Let's just state the obvious: New Democratic National Committee Chairman
Howard Dean is no
Terry McAuliffe . Where the flashy former Clinton fundraiser was a gregarious ringmaster accustomed to the bling-bling of the highest non-publicly elected Democratic job around, Dean is almost a seminarian in his approach to the post. And, oddly, his style seems to fit with the
party's bid to build its blue-collar base--just as McAuliffe's meshed with the DNC's need to raise gobs of
money and go high tech.
What's so different? McAuliffe would limo around town, dropping in at the Palm to huddle with Washington big shots. The
2004 presidential hopeful, by contrast, takes the
bus or
subway, buying his own $1.35 ticket. Sometimes he bums rides from staffers or walks the four blocks to the Capitol for meetings. "Please Call Me
Howard" never flies first class and always carries his own bags.
Other signs of the
ex-guv's modest style: He eats at his desk, stays in a cheap
D.C. hotel, and likes oxford shirts and penny loafers. Affectionately dubbed a "geek" by pals, he's often glued to his cellphone and loves E-mail. "His expertise is grass roots and his lifestyle is no different," says an associate. So far, Washington likes what it sees, surprised he's not the oddball that newsies pegged him as last year. Says an aide, smiling: "They'
re giving him a shot."
It's funny how the DC crowd is amazed that someone like
Howard Dean would fly coach, carry his own bags, take the subway and asks people to call him by his first
name. The dude is
normal.
