Funniest comment of the night

A PUTSCH AT THE DNC?:

Some big name Democrats want to oust DNC Chairman Howard Dean, arguing that his stubborn commitment to the 50-state strategy and his stinginess with funds for House races cost the Democrats several pickup opportunities.

The candidate being floated to replace Dean? Harold Ford.

Says James Carville, one of the anti-Deaniacs, "Suppose Harold Ford became chairman of the DNC? How much more money do you think we could raise? Just think of the difference it could make in one day. Now probably Harold Ford wants to stay in Tennessee. I just appointed myself his campaign manager."

--Ryan Lizza

Matt Stoller issues a threat

A threat (Chris): If Howard Dean is ousted as DNC chair, I will start a campaign for all small donors and all netroots actiivsts to stop giving money to the DNC, DSCC, DCCC, DLCC and NGA. This is not an idle threat. Democratic parties and committees will lose tens of millions of dollars every year if they do this. Count on it.

Update: Here's the DNC Charter. The answer to 'how Dean could be removed' is if a majority of the Democratic National Committee members vote to remove him. If anyone wants to get a majority of DNC members to voice public support of Dean, that would be the way to tell Carville and co. to STFU.

But Dean swings back

Update: DEAN RESPONDS Via TNR, Howard Dean spokeswoman Karen Finney emails the following in response to James Carville's comments below:

After the Republicans have admitted to a thumping, why is it that the only one complaining on the Democratic side is James Carville, who today in addition to trashing Howard Dean, praised the RNC, the outfit that brought us the racist ad that defeated Harold Ford, James' supposed candidate for Chair? Perhaps he's not aware that under Dean in this midterm election the DNC has raised record cash --- all hard dollars -- including three times as much from major donors, eight times as much online and made a $30 million investment in the '06 cycle, three times as much as the DNC put into the last midterm. Not to mention we made an $8m overhaul of our voter file which was successfully used in 47 states and through the 50 state strategy invested in states like Pennsylvania, Kansas, Indiana and Montana where we had critical victories on Tuesday.

Fuck it, I'll make it simple: Jim, your strategy sucked. It hasn't stopped sucking since 1996.

No one outside DC is loyal to you. Dean's strategy has led to amazing gains, not only in federal elections, but state elections as well. Would you have backed Tester? No. Not in a million years. But he's the Senator-elect.

The fact is that you want a pro-Hillary chair, and we have other issues to deal with. Threats? Try reality. Howard Dean got the job over all the insider hacks like Donny Fowler Jr, Marty Frost and Tim Roemer. Dean got the job because of the 50 state policy.

What pickups of which you speak? We got what, 29, and came close in nearly 20 others? Maybe if the good Congressman from Chicago had not invested three million in losing candidate Tammy Duckworth there might have been more money to go around.

Harold Ford sponsored his own arrest ladened brother over the winning candidate for his seat, who won in a landslide. You want to give him a job, go right ahead. But don't think you're going to impose your pet negro sellout on us because you like him.

It's Dean's job as long as he wants it.