The outgoing chairman of the Democratic National Committee fought to expand his party’s reach to the red states that Barack Obama won. His pioneering Internet fundraisers became Obama’s pioneering Internet fundraisers. He refused to budge on Florida and Michigan. So why is Howard Dean out in the cold?

Washington Post via Political Wire:

Dean was widely disparaged within the party for his “50-state strategy” — a plan to put DNC-paid staffers on the ground in every state to ensure the party fielded a competitive slate of candidates. Yet, the 2006 and 2008 elections seemed to justify Dean’s decision as Democrats won in such states as North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Kansas and Idaho — places that, as recently as a few elections ago, were considered impenetrable.

[…] A source familiar with Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign and his DNC chairmanship argued not only that the former governor’s presidential bid lay the technological foundation for Obama’s successes but also that the chairman’s unbending enforcement of the primary rules — stripping Florida and Michigan of their delegates and their meaningfulness — played a large role in Obama’s victory over Hillary Rodham Clinton. “I guess it proves that no good deed goes unpunished,” the source said.

Read more