State by state with Howard Dean

While those on a national level may be a bit upset with Democratic chairman Howard Dean's 50 state strategy, those on the state level seem to like it quite a bit:

"I've never really been a Dean guy," said John Wertheim, chairman of the New Mexico Democratic Party. "But I've really bought into his program. Is it risky? Sure. But I think it's a darn good investment."

In Albuquerque, four energetic young staff members -- trained by and drawing paychecks from the DNC -- have divvied up the map of New Mexico, a state that was more closely divided than Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004.

From a cluttered warren of offices tucked into a strip mall, the DNC's new employees are building voter lists, organizing county-level Democratic caucuses, and installing precinct chairmen in rural portions of the state that have voted overwhelmingly Republican in national campaigns.

State officials in West Virginia, Ohio, and Mississippi also sing Dean's praises, with Mississippi already seeing results:

Mississippi's Democratic Party has established an infrastructure in 10 counties where the organization had atrophied. The DNC has sent resources to hire five full-time workers -- up from just a single part-timer previously -- helping Democrats secure victories in five special legislative elections over the past year, party chairman Wayne Dowdy said.

You never know when the next Montana will arise - a Republican rich state where the GOP senator is facing ethical challenges due to his Abramhoff connections. This is an instance where a well funded Democratic campaign could be doing a whole lot of good. Luckily, the blogs have taken up this cause, but can they realistically be expected to contribute to 435 House races and 33 Senate races every two years? And that doesn't include local and state level races or Presidental campaigns.

While Democrats see a huge opportunity to win in 2006, the long term health of the part cannot be sacrificed for short term gains. While I understand concerns with Dean's strategy, there will not be a shortage of funds when it comes to election battlegrounds in 2006. The netroots have shown their financial power time and time again.

Now imagine an election where the DNC and the netroots are on the same page. The results could be astounding.

(link from The Carpetbagger Report)