"Howard Dean Meets With Hillary's Fat Cats: Will He Cave?"

Matt Littman (Huffington Post):

In 2004, the Democratic leadership could not wait to see Howard Dean flail. The Dean Scream was the dream of John Kerry and the establishment Democrats, because it meant the insurgent candidate stumbled, fell, and never recovered.

Four years later, Howard Dean is running the Democratic National Committee -- he's on the inside, but he's really still an outsider. He is trying to make the Democratic Party brand popular in places other than New York and Boca Raton. This has earned him the animosity of Democratic Party insiders, who think they know better despite the fact that Democrats have had their butts handed to them more often than not in the last seven Congressional races.

He also wants the Democratic Party to follow the rules. That's why Florida and Michigan are not in position to have their delegates counted in Denver. They were told the rules for nominating a president, and they chose not to follow them. The Republican Party looks at the Democrats and says -- of course, the Party won't follow the rules it has set up. The Democrats don't believe in rules, in law, in order. That's what They say.

Howard Dean wants to prove Them wrong. He wants Florida to know it can't count, that the vote in January was not fair, was against the rules, should not count. Hillary Clinton sided with Howard Dean until she won Florida and realized she could not come close to winning the nomination without it.

And so, her top fundraisers are attempting to bribe the Democratic Party. They are going to dine with Howard Dean this week and threaten him. They are offering to pull their money from the Democratic Party if Florida, which didn't count, continues to not count. The fundraisers don't believe in morality. They believe it's all about the money.

Barack Obama's fundraisers are not having the same meeting with Howard Dean because he raised money from a million people, and his bundlers don't wield the same power that Hillary's financiers wield. What's Howard Dean going to do, meet with the nurse who sent a $100 to the DNC because she loves Obama? Meet with the veteran who sent $300 because they like Barack's stance on Iraq? No, he's meeting with the Fat Cats, who really care less about Hillary and more about becoming Ambassadors under a President Hillary.

It's a meeting of the Ambassadors Club, that's what this is. Howard Dean and a bunch of people who want to give him cash to change the rules, to make Florida count, so that -- what -- so Hillary can win? As if that'll do the Democratic Party a great favor. Let's remember how much the Clintons helped their fellow Democrats in the '90s. Oh, that's right, the Republicans took over Congress for the first time in decades, and didn't give it back for 12 years.

Howard Dean -- Howard Dean should scream. He should channel his Howard Beale and tell those who seek to blackmail him that he's not going to take it anymore. He's not a puppet. He's someone who cares about the future of his party more than he cares about the man who wants to be Ambassador to Bermuda.

Howie P.S.: I'm not worried about Dr. Dean caving OR ever screaming (again).