and interested as the 2006 contests looming, said Furman University political science professor Jim Guth.

"Our commitment to the South Carolina party is clear, which is why the DNC has included it in our most recent round of investments in state parties," Dean said

Dean's visit had already generated $5000 in Internet donations according to Lachlan McIntosh, the party's executive director. With 300 expected to attend the event and paying a minimum of $50-per-person, at least $15,000 more was going to be raised.

When it became clear that Dean wouldn't be able to attend the fund-raiser, the party informed donors that it would be refunding their money instead of collecting it.

No doubt, some will not accept a refund and make their contributions to the Dem party anyway.

Still, it appears that the Republicans may actually make more money from Dean's non-appearance than the Dems.

While Democrats waited for the former presidential candidate, the state GOP held a Dean scream contest in anticipation of Dean's arrival. A week ago, the party sent out a flier inviting people to a "No-show send Howard home rally" and garnered $22,000 in contributions, said Scott Malyerck, the state GOP executive director.

"We hope Howard Dean comes back every month," Malyerck said.

The state GOP's scream-off was intended to poke fun at Dean, whose attempt at a troop-rallying "yeah" after the 2004 Iowa caucus became the most laughed about moment of the campaign. Dean lost the next 16 contests, including a next-to-last showing in South Carolina a couple of weeks later.

The scream-off drew a handful of high school and college Republicans who were judged on "lack of poise in appearance" and "extent of angry, insane ranting."

Contestants had to repeat Dean's cry that his campaign was "going to South Carolina and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico. We're going to California and Texas and New York, and we're going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we're going to Washington, D.C. to take back the White House - yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Richard Hahn, a Dreher High School student, won the contest - embellishing Dean's itinerary by adding Canada and Puerto Rico as campaign trail stops.

McIntosh wasn't impressed with the scream-off. He said that Republicans need to "stop screaming and start trying to lead again."

(Note to McIntosh: The Republicans are leading and the Dems are obstructing.)

Although McIntosh stands firmly behind Dean, some Dems in South Carolina have not been happy with Dean's recent comments. Saying that the Republican Party is "pretty much a white, Christian party" and that many Republicans "never made an honest living" doesn't play well in SC. State Democratic Chairman Joe Erwin wrote to Dr.Dean, complaining about his counterproductive rhetoric.

Erwin said, "I'm trying to recruit white Christians for the Democrat Party, and we are recruiting - white Christians and African-American Christians and people of all faiths and races. We don't need to ostracize anybody."

Furman University political science professor Jim Guth sees it this way. For South Carolina Republicans, "Dean is a gift from heaven."

I love you, Dr. Dean!