WHY EMANUEL HATES DEAN. In a funny bit of intra-Democratic news from this week, the burgeoning rapprochement between Rahm Emanuel and Howard Dean included an agreement on how much the DNC would spend in 2006, and almost contained a "good behavior" clause in which the DNC would donate more money if Emanuel stopped bashing them to the press. It's a testament to Emanuel's loathing of Dean that the DNC even considered such a play, but it's more understandable in the context of this article reporting what the two national party committees will spend on 2006: The DNC will contribute $12 million to Democratic efforts, the RNC will give $60 million. This, by the way, is why I remain somewhat bearish on the Democrat's chances in 2006. While the national mood may favor the left, the GOP still enjoys a massive advantage in funding, voter technologies, microtargeting databases, and GOTV efforts. Add in dropping gas prices and the power of the bully pulpit (which Bush has used to great effect over the last month), and Democrats face a steeper uphill road than the media is necessarily reporting. Whatever the mood is now, the right has not yet begun to campaign. And while voters don't much like how they govern, they tend to respond to how they politick.
--Ezra Klein
