Failed presidential candidate Howard Dean said on Wednesday that he’s deeply worried that his bid for the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee might further damage relations between the two factions of the party – but that wasn’t motivation enough for the establishment figure to bow out.
Dean, who is competing for the spot against Minnesota congressman and progress-backed candidate Keith Ellison, said on Wednesday that he was worried what this competition might do to the future of the party as a whole.
“I do not want this to turn into a war between the Sanders people and the Hillary people, which it could.”
Considering that Ellison is backed by several notable names – both progressive and establishment, the most rational thing for Dean to do would be graciously step aside. As of yet, he is still committed to running.
The DNC’s choice between Dean and Ellison is truly the party’s first major test of whether they have learned their lesson from the election – will they go with the candidate of the old party, or strike out with a fresh face? Dean would be business-as-usual while Ellison is a Bernie-backed progressive with a unique background and new ideas.
It’s time for Dean to step aside and let the new Democrats take over.
