Howard Dean To Become Regular CNBC Contributor (VIDEO)

Former DNC Chair Howard Dean will become a regular contributor for the business news network CNBC, a source close to the former Vermont Governor confirms. Dean started his new gig on Monday morning with a guest-hosting appearance on the station.

The move comes at a time when CNBC is under intense pressure to change its format and criticism for its failures to report or foresee much of today's economic crisis. In this regard, Dean -- who worked on Wall Street after graduating college and has family ties to the financial sector, but has nevertheless been an early critic of the business practices that contributed to the current recession -- should be a refreshing presence, particularly for progressive economists.

But the decision to bring the recently departed DNC Chair on board, the source says, was finalized well before the current wave of CNBC-angst. So while grassroots groups have sprouted up in recent weeks petitioning the network to make wholesale changes, Dean's hiring can't be viewed as a direct result of public pressure.

"This was in the works long before the Jon Stewart stuff," said the source, "but it will be good for our side to have him on."

"I'm going to be neutral between Jon Stewart -- who I'm enormously fond of -- and Cramer," Dean told Politico. "I like CNBC because I can offer them a different perspective that they would find useful."

The Dean hire was announced on Monday's "Squawk Box." Watch:

Comments

[sandals]

Good, we need people on the TV who have intelligence and who know how to present the facts, not just
GOP sound bites. Not that Dean would ever do that

[scottriviera]

Dean got s#it on by Obama....SHAME ON OBAMA.

[UnknownSoldier]

get over it, or get a life

[ProudLiberalDan]

get over Obama sycophantism, or get a brain

[SOLERSO68]

truly, the president is helped by your kind of drone- ism

[andyboy]

I hope he is going to have rock music like Hucksterbee. Mike had Jesus on the other night singin' One Toke Over the Line. And My God (no pun intended) were his eyes ever red! They really need to line up Visine as a sponser.

[roadtosocialism]

All is can say is RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[buddhistMonkey]

You clever boots, you.

[SOLERSO68]

hahahahah you have a razor wit and and overwhelmingly original sense of humor.. wtg with the increasingly obscure trivial media/ cultural references. you could have written for Johnny Carson's last season with that kind of material.." i am not a crook" hahahahahahaha

[Diddybop]

I'm amazed that CNBC had the brains to line him up. When I last saw Dean on Rachel Maddow's show, he was a terrific presence as a commentator -- smart, wry, knowledgeable, articulate, with his own distnctive progressive take and perspective. And he can also nail the never-random witty or sarcastic remark when needed.

He's always been someone with good ideas who's always made the DC and media Villagers VERY NERVOUS. For all their attempts to mock or knock him down, he just keeps rolling and popping up in interesting and unique ways. Head of the DNC after the main stream media all but assinated him in 2004? Where he sold the 50 State concept -- and made it work.

I wish he was working for the Administration (in a job Dean might actually want) or a bigger cable network.

From that "Q" perspective that TV execs use, Dean's quite handsome really, with a resonant radio voice, and a gruff but courteous directness. And he's not afraid to mix it up.

Should be good TV -- and CNBC's viewers (almost entirely Finance guys and small investor hobbyists) could benefit from hearing Dean's take on anything.

Such a pity that Obama -- who I like and want to be wildly successful (if Larry Summers and Timmy G don't croak us all)-- couldn't find a way to utilize Dean's talents and unique take in politics, medicine, finance, and hard time in the trenches in all 50 states.

[BushBites]

How cool.

Didn't realize Dean had a financial background.

[Ugonna]

me neither.

[jubei]

Iam waiting for somebody to say Rahm Emanuel is Obama's puppet and that Rahm runs the white house with an iron fist in 5,4,3,2,1.

[b-flat]

Great! I will be watching CNBC for Dean. I'm a huge fan of the good doctor. In my opinion, he's the one most responsible, besides Obama himself and the voters, for our having a President Obama today, and a shot at a better future.

Just as he advocated for a *public option* on hardball just a few days before the White House Health Care Summit, thus directing progressive energy to getting John Conyers a *last minute invitation* to the health care summit, I know he will do the same for finance. He will advocate for us, regardless of what the very smart people think or would like him to say, because he's doing this for his children, not for glory and spoils.

Go Dean!

[GeorgeP922]

Congrats Rahm on your first 60 days of failure.

DLC Style, gotta love it!

[ProudLiberalDan]

During the primaries, I warned progressives that Obama was a DLC wolf in a progressive sheep's clothing.

His treasury team and Rahm's blocking of Dean prove that this was the case.

[sarabono]

Well Rahm got a little "Chicago Style Politics" played back at him. Good for Dr. Dean. I'll enjoy hearing his fresh, and now unshackled perspective.

[zedhed]

with the market way up today, i hope cnbc's people start praising how obama and giethner listen to the market, understand the market, and are closet marketeers.

[hotseat]

Only Dean can yell louder than Cramer. It's that simple.

[Beachrunner]

YYYYY-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

[motherfather]

Why is it that every time AI mention media media media, I get the dreaded moderated stuff on my post.

[Ugonna]

I don't understand what a progressive like Dean would have in common with Wall Street suck ups/

[sarabono]

Progressive and the so called despised Wall Street have lots in common. In fact, one can't live without the other. Please consider changing your channel from MSNBC to CNBC for a couple of weeks. You may find a refreshing new perspective.