''Why Dean Is Right''

"As if the relentless assault from attack dog Republicans and wimpy establishment Democrats and media weren't enough, Democratic National Committee (DNC) fundraisers are now jumping on the anti-Dean bandwagon. In recent weeks, three top money barons for the DNC have resigned, The Hill reported recently. Why? Because the poor party bigwigs feel neglected. You see, Dean -- unlike his inside-the-Beltway predecessor Terry McAuliffe -- is actually trying to build an alternative to the corporate base of the GOP. Even Newsweek's Howard Fineman, long a reflection of conventional Washington wisdom, recognizes the importance of this shift. "Early in the last 'cycle,' in 2001, the Republican National Committee outraised the DNC by a 3-1 margin," Fineman writes. "So far this year, that ratio has been cut to 2-1."

More important," Fineman continues, "is the way it was raised. In the past the party relied on 'soft money' from millionaires. But such donations are now illegal. Officials estimate that $12 million of the $14 million the Dean regime has collected so far this year has come from those who gave less than $250. 'For people who really look hard at the numbers, he's wowing people,' says Elaine Kamarck, a respected DNC member."-from the op-ed by Ari Berman, in The Nation, via Yahoo.