Big Moves At The DNC

It's very encouraging that Barack Obama recognizes the job Howard Dean has done as the architect of the 50-state strategy and building Democratic infrastructure nationally, and that he's going to keep him in the job through the election. It's also encouraging that he's bringing the same reformist style to the DNC and branding the Democratic Party as the one which doesn't take lobbyist or PAC money.

NEW YORK - Acting swiftly as his party's presumed presidential nominee, Barack Obama is keeping Howard Dean at the helm of the Democratic National Committee, while bringing in one of his top strategists to oversee the party's operations.

The campaign also announced that the DNC will no longer accept donations from lobbyists and political action committees, to comply with Obama's campaign policy. Party officials say they expect the DNC's staff to quickly expand to run an aggressive general election campaign.

Campaign adviser Paul Tewes was dispatched to help lead the changes Thursday.

"Senator Obama appreciates the hard work that Chairman Dean has done to grow our party at the grass-roots level and looks forward to working with him as the chairman of the Democratic Party as we go forward," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said.

I expect Obama to do some major fundraising for the DNC, perhaps pushing out to his list, over the next few days. It's also worth mentioning that Obama actually had to buck conventional Washington wisdom and take the side that building infrastructure across all 50 states is preferable to trying to win a narrow set of swing states and just make it across the line every election. This is an endorsement of a national campaign strategy that Dean has spearheaded since 2005.

And the contrast of one party united in not taking lobbyist or PAC money and the other party's nominee having a campaign full of lobbyists is pretty stark, and Obama knows it:

"I've sent a strong signal in this campaign by refusing the contributions of registered federal lobbyists and PACs," Senator Obama said. "And today, I'm announcing that going forward, the Democratic National Committee will uphold the same standard and won't take another dime from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs. They do not fund my campaign. They will not fund our party. And they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I'm President of the United States."

It really feels like a weight has been lifted, the internecine bickering is over, and now the fun can begin.