Important to keep Dean at DNC

The fact that Howard Dean will be able to stay as chairman of the Democratic National Committee to continue his 50-state strategy of grass roots, bottom up politics is almost as important to me as the choice of candidate.

Forty-nine states have embraced the strategy, only Illinois remains outside.

The leaders of the Illinois Democratic Party insist on keeping their top-down machines.

My first choice for Democratic nominee was Dennis Kucinich and my second was John Edwards.

That was because they weren't afraid of or ashamed to talk about poverty and the poor. Focus groups show it's OK to talk about the middle class but people squirm and tend to turn you off if you talk about the poor. All Republican candidates and most Democrats avoid talking about the poor.

Barach Obama was my third choice.

I never considered Hillary Clinton because if she got the nomination, she'd bring Terry McAuliffe back as chairman of the DNC.

Terry would go back to pouring money, raised primarily from big donors, only into presidential swing states and ignore party building elsewhere .

Also, she'd bring back into leadership the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) that Bill Clinton started to seize control of the party from liberals.ˆ  Rahm Emanuel, using the DLC centrist philosophy, fought to defeat Christine Cegelis.

I would have supported Hillary had she been the nominee. But, I'm really enthusiastic to support Barack Obama, particularly because of his endorsement of Howard Dean and the 50-state strategy.

Kent Kirkwood

Mount Prospect