TomPaine.com's Steven Rosenfeld warns off thoughts of symbolic fights within the context of Convention Politics.

I have to say, I completely agree. With a few caveats...

If/when Governor Dean is mathematically eliminated from contention for the nomination, I would hope to see his supporters move on in two paths, neither mutually exclusive. One is to support the nominee of the party and his team's girding up for the November election. But, as is seen in the article, this support will likely come at arm's length because the the platform and organization will be that of the winner, not those of the next best finisher(s).

Advice and advocacy from the Dean grassroots, in this case, would need to be re-directed in a positive / parallel coalition with the nominee - the primary goal of a non-GWBush White House is still a short term target.

So I'd assume that this second path is to drive toward the formation of a 527-style organization that would perform grassroots issue, organizational and media advocacy, similar to MoveOn.org but working from the local Dean teams / Meetup structure to continue the political change communities beyond this year's elections. No longer a one time affair like Jerry Brown's shadow convention, but a long term, local organizing force with the interest in continuing to press for real results and change: within the Democratic Party, with new Democratic primary challengers in Congress, with the Congress and Presidency as a whole.

Would it work? It all depends what the Deanroots think and want to do.....

Michael Cudahy and Jock Gill at GreaterDemocracy write up another analysis of the structural problems of Governor Dean's local campaigns in IA and NH, and why the Perfect Storm turned into passing cloud-cover....