Former DNC Chair Howard Dean Says Dems ‘Haven’t Done a Damn Thing’ on ‘Grassroots’ Efforts Since 2008

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean offered some advice to his party following the election loss of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Dean joined Kasie Hunt on CNN This Morning on Thursday and recommended Democrats up their “grassroots” efforts, accusing the party of not “doing a damn thing” since 2008. Dean was chair of the DNC until 2009. He also served as the governor of Vermont and launched an unsuccessful campaign for president in the 2004 that will forever be remembered for “The Dean Scream.”

“The problem is we haven’t done a damn thing since 2008 about getting out into the grassroots,” Dean told Hunt. “I always call Washington ‘middle school on steroids’ because they work hard, they’re very smart, and it’s all about them all the time.”

Dean explained that Democrats should be investing more into local races in red states.

“This goes to being on the ground, the Democratic Party ought to be putting a lot of money into school board races, and into city council races, and into local representative races, including in very red states, and they’re not doing that,” he said.

Dean praised Harris for a “great campaign” and “great infrastructure,” but he argued the message was ultimately empty for voters.

“There’s nothing underneath,” Dean said.

He did offer some praise to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), arguing her knack for connecting to voters on a more local level is something Republicans have been outpacing Democrats at for quite some time.

“She got out there, and knocked on doors, and organized people. This is not about where you are on the political spectrum,” he said. “There will be some districts where you have to be a little more conservative and some districts where you’ll have to be a little more liberal.”

Watch above via CNN.