Reply #25: The DNC has absolutely no control whatsoever over Reid.

[hedda_foil]

I know we would all like to imagine that the DNC is a strong and powerful operation that sets the agenda and has political power over elected officials. After all, that's a good description of how the RNC functions. The truth is that nothing could be further from reality. For the past 30 years, the DNC has been an empty shell that does nothing beyond fundraising for presidential elections and holding a couple of conferences where nothing has any impact on anyone outside the room. That's how the DLC managed to take over the DNC in the first place. They're certainly good at high dollar fundraising from their corporate patrons. When Dean came in last year, there was no connection at all between the state and local party organizations (which were dying all over the country), the citizens of this country, grassroots Democrats, or even solid Democratic issues. As a result, the Senators and Congressmen, the DSCC, DCCC, etc etc etc all operate far more independently than would make any sense at all in a properly functioning party that could actually win elections.

Dean is making a superhuman effort to change all that, against tremendous resistance from the powers that be, who don't want to share, much less give up one little bit of their perceived power for the good of the party. The top of the party is a herd of feral cats. Dean is changing things, but he sure as hell can't control the cats he's fighting at this point.