Dean Says Goodbye to DNC

Having seen the party go from a beleaguered minority to an ascendant majority under his leadership, Howard Dean left his job as chair of the DNC yesterday as his successor, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, took over. Dean was best known for his then-controversial "50 state strategy," in which he invested in many red states in which the Democrats had previously abandoned hope of winning legislative seats or presidential votes. At the time, he took heat from some Democratic strategists and politicians for blowing through money quickly and many questioned whether his efforts were a futile waste of time. After the Democratic party regained the majority in the House with surprise wins in a variety of right-leaning districts in 2006 and President Obama shocked the world by winning red states like Virginia and Indiana, however, Dean's plan to build a Democratic infrastructure in the red states was vindicated.